Pinellas County, FL

Short-term rental rules in Indian Shores, FL

Indian Shores asks nothing of a short-term rental host at town level, so start with your condominium association. This strip of Gulf Boulevard is built almost entirely of rental condominiums.[6]

Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 2, 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. It tells you to contact your condominium association or speak to the owner, and refers anything else to the state's Division of Hotels and Restaurants. That leaves three obligations, none of them municipal. The first is a Florida vacation rental license from the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. The second is state sales tax on any stay of six months or less. The third is the Pinellas County tourist development tax. The county collects it itself. 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. 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 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 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]

Florida transient rental taxAirbnb taxes for 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. That is 512 out of every 1,000. It ranks Indian Shores 2nd of the 48 Florida cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.

Rank in the state
2nd of 48
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.

Treasure Island short-term rental rules

St. Pete Beach, FL

License required

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

St. Pete Beach short-term rental rules

Madeira Beach, FL

Allowed by zone

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

Madeira Beach short-term rental rules

Longboat Key, FL

Allowed by zone

4,927 seasonal homes, 496 per 1,000 housing units.

Longboat Key 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

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. That 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. 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. 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 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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