Manatee County, FL

Holmes Beach, FL short-term rental certificate

A Vacation Rental Certificate comes first in Holmes Beach, then the zoning district decides how short a stay can be. Weekly renting works in R-2 and R-3. R-1AA rules it out.[6]

Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 2, 2026.

Can you rent short term in Holmes Beach?

Get the certificate first

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 ruleCertificate 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, the most expensive first step on Anna Maria Island. The initial application costs $545, inspections included. Renewal costs $545 again and comes around 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 rentals 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 around every two years, not every year.[6]

  • R-1AA zoning carries a thirty-day minimum stay, which rules out weekly rentals in that district.[6]

  • R-2 and R-3 zoning carry a weekly minimum instead, with certain grandfathered hotels excluded from that requirement.[6]

Apply on the Holmes Beach site

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]

Florida short-term rental rules

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.

Short-term rental tax layers in Holmes Beach
LayerRateRemitted 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 stay13%

The tax stack is the same 13% as the rest of Anna Maria Island. The tourist development tax is set by Manatee County rather than by each of the island's three cities.[4]

Florida transient rental taxAirbnb taxes for hosts

What 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. That is 309 out of every 1,000. It ranks Holmes Beach 16th of the 48 Florida cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.

Rank in the state
16th of 48
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

License required

517 seasonal homes, 344 per 1,000 housing units.

Anna Maria short-term rental rules

Bradenton Beach, FL

License required

776 seasonal homes, 416 per 1,000 housing units.

Bradenton Beach short-term rental rules

Bonita Springs, FL

Permit required

11,877 seasonal homes, 298 per 1,000 housing units.

Bonita Springs short-term rental rules

St. Augustine Beach, FL

Capped

1,377 seasonal homes, 302 per 1,000 housing units.

St. Augustine Beach short-term rental rules
StatewideEvery 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.Florida short-term rental rules

Keep exploring

FAQ

Holmes Beach short-term rental questions

How much is a Holmes Beach vacation rental certificate?

$545 for the initial application, inspections included, and $545 again at each renewal, which falls every two years.[6]

Can I rent by the week in Holmes Beach?

In R-2 and R-3, yes: those districts carry a weekly minimum. In R-1AA the minimum stay is thirty days, so weekly rentals are not possible there.[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. 10/26), Florida Department of Revenue, read on October 2, 2026
  5. Discretionary Sales Surtax Information for Calendar Year 2026 (DR-15DSS), Florida Department of Revenue, read on September 20, 2026
  6. 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 October 2, 2026. Rules can change after that date, so check with the issuing office before you apply or publish a listing.

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