Where short-term rentals are allowed in Kissimmee, FL
Kissimmee confines short-term rentals to its Short-Term Rental Overlay district. Inside it, five residential zones accept them as a conditional use, and the home must be a housing type its zone already allows.[6]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 2, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Kissimmee?
Your zoning decides
What you apply for: Business tax receipt, short-term rental unit
- Seasonal homes
- 1,393
- Housing units
- 30,926
- Residents
- 81,479
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City ruleAllowed by zone
- City fee$50
- Tax on each stay13.5%
- Seasonal homes45 per 1,000
Kissimmee short-term rental rules
Kissimmee prohibits renting a dwelling for less than 30 days in a residential district, with two exceptions. The first is a home in an SRPUD or MUPUD district within an STRO district. It must have been approved for short-term use when the development itself was approved. The second is a home approved as a conditional use in a residential district, also inside an STRO district. Approvals granted before the STRO rules existed still count while they remain in effect. Converting existing homes takes the acceptance of at least 80 percent of the owners in the development. Sales contracts there must state in bold red type that lots may be used for short-term rentals. City, county and state licenses all have to be obtained.[7]
What Kissimmee asks of you
The city's short-term rental rules date back to Ordinance 2038, adopted on December 20, 1994.[7]
Florida bars cities from regulating rental duration or frequency, except through an ordinance already adopted by June 1, 2011.[1]
Table 4-1 lists short-term rentals as a conditional use in the RA-4, RB-1 and RB-2 districts. The RC-1 and RC-2 districts treat them the same way.[6]
The overlay is not meant to end short-term rentals approved earlier. Those legally in operation before it are handled as nonconforming uses.[6]
A new short-term rental development needs at least two acres and 12 dwelling units. It also needs direct access to a collector or arterial road.[7]
A 15-foot buffer of dense vegetation must separate such a development from areas not approved for rentals. A wall at least six feet high can stand in for it.[7]
The city business tax receipt costs $50 per short-term rental unit, first unit included. Every receipt expires on September 30.[8]
The city issues that receipt only against proof of a state vacation rental license. A receipt issued in breach of the zoning code is invalid.[8]
Once your application is approved, the Kissimmee Fire Department inspects the unit. After payment, the receipt has to be printed and displayed.[9]
Violating the city code can cost up to $500 in fines, and every extra day is a new offense.[10]
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]
What a guest pays on top of your nightly rate in Kissimmee
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 |
| Osceola County discretionary sales surtax[5] | 1.5% | The state revenue department |
| Osceola County Tourist Development Tax[4] | 6% | The county |
| Total on a taxable stay | 13.5% |
Osceola County takes its 6% tourist development tax directly from hosts. The Department of Revenue receives the state's 6% together with the county surtax.[4]
Airbnb taxes for hostsWhat the census counts
How much of Kissimmee is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 1,393 of Kissimmee's 30,926 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 45 out of every 1,000. It ranks Kissimmee 47th of the 48 Florida cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 47th of 48
- Share of housing
- 45 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $304,400
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Kissimmee sits among its neighbors
Daytona Beach, FL
Allowed by zone
3,442 seasonal homes, 82 per 1,000 housing units.
Daytona Beach short-term rental rulesClearwater, FL
Allowed by zone
6,327 seasonal homes, 104 per 1,000 housing units.
Clearwater short-term rental rulesFernandina Beach, FL
Allowed by zone
1,217 seasonal homes, 149 per 1,000 housing units.
Fernandina Beach short-term rental rulesPanama City, FL
Registration required
304 seasonal homes, 18 per 1,000 housing units.
Panama City short-term rental rulesFAQ
Kissimmee short-term rental questions
Can I rent my Kissimmee house out for a weekend?
How can a Florida city still limit rental length?
What does the Kissimmee business tax receipt cost?
Do I need a county receipt as well?
What is the total tax on a Kissimmee booking?
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. 10/26), Florida Department of Revenue, read on October 2, 2026
- Discretionary Sales Surtax Information for Calendar Year 2026 (DR-15DSS), Florida Department of Revenue, read on September 20, 2026
- Land Development Code, Chapter 14-4 Zoning, Table 4-1 and Section 14-4-7 overlay districts, City of Kissimmee, read on October 1, 2026
- Land Development Code, Section 14-6-44, short-term rentals and time-share dwellings, City of Kissimmee, read on October 1, 2026
- Code of Ordinances, Chapter 40, Article VI, local business tax, City of Kissimmee, read on October 1, 2026
- Business Tax Receipts (BTR), City of Kissimmee, read on October 1, 2026
- Code of Ordinances, Section 1-22, general penalty, City of Kissimmee, read on October 1, 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.
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 host fee calculator
What Airbnb takes on a booking under the 15.5% host-only fee or the old split fee, what the guest pays on top, and the payout that reaches you.
Airbnb profit calculator
Nightly rate, occupancy, Airbnb fee, management, mortgage, taxes and depreciation. You get cash flow, cash-on-cash return and what is left after the IRS.
Airbnb cleaning checklist generator
Build a printable turnover checklist by room, with restock, photos to take and a place for the cleaner to sign. Free PDF, no sign-up.