Bonita Springs, FL short-term rental permit
In Bonita Springs you need the city's rental permit before handing over the keys, for a short stay or a year-long lease. The inspection behind the permit weighs more than the fee. Once issued, it runs for three years.[6]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 2, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Bonita Springs?
Get a permit first
What you apply for: City of Bonita Springs rental permit
- Seasonal homes
- 11,877
- Housing units
- 39,895
- Residents
- 55,904
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City rulePermit required
- City fee$100
- Tax on each stay11.5%
- Seasonal homes298 per 1,000
Bonita Springs rental permit
Bonita Springs requires a rental permit from the city before any non-owner-occupied single-family, duplex or multi-family dwelling of six units or fewer is leased. The requirement applies to transient rentals of under six months exactly as it does to long-term leases. The permit fee is $100 per unit. Before it is issued, a code enforcement officer inspects the property against the International Property Maintenance Code. The city has adopted that code to set minimum standards for living in residential structures. The owner or a designee has to be present, and any violation of that code or of a city ordinance must be corrected first. Once granted, the permit is valid for three years from the date the application was submitted. Properties of more than six dwelling units regulated under the Florida condominium or homeowners association statutes fall outside the requirement. Refusing or revoking the permit stops the owner renting the unit at all.[6]
What Bonita Springs asks of you
Every owner of a non-owner-occupied single-family, duplex or multi-family dwelling must obtain a rental permit from the city before leasing the unit. That holds whether the rental is transient, meaning under six months, or long term.[6]
The permit fee is $100 per unit, submitted with the completed application.[6]
A code enforcement officer inspects the property against the International Property Maintenance Code, which the city adopted to set minimum residential standards. The owner or a designee must be present.[6]
Any violation of a city ordinance or of the property maintenance code has to be corrected before the permit is issued.[6]
Once issued the permit is valid for three years, running from the date the application was submitted.[6]
Properties of more than six dwelling units regulated under the Florida condominium or homeowners association statutes are outside the requirement. Revocation or refusal of a permit stops the owner renting.[6]
What Florida asks wherever you host
These rules apply at this address whatever the city decides.
Florida licenses vacation rentals itself. A dwelling license covers houses, townhouses and buildings of up to four units. A condominium or cooperative unit takes a condominium license instead. The license costs $150 plus $10 per rental unit, plus a $10 hospitality education fee.[2]
No Florida city may ban vacation rentals. It may not set how long or how often you rent either. The one exception is a local ordinance already in force on June 1, 2011, which still applies.[1]
State sales tax is due on every rental of six months or less. A bona fide written lease for more than six months of continuous residence is exempt. So is the seventh month onward once a guest has stayed and paid for six.[3]
What a guest pays on top of your nightly rate in Bonita Springs
Each layer is set by a different authority, and not all of them are collected by the platform.
| Layer | Rate | Remitted to |
|---|---|---|
| Florida state sales tax[3] | 6% | The state revenue department |
| Lee County discretionary sales surtax[5] | 0.5% | The state revenue department |
| Lee County Tourist Development Tax[4] | 5% | The county |
| Total on a taxable stay | 11.5% |
Lee County's stack totals 11.5%, against 13% on the Manatee and Pinellas beaches: a half-point surtax and a 5% tourist development tax the county collects itself.[5]
What the census counts
How much of Bonita Springs is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 11,877 of Bonita Springs's 39,895 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 298 out of every 1,000. It ranks Bonita Springs 18th of the 48 Florida cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 18th of 48
- Share of housing
- 298 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $497,100
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Bonita Springs sits among its neighbors
Estero, FL
No city ordinance
7,572 seasonal homes, 281 per 1,000 housing units.
Estero short-term rental rulesSanibel, FL
Allowed by zone
3,682 seasonal homes, 430 per 1,000 housing units.
Sanibel short-term rental rulesFort Myers Beach, FL
Registration required
4,753 seasonal homes, 481 per 1,000 housing units.
Fort Myers Beach short-term rental rulesTreasure Island, FL
Allowed by zone
1,781 seasonal homes, 288 per 1,000 housing units.
Treasure Island short-term rental rulesFAQ
Bonita Springs short-term rental questions
Does a Bonita Springs permit expire every year?
Does the permit apply to long-term tenants too?
What is inspected before the permit is issued?
Sources
- Florida Statutes § 509.032(7), Duties — preemption of vacation rental regulation, The Florida Legislature, read on September 20, 2026
- Guide to Vacation Rentals and Timeshare Projects, Division of Hotels and Restaurants, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, read on September 20, 2026
- Sales and Use Tax on Rental of Living or Sleeping Accommodations (GT-800034, R. 10/25), Florida Department of Revenue, read on September 20, 2026
- Local Option Transient Rental Tax Rates (DR-15TDT, R. 10/26), Florida Department of Revenue, read on October 2, 2026
- Discretionary Sales Surtax Information for Calendar Year 2026 (DR-15DSS), Florida Department of Revenue, read on September 20, 2026
- Rental Permits, Neighborhood Services, City of Bonita Springs, read on September 20, 2026
This page is not legal advice. It summarizes the official sources listed on this page as they read on October 2, 2026. Rules can change after that date, so check with the issuing office before you apply or publish a listing.
Before you list
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