Pinellas County, FL

Short-term rental rules in Indian Shores, FL

Indian Shores is the rare Florida beach town that regulates short-term renting by not regulating it. Asked what restrictions apply to renting out a property, the town answers in writing that it has none, and sends the question straight back to the condominium association or the owner, with a pointer to the state's Division of Hotels and Restaurants for anything else. On a strip of Gulf Boulevard built almost entirely of rental condominiums, that leaves the binding rules private ones, written into association documents rather than into the town code.[6]

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

Can you rent short term in Indian Shores?

State and county rules only

Seasonal homes
1,315
Housing units
2,568
Residents
1,243

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

  • City ruleNo city ordinance
  • City feeNone published
  • Tax on each stay13%
  • Seasonal homes512 per 1,000

Indian Shores short-term rental rules

Indian Shores has no town-level short-term rental rules. The town's own published answer is that it does not have rental restrictions and that you should contact your condominium association or speak to the owner, and it refers anything else to the state's Division of Hotels and Restaurants. That leaves three obligations, none of them municipal: a Florida vacation rental licence from the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, state sales tax on any stay of six months or less, and the Pinellas County tourist development tax, which the county collects itself. Because the constraint here is contractual rather than regulatory, the document that decides whether you can rent at all is the association's declaration, not an ordinance, and it can be stricter than anything the town could have passed.[6]

What Indian Shores asks of you

  • The town states that it does not have rental restrictions, and directs owners to their condominium association or to the property owner.[6]

  • For anything the association does not cover, the town refers owners to the state's Division of Hotels and Restaurants, which licenses vacation rentals.[6]

  • No town permit, registration or inspection is published as a condition of renting short term.[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]

All Florida short-term rental laws

What a guest pays on top of your nightly rate in Indian Shores

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

Short-term rental tax layers in Indian Shores
LayerRateRemitted 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 stay13%

Pinellas collects its own 6% tourist development tax, so the county return is separate from the state one. The 6% state tax and the 1% surtax go to the Department of Revenue.[4]

How short-term rental taxes work for US hosts

What the census counts

How much of Indian Shores is already a second home

The Census Bureau counts 1,315 of Indian Shores's 2,568 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use — 512 out of every 1,000. That ranks Indian Shores 2nd of the 33 Florida cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.

Rank in the state
2nd of 33
Share of housing
512 per 1,000
Median home value
$698,800

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

Nearby and comparable

Where Indian Shores sits among its neighbors

Treasure Island, FL

Allowed by zone

1,781 seasonal homes, 288 per 1,000 housing units.

Rules in Treasure Island

St. Pete Beach, FL

Registration required

2,406 seasonal homes, 286 per 1,000 housing units.

Rules in St. Pete Beach

Madeira Beach, FL

Allowed by zone

1,143 seasonal homes, 286 per 1,000 housing units.

Rules in Madeira 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

Indian Shores short-term rental questions

Does Indian Shores require a short-term rental permit?

No. The town publishes no rental permit, registration or inspection requirement, and answers questions about rental restrictions by saying it has none.[6]

What can stop me renting my Indian Shores condo, then?

The condominium association. The town points owners to their association or to the property owner for rental rules, which is where the restrictions on this stretch of coast actually live.[6]

How much tax is added to a stay in Indian Shores?

Thirteen percent: 6% state sales tax, the 1% Pinellas surtax, and the county's own 6% tourist development tax, which Pinellas collects directly.[4]
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, rental restrictions, Town of Indian Shores, 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.

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