Dunedin, FL short-term rental registration
Dunedin is one of the Florida towns whose rules predate June 2011, which is why it can still regulate where newer ordinances cannot. Ordinance 24-09 rewrote the registration in June 2024: letting anyone occupy a residential property as a vacation rental without registering it and holding a certificate of compliance is unlawful, each approved unit gets a registration number that must appear in every advertisement, and the annual fee is $200 per dwelling unit. The standards behind it are unusually concrete, down to when the bins may go out.[6]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified September 20, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Dunedin?
Register before you list
What you apply for: Short Term Vacation Rental annual registration
- Seasonal homes
- 2,643
- Housing units
- 21,305
- Residents
- 36,062
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City ruleRegistration required
- City fee$200
- Tax on each stay13%
- Seasonal homes124 per 1,000
Dunedin vacation rental registration
Dunedin requires every vacation rental dwelling unit to be registered with the city and issued a certificate of compliance before anyone may occupy it, and each approved unit is assigned a unique registration number that has to be listed in any advertisement for it. Annual registration costs $200 per dwelling unit. The application asks for the address and zoning district, the owner's details, a responsible party with a number answered twenty-four hours a day seven days a week, proof of registration with the Florida Department of Revenue for sales tax and with Pinellas County for tourist development tax, a DBPR vacation rental licence, a city business tax receipt, proof of general liability insurance and proof of passing an initial fire inspection; an incomplete form is rejected outright. The responsible party must live within twenty-five miles, respond to emergency calls within two hours, and keep the property within the occupancy limits set by the Florida Building Code. The standards also require one off-street parking space per bedroom, ban on-street parking and sleeping in vehicles, and set out when bins may be put out.[6]
What Dunedin asks of you
It is unlawful to let anyone occupy a residential property as a vacation rental, or to offer such rental services, unless the unit is registered with the city and has been issued a certificate of compliance.[6]
Each approved vacation rental dwelling unit is assigned a unique registration number, which must be listed as part of any advertisement for it.[6]
Annual registration costs $200 per dwelling unit, set in Appendix C of the land development code.[6]
The application requires the address and zoning district, owner and responsible party details with a number answered around the clock, Department of Revenue and Pinellas County tourist development tax registrations, a DBPR vacation rental licence, a city business tax receipt, general liability insurance and proof of passing an initial fire inspection. An incomplete form is rejected.[6]
The responsible party must be a natural person living within twenty-five miles, must respond to emergency calls within two hours, and any change has to be notified to the city clerk within fifteen days.[6]
The standards require one off-street parking space per bedroom, forbid on-street parking and sleeping in any vehicle, apply the city's noise limits, and set out when solid waste containers may be put out for collection.[6]
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]
What a guest pays on top of your nightly rate in Dunedin
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 |
| Pinellas County discretionary sales surtax[5] | 1% | The state revenue department |
| Pinellas County Tourist Development Tax[4] | 6% | The county |
| Total on a taxable stay | 13% |
Dunedin makes both tax registrations a condition of registering the rental: the Department of Revenue for sales tax, and Pinellas County for its own 6% tourist development tax.[6]
How short-term rental taxes work for US hostsWhat the census counts
How much of Dunedin is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 2,643 of Dunedin's 21,305 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use — 124 out of every 1,000. That ranks Dunedin 33rd of the 33 Florida cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 33rd of 33
- Share of housing
- 124 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $396,000
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Dunedin sits among its neighbors
Indian Rocks Beach, FL
Registration required
851 seasonal homes, 249 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in Indian Rocks BeachMadeira Beach, FL
Allowed by zone
1,143 seasonal homes, 286 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in Madeira BeachSt. Pete Beach, FL
Registration required
2,406 seasonal homes, 286 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in St. Pete BeachTreasure Island, FL
Allowed by zone
1,781 seasonal homes, 288 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in Treasure IslandFAQ
Dunedin short-term rental questions
Does my Dunedin listing have to show a number?
How close must my responsible party live?
How much parking does Dunedin require?
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. 03/25), Florida Department of Revenue, read on September 20, 2026
- Discretionary Sales Surtax Information for Calendar Year 2026 (DR-15DSS), Florida Department of Revenue, read on September 20, 2026
- Ordinance 24-09, short-term vacation rental registration amendments, City of Dunedin, 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
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.
Airbnb house rules
Generate a complete PDF house rules document for your property: rules, schedule, amenities, emergency contacts.
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.
Check-in instructions
The message a guest reads before getting in: access, keys, WiFi, parking, contact. English or bilingual output.