Where short-term rentals are allowed in Fernandina Beach, FL
On Amelia Island the question is not what the permit costs but whether your lot can hold one. Fernandina Beach grants a Resort Rental Dwelling Permit only where the property is zoned R-3, high density residential, or where an R-1 or R-2 property has been granted grandfathered status. Everywhere else the minimum rental is thirty days and the let is simply a long-term one. Where the permit is available it runs the state fiscal year, needs an inspection checklist every year, and its number has to appear on every listing.[6]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified September 20, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Fernandina Beach?
Your zoning decides
What you apply for: Resort Rental Dwelling Permit
- Seasonal homes
- 1,217
- Housing units
- 8,168
- Residents
- 13,420
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City ruleAllowed by zone
- City feeNone published
- Tax on each stay12%
- Seasonal homes149 per 1,000
Fernandina Beach short-term rental permit
Fernandina Beach requires a Resort Rental Dwelling Permit to rent a property short term, which the city defines as twenty-nine days or less. The permit is available only where the property is zoned R-3, high density residential, or where an R-1 or R-2 property has been granted grandfathered status; in every other zoning district the minimum rental duration is thirty days or more, which the city classes as a long-term rental. Before applying you need your state and county licences in place, including a Florida public lodging licence, and any business physically located inside the city limits needs a local business tax receipt from Fernandina Beach. Permits run for one year, from 1 October to 30 September, and each year the city wants a completed inspection checklist for the dwelling, which the DBPR or any licensed home inspector may carry out. Every listing has to carry the city's short-term rental licence number, in the format RRDP-00000-0000.[6]
What Fernandina Beach asks of you
The city treats a rental of twenty-nine days or less as short term, and requires a Resort Rental Dwelling Permit for it.[6]
To qualify, the property must be zoned R-3, high density residential, or be an R-1 or R-2 property granted grandfathered status. In all other districts the minimum rental is thirty days.[6]
State and county licences come first, including a Florida public lodging licence, and any business located inside the city limits needs a Fernandina Beach local business tax receipt.[6]
Permits are valid for one year, running from 1 October to 30 September.[7]
A completed inspection checklist for the resort rental dwelling is required each year, and the DBPR or any licensed home inspector may carry it out.[7]
Every listing must include the city's short-term rental licence number, in the format RRDP-00000-0000.[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 Fernandina Beach
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 |
| Nassau County discretionary sales surtax[5] | 1% | The state revenue department |
| Nassau County Tourist Development Tax[4] | 5% | The county |
| Total on a taxable stay | 12% |
Nassau County levies its 5% tourist development tax on Amelia Island alone, in ZIP code 32034, which covers Fernandina Beach. The rest of the county carries none.[4]
How short-term rental taxes work for US hostsWhat the census counts
How much of Fernandina Beach is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 1,217 of Fernandina Beach's 8,168 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use — 149 out of every 1,000. That ranks Fernandina Beach 29th of the 33 Florida cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 29th of 33
- Share of housing
- 149 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $555,400
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Fernandina Beach sits among its neighbors
Crystal River, FL
Allowed by zone
413 seasonal homes, 181 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in Crystal RiverMiami Beach, FL
Allowed by zone
13,380 seasonal homes, 212 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in Miami BeachMadeira Beach, FL
Allowed by zone
1,143 seasonal homes, 286 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in Madeira BeachTreasure Island, FL
Allowed by zone
1,781 seasonal homes, 288 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in Treasure IslandFAQ
Fernandina Beach short-term rental questions
Can any Fernandina Beach house get a resort rental permit?
Does my listing have to show a licence number?
Who can perform the annual inspection?
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
- Short Term / Resort Rentals, City of Fernandina Beach, read on September 20, 2026
- Resort Rental Dwelling Permit application packet and ordinance, City of Fernandina Beach, 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.