Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL short-term rental registration
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea runs one of the most expensive certificates on the Florida east coast, and it prices by building type rather than by night. A house, townhome or split-lot duplex let for less than ninety days is a vacation rental, and the town holds those to a seven-night minimum stay. A duplex, triplex or quadplex let for less than ninety days is a short-term rental instead. Either way the certificate costs $775 for the first unit, every dwelling unit needs its own application, and the property may not even be advertised until the certificate is in hand.[6]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified September 20, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea?
Register before you list
What you apply for: Vacation Rental or Short-Term Rental Certificate
- Seasonal homes
- 3,163
- Housing units
- 6,900
- Residents
- 6,232
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City ruleRegistration required
- City fee$775
- Tax on each stay13%
- Seasonal homes458 per 1,000
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea vacation rental certificate
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea requires a vacation rental or short-term rental certificate, and a separate application for each dwelling unit. A vacation rental is a single-family home, townhome or split-lot duplex let for less than ninety days, limited to a minimum stay of seven days; a short-term rental is the same length of let in a multi-family property of two, three or four units. The certificate is $775, the fire inspection $75 and the business tax receipt $6; in a duplex, triplex or quadplex each additional unit is $275 plus its own $75 inspection and $6 receipt. You apply with a notarised business tax receipt application signed by the owner, proof of zoning eligibility, a Department of Revenue sales tax certificate, a floor plan and site sketch used to calculate maximum occupancy with the off-street parking spaces marked, photographs of the house and proof of an active waste account. Until the certificate is issued the property may not be rented or advertised for rent.[6]
What Lauderdale-by-the-Sea asks of you
A vacation rental is a rental of less than ninety days in a single-family home, townhome or split-lot duplex, and those properties are limited to a minimum stay of seven days.[6]
A short-term rental is a rental of less than ninety days in a multi-family property of two, three or four units. A separate application is required for each dwelling unit.[6]
The certificate costs $775, the fire inspection $75 and the business tax receipt $6. In a duplex, triplex or quadplex each additional unit adds $275 plus its own inspection and receipt.[6]
The owner must designate a single local 24-hour rental agent, at least eighteen years old, reachable on one number answered around the clock and able to reach the property within three hours, under town code section 30-327(i).[6]
The application asks for a sketch of the floor plan and site, used to calculate the maximum occupancy, with each off-street parking space clearly marked, plus current photographs and proof of an active waste collection account.[6]
Every web advertisement for the unit has to be listed on the application, and the property may not be rented or advertised for rent until the certificate and business tax receipt are issued.[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]
What a guest pays on top of your nightly rate in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea
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 |
| Broward County discretionary sales surtax[5] | 1% | The state revenue department |
| Broward County Tourist Development Tax[4] | 6% | The county |
| Total on a taxable stay | 13% |
Broward administers its own 6% tourist development tax and takes that return directly. Only the 6% state tax and the 1% county surtax go to the Department of Revenue.[4]
How short-term rental taxes work for US hostsWhat the census counts
How much of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 3,163 of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea's 6,900 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use — 458 out of every 1,000. That ranks Lauderdale-by-the-Sea 6th of the 33 Florida cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 6th of 33
- Share of housing
- 458 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $680,900
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Lauderdale-by-the-Sea sits among its neighbors
Deerfield Beach, FL
Registration required
7,371 seasonal homes, 158 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in Deerfield BeachPompano Beach, FL
Permit required
8,149 seasonal homes, 133 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in Pompano BeachFort Myers Beach, FL
Registration required
4,753 seasonal homes, 481 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in Fort Myers BeachBradenton Beach, FL
Registration required
776 seasonal homes, 416 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in Bradenton BeachFAQ
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea short-term rental questions
Can I rent a Lauderdale-by-the-Sea house for a weekend?
What does it cost to register a triplex?
Does the town regulate condominium units?
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. 03/25), Florida Department of Revenue, read on September 20, 2026
- Discretionary Sales Surtax Information for Calendar Year 2026 (DR-15DSS), Florida Department of Revenue, read on September 20, 2026
- Vacation Rental and Short-Term Rental Application Package (4/2/2025), Town of Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, 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.
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 house rules
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Rental arbitrage calculator
Rent, deposit, furnishing, nightly rate and occupancy. You get monthly cash flow, the occupancy you break even at, and how long the setup takes to pay back.
Check-in instructions
The message a guest reads before getting in: access, keys, WiFi, parking, contact. English or bilingual output.