Holmes Beach, FL short-term rental registration
Holmes Beach asks for a Vacation Rental Certificate on every rental property in the city, and it is the most expensive first step on Anna Maria Island: $545 for the initial application, inspections included, and the same $545 every two years to renew. The certificate is only half the answer, though. The minimum stay is set by the zoning district, and the two regimes are far apart: thirty days in R-1AA, a week in R-2 and R-3. Check the district before you check the price.[6]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified September 20, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Holmes Beach?
Register before you list
What you apply for: Vacation Rental Certificate
- Seasonal homes
- 1,367
- Housing units
- 4,421
- Residents
- 3,047
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City ruleRegistration required
- City fee$545
- Tax on each stay13%
- Seasonal homes309 per 1,000
Holmes Beach vacation rental certificate
Holmes Beach requires a Vacation Rental Certificate on every rental property in the city, and it is the most expensive first step on Anna Maria Island: $545 for the initial application, inspections included, and $545 again at renewal, which comes round every two years rather than every year. The certificate is only half the answer, because the minimum stay is set by the zoning district and the two regimes are far apart. R-1AA zoning carries a thirty-day minimum, which rules weekly letting out entirely in that district. R-2 and R-3 carry a weekly minimum instead, with certain grandfathered hotels excluded from even that. Check which district the address sits in before you check the price, because it decides whether the business model works at all.[6]
What Holmes Beach asks of you
A Vacation Rental Certificate is required for every rental property inside the city of Holmes Beach.[6]
The initial application costs $545, inspections included.[6]
Renewal costs the same $545 and comes round every two years, not every year.[6]
R-1AA zoning carries a thirty-day minimum stay, which rules out weekly letting in that district.[6]
R-2 and R-3 zoning carry a weekly minimum instead, with certain grandfathered hotels excluded from that requirement.[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 Holmes 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 |
| Manatee County discretionary sales surtax[5] | 1% | The state revenue department |
| Manatee County Tourist Development Tax[4] | 6% | The county |
| Total on a taxable stay | 13% |
The tax stack is the same 13% as the rest of Anna Maria Island, since the tourist development tax is set by Manatee County rather than by each of the island's three cities.[4]
How short-term rental taxes work for US hostsWhat the census counts
How much of Holmes Beach is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 1,367 of Holmes Beach's 4,421 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use — 309 out of every 1,000. That ranks Holmes Beach 13th of the 33 Florida cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 13th of 33
- Share of housing
- 309 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $681,000
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Holmes Beach sits among its neighbors
Anna Maria, FL
Registration required
517 seasonal homes, 344 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in Anna MariaBradenton Beach, FL
Registration required
776 seasonal homes, 416 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in Bradenton BeachBonita Springs, FL
Registration required
11,877 seasonal homes, 298 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in Bonita SpringsSunny Isles Beach, FL
Permit required
7,208 seasonal homes, 367 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in Sunny Isles BeachFAQ
Holmes Beach short-term rental questions
How much is a Holmes Beach vacation rental certificate?
Can I rent by the week in Holmes Beach?
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
- Vacation Rental Certificates, City of Holmes 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.