Where short-term rentals are allowed in Longboat Key, FL
On Longboat Key, a rental under thirty days is only possible in a tourism-zoned district or on a grandfathered tourism property. The town's ordinance came almost three decades before the June 2011 cutoff in state law.[6]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 2, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Longboat Key?
Your zoning decides
What you apply for: Residential Rental Certificate of Registration
- Seasonal homes
- 4,927
- Housing units
- 9,935
- Residents
- 7,539
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City ruleAllowed by zone
- City feeNone published
- Tax on each stay13%
- Seasonal homes496 per 1,000
Longboat Key rental restrictions
Longboat Key restricts short stays through zoning and a minimum rental period rather than a permit fee. Each individual rental period must be at least thirty consecutive calendar days, one entire calendar month, or longer. Tourism-zoned districts and grandfathered tourism properties are outside that minimum. Separately, any rental of less than six months requires the property or unit to register with the town for a Residential Rental Certificate of Registration. The restriction rests on Ordinance 82-10, in place since 1982, which is what puts it clear of the Florida preemption on rental duration and frequency. That preemption only reaches local rules adopted after June 1, 2011. Look up the parcel's zoning district before anything else.[6]
What Longboat Key asks of you
Outside tourism-zoned districts and grandfathered tourism uses, each rental period must be at least thirty consecutive calendar days, one entire calendar month, or longer.[6]
Tourism-zoned districts and grandfathered tourism properties are outside the thirty-day minimum.[6]
A rental of less than six months requires the property or unit to register with the town for a Residential Rental Certificate of Registration.[7]
The restriction rests on Ordinance 82-10, in place since 1982, which is what keeps it clear of the Florida preemption on rental duration and frequency.[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 Longboat Key
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 |
| County discretionary sales surtax[5] | 1% | The state revenue department |
| County Tourist Development Tax[4] | 6% | The county |
| Total on a taxable stay | 13% |
The town straddles the Manatee and Sarasota county line, and for once that changes nothing. Both counties levy a 1% surtax and a 6% tourist development tax, so the stack is 13% at either end of the key.[4]
What the census counts
How much of Longboat Key is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 4,927 of Longboat Key's 9,935 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 496 out of every 1,000. It ranks Longboat Key 3rd of the 48 Florida cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 3rd of 48
- Share of housing
- 496 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $1,022,100
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Longboat Key sits among its neighbors
Sanibel, FL
Allowed by zone
3,682 seasonal homes, 430 per 1,000 housing units.
Sanibel short-term rental rulesNaples, FL
Allowed by zone
7,707 seasonal homes, 408 per 1,000 housing units.
Naples short-term rental rulesPonce Inlet, FL
Allowed by zone
1,169 seasonal homes, 366 per 1,000 housing units.
Ponce Inlet short-term rental rulesMarco Island, FL
No city ordinance
9,100 seasonal homes, 492 per 1,000 housing units.
Marco Island short-term rental rulesFAQ
Longboat Key short-term rental questions
Can I rent a Longboat Key house by the week?
Why can Longboat Key set a minimum stay when Florida preempts that?
Do I still have to register a thirty-day rental?
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
- Short Term Rentals, Code Enforcement Division, Town of Longboat Key, read on September 20, 2026
- Residential Rental Registry, Town of Longboat Key, 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
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 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.
Check-in instructions
The message a guest reads before getting in: access, keys, WiFi, parking, contact. English or bilingual output.