Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL short-term rental certificate
No unit in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea may be rented or advertised before the town issues its certificate, one of the most expensive on the Florida east coast. Under town code section 30-327(i), you must name one local agent, at least eighteen, who can reach the property within three hours. Every web advertisement for the unit has to be listed on the application.[6]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 2, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea?
Get the certificate first
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 ruleCertificate 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 rented for less than ninety days, limited to a minimum stay of seven days. A short-term rental is the same length of rental 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 notarized business tax receipt application signed by the owner, proof of zoning eligibility and a Department of Revenue sales tax certificate. The town also wants 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 complete the file. 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. 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]
Under town code section 30-327(i), the owner must designate a single local 24-hour rental agent, at least eighteen years old. The agent must be reachable on one number answered around the clock and able to reach the property within three hours.[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. It also asks for current photographs and proof of an active waste collection account.[6]
Every web advertisement for the unit has to be listed on the application. 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 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 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]
What 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. That is 458 out of every 1,000. It ranks Lauderdale-by-the-Sea 6th of the 48 Florida cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 6th of 48
- 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.
Deerfield Beach short-term rental rulesPompano Beach, FL
Permit required
8,149 seasonal homes, 133 per 1,000 housing units.
Pompano Beach short-term rental rulesFort Lauderdale, FL
Registration required
12,715 seasonal homes, 125 per 1,000 housing units.
Fort Lauderdale short-term rental rulesSanibel, FL
Allowed by zone
3,682 seasonal homes, 430 per 1,000 housing units.
Sanibel short-term rental rulesFAQ
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. 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
- 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 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
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