Monroe County, FL

Key West, FL short-term rental limits

Renting short term in Key West takes a transient license, and the city caps new ones. The city's own words for converting a home to transient use are difficult, if not impossible.[7]

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

Can you rent short term in Key West?

Limited number allowed

What you apply for: City of Key West Business Tax Receipt, transient category

Seasonal homes
2,161
Housing units
14,574
Residents
25,720

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

  • City ruleCapped
  • City feeNone published
  • Tax on each stay12.5%
  • Seasonal homes148 per 1,000

Key West transient rental license

A Key West transient rental license is what allows stays of twenty-eight days or less. It is the scarce asset on the island rather than a formality. Every residential rental property needs a City of Key West Business Tax Receipt, whatever its length. The transient category on top of it is only available where the property sits in the HRCC-1, HRCC-3, HCT, HNC-1 or HNC-3 zoning districts. New transient licenses are capped, and the city pairs that cap with strict off-street parking and units-per-acre requirements. That is why it says in its own words that converting a residential property to transient use is difficult, if not impossible. A non-transient rental, by contrast, may not be rented for less than twenty-nine days at a time. The city publishes a map and address list of the properties that actually hold a transient license. Any listing can be checked against it before you book or buy.[7]

What Key West asks of you

  • Every residential rental property in Key West needs a City of Key West Business Tax Receipt, whether it is rented transiently or not.[6]

  • The city splits rentals in two: non-transient, which may not be rented for less than 29 days at a time, and transient, which is 28 days or less.[6]

  • Transient use is only possible in the HRCC-1, HRCC-3, HCT, HNC-1 and HNC-3 zoning districts.[6]

  • New transient licenses are capped. Combined with the city's strict off-street parking and units-per-acre rules, the city says converting a residential property to transient use is difficult, if not impossible.[7]

  • The city publishes a map and address list of the properties that actually hold a transient rental license. A listing can be checked against it before you book or buy.[8]

Apply on the Key West 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 Key West

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

Short-term rental tax layers in Key West
LayerRateRemitted to
Florida state sales tax[3]6%The state revenue department
Monroe County discretionary sales surtax[5]1.5%The state revenue department
Monroe County Tourist Development Tax[4]5%The county
Total on a taxable stay12.5%

Monroe County runs the highest discretionary surtax of the Florida Keys at 1.5%, in force until the end of 2048, and administers its 5% tourist development tax itself.[5]

Florida transient rental taxAirbnb taxes for hosts

What the census counts

How much of Key West is already a second home

The Census Bureau counts 2,161 of Key West's 14,574 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 148 out of every 1,000. It ranks Key West 38th of the 48 Florida cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.

Rank in the state
38th of 48
Share of housing
148 per 1,000
Median home value
$852,400

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

Nearby and comparable

Where Key West sits among its neighbors

Marathon, FL

Capped

1,522 seasonal homes, 234 per 1,000 housing units.

Marathon 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

Fernandina Beach, FL

Allowed by zone

1,217 seasonal homes, 149 per 1,000 housing units.

Fernandina Beach short-term rental rules

Port St. Joe, FL

License required

323 seasonal homes, 148 per 1,000 housing units.

Port St. Joe 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

Key West short-term rental questions

Can I get a new transient rental license in Key West?

Rarely. New transient licenses are capped. The parking and density rules that come with the transient districts make a conversion difficult, if not impossible, in the city's own words.[7]

What is the shortest legal stay in a non-transient Key West rental?

Twenty-nine days. Below that the property is transient, which needs both a transient license and one of the five permitted zoning districts.[6]

How do I check that a Key West rental is licensed?

The city publishes a map and an address list of licensed transient rental properties, which you can check against a listing address.[8]
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. What requirements are there for residential rentals?, City of Key West, read on September 20, 2026
  7. What licenses and permits are capped, and what does that mean?, City of Key West, read on September 20, 2026
  8. Map and addresses of transient rental properties, City of Key West, 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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