How to get a short-term rental permit in Tallahassee, FL (2026)
Tallahassee requires Vacation Rental – Dwelling License (Florida DBPR, Division of Hotels and Restaurants — a state license; the City of Tallahassee requires no local STR permit) — the fee is $230, renewed annual. Here's how to get and keep it.
Permit at a glance
| Permit required | Yes |
|---|---|
| Permit name | Vacation Rental – Dwelling License (Florida DBPR, Division of Hotels and Restaurants — a state license; the City of Tallahassee requires no local STR permit) |
| Permit fee | $230 |
| Renewal | Annual |
Step by step
- 1
Confirm your property is eligible
Confirm the property's zoning allows short-term rentals. Tallahassee's Land Development Code contains no short-term-rental-specific zoning provisions — STRs operate in residential zones citywide with no STR overlay districts, caps, or separation requirements. Under Fla. Stat. 509.032(7)(b), the city is preempted from prohibiting vacation rentals or regulating their duration or frequency, and Tallahassee has no grandfathered pre-June-2011 STR ordinance.
- 2
Apply for the Vacation Rental – Dwelling License (Florida DBPR, Division of Hotels and Restaurants — a state license; the City of Tallahassee requires no local STR permit)
Submit the Vacation Rental – Dwelling License (Florida DBPR, Division of Hotels and Restaurants — a state license; the City of Tallahassee requires no local STR permit) application to Tallahassee and pay the $230 fee. $230 total for a new single-dwelling full-year license: $170 full-year license fee + $50 application fee (new or change of ownership) + $10 Hospitality Education Program (HEP) fee. Half-year proration available ($90 license fee; HEP fee not prorated). Multi-unit group licenses scale up to $350/year by unit-count tier. Annual renewal is $180 ($170 + $10 HEP). The City of Tallahassee itself charges nothing — it repealed its business license tax and requires no local permit.
- 3
Register for occupancy taxes
Register to collect and remit the applicable lodging/occupancy taxes for Tallahassee. Some are collected automatically by the booking platform and some you may need to remit yourself.
- 4
Renew on schedule
The permit renews annual — set a reminder so it never lapses, since operating on an expired permit typically triggers fines.
STR rules change without warning.
Get an email the moment Tallahassee changes its short-term rental rules — plus renewal reminders before your permit expires.
Watch Tallahassee for changes →Free monthly digest · same-day alerts from $5/mo · cancel anytime
Keep going
Verified July 21, 2026. Informational only — not legal, tax, or financial advice. Permit requirements and fees change; confirm current requirements with Tallahassee before applying.