Brevard County, FL

Cape Canaveral, FL short-term rental registration

Cape Canaveral keeps its rule short enough to quote. Section 110-486 of the city code holds every vacation rental to a seven-day minimum stay, which rules out the weekend traffic a cruise port would otherwise generate. Around that sit three conditions rather than a permit process: a business tax receipt on record with the city, adequate on-site parking, and compliance with life and safety standards. The city also expects the unit to publish a contact for anyone who needs to report a breach of its noise or parking rules.[6]

Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified September 20, 2026.

Can you rent short term in Cape Canaveral?

Register before you list

What you apply for: Business tax receipt for a vacation rental

Seasonal homes
2,125
Housing units
9,245
Residents
10,006

U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates

  • City ruleRegistration required
  • City feeNone published
  • Tax on each stay12%
  • Seasonal homes230 per 1,000

Cape Canaveral vacation rental rules

Cape Canaveral requires vacation rentals to comply with a seven-day minimum stay, under section 110-486 of the city code of ordinances. Beyond that duration rule, a vacation rental must have a business tax receipt on record with the city, provide adequate on-site parking, and comply with life and safety standards. The city also requires contact information to be provided so that violations of its noise or parking rules can be reported to someone responsible for the property. Because Florida preempts city rules on the duration and frequency of vacation rentals unless the ordinance predates 1 June 2011, a seven-day floor of this kind is one of the surviving older regimes rather than something a Florida city could adopt today.[6]

What Cape Canaveral asks of you

  • Section 110-486 of the code of ordinances holds vacation rentals in the city to a seven-day minimum stay.[6]

  • A vacation rental must have a business tax receipt on record with the city.[6]

  • The property must provide adequate on-site parking and comply with life and safety standards.[6]

  • Contact information has to be provided so that breaches of the city's noise or parking rules can be reported.[6]

Apply on the Cape Canaveral site

What Florida asks wherever you host

These rules apply at this address whatever the city decides.

  • Florida licenses vacation rentals itself. A house, townhouse or unit in a building of four units or fewer is licensed as a dwelling, a unit in a condominium or cooperative as a condominium, and the licence costs $150 plus $10 per rental unit plus a $10 hospitality education fee.[2]

  • A city cannot ban vacation rentals, nor regulate how long or how often you rent, unless its ordinance was already on the books on June 1, 2011. Ordinances adopted before that date survive untouched, which is why two neighbouring Florida towns can sit at opposite ends of the scale.[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, and so is the seventh month onward once a guest has stayed and paid for six.[3]

All Florida short-term rental laws

What a guest pays on top of your nightly rate in Cape Canaveral

Each layer is set by a different authority, and not all of them are collected by the platform.

Short-term rental tax layers in Cape Canaveral
LayerRateRemitted to
Florida state sales tax[3]6%The state revenue department
Brevard County discretionary sales surtax[5]1%The state revenue department
Brevard County Tourist Development Tax[4]5%The county
Total on a taxable stay12%

Brevard collects its own 5% tourist development tax, the same stack Cocoa Beach carries down the coast, for a total of 12% on a stay of six months or less.[4]

How short-term rental taxes work for US hosts

What the census counts

How much of Cape Canaveral is already a second home

The Census Bureau counts 2,125 of Cape Canaveral's 9,245 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use — 230 out of every 1,000. That ranks Cape Canaveral 24th of the 33 Florida cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.

Rank in the state
24th of 33
Share of housing
230 per 1,000
Median home value
$372,400

U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.

Nearby and comparable

Where Cape Canaveral sits among its neighbors

Cocoa Beach, FL

Registration required

2,242 seasonal homes, 248 per 1,000 housing units.

Rules in Cocoa Beach

Key Biscayne, FL

Registration required

1,736 seasonal homes, 238 per 1,000 housing units.

Rules in Key Biscayne

Flagler Beach, FL

Permit required

629 seasonal homes, 170 per 1,000 housing units.

Rules in Flagler Beach

Indian Rocks Beach, FL

Registration required

851 seasonal homes, 249 per 1,000 housing units.

Rules in Indian Rocks Beach
The state hubEvery Florida city on this site, in one tableState law, the tax stack and every city we cover in Florida, with what each one asks of a host.Open the Florida hub

FAQ

Cape Canaveral short-term rental questions

What is the minimum stay in Cape Canaveral?

Seven days. Section 110-486 of the city code requires every vacation rental in the city to comply with a seven-day minimum stay.[6]

Does Cape Canaveral issue a short-term rental permit?

The city requires a business tax receipt on record rather than a dedicated permit, alongside adequate on-site parking and compliance with life and safety standards.[6]

How does a neighbour report a problem?

Through the contact information the rental has to provide, which exists precisely so that violations of the city's noise or parking rules reach someone responsible.[6]
Read nextHow to start an AirbnbThe six steps in order, starting with the permit check.Read the guide

Sources

  1. Florida Statutes § 509.032(7), Duties — preemption of vacation rental regulation, The Florida Legislature, read on September 20, 2026
  2. Guide to Vacation Rentals and Timeshare Projects, Division of Hotels and Restaurants, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, read on September 20, 2026
  3. 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
  4. Local Option Transient Rental Tax Rates (DR-15TDT, R. 03/25), Florida Department of Revenue, read on September 20, 2026
  5. Discretionary Sales Surtax Information for Calendar Year 2026 (DR-15DSS), Florida Department of Revenue, read on September 20, 2026
  6. Frequently asked questions, vacation rentals, City of Cape Canaveral, read on September 20, 2026

This page is not legal advice. It summarizes the official sources listed on this page as they read on September 20, 2026. Rules can change after that date, so check with the issuing office before you apply or publish a listing.

Before you list

Free tools for new hosts

See all

Short-term rental agreement generator

Parties, dates, rent, deposit checked against your state's cap, and the house rules clauses you enforce. A signed-ready PDF for direct and Vrbo bookings.

Printable PDFCustomizableNo sign up
Open the tool

Airbnb house rules

Generate a complete PDF house rules document for your property: rules, schedule, amenities, emergency contacts.

Professional PDFCustomizableNo sign up
Open the tool

Rental arbitrage calculator

Rent, deposit, furnishing, nightly rate and occupancy. You get monthly cash flow, the occupancy you break even at, and how long the setup takes to pay back.

Instant calculationResult in 30 sNo sign up
Open the tool

Check-in instructions

The message a guest reads before getting in: access, keys, WiFi, parking, contact. English or bilingual output.

CustomizableInstant resultNo sign-up
Open the tool