Monroe County, FL

Marathon, FL short-term rental limits

Marathon licenses vacation rentals for one band of stay lengths, from seven to twenty-eight nights. Below that band no license exists, and above it you are outside the vacation rental regime.[6]

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

Can you rent short term in Marathon?

Limited number allowed

What you apply for: Vacation Rental Property License

Seasonal homes
1,522
Housing units
6,492
Residents
9,914

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

  • City ruleCapped
  • City feeNone published
  • Tax on each stay12.5%
  • Seasonal homes234 per 1,000

Marathon vacation rental license

Marathon requires a vacation rental property license for any legally existing dwelling unit rented for at least seven nights and at most twenty-eight. Renting a private residence for less than seven nights is prohibited altogether. There is also a separate vacation rental agent license for the people who manage those properties. Owners, agents and local contacts have to complete the city's vacation rental training course before operating. Enforcement is deliberately visible. The city publishes a searchable database where anyone can check whether an address holds a license, and a transient rental fraud hotline takes anonymous reports. Any violation of the vacation rental article is punishable by a fine of up to $500 a day, per unit, per violation. That applies to an owner, tenant, agent, broker or representative alike.[6]

What Marathon asks of you

  • Renting any private residence for a period of less than seven nights is prohibited in Marathon.[6]

  • The vacation rental property license covers a legally existing dwelling unit rented for not less than seven nights and not more than twenty-eight nights.[6]

  • Any violation of the vacation rental article is punishable by a fine of up to $500 a day, per unit, per violation. That covers an owner, tenant, agent, broker or other representative.[6]

  • The city issues a separate vacation rental agent license alongside the property license.[8]

  • Owners, agents and local contacts must complete the city's vacation rental training course before operating a rental.[7]

  • Anyone can search an address in the city's database to confirm whether it holds a vacation rental license, and a transient rental fraud hotline takes anonymous reports.[7]

Apply on the Marathon 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 Marathon

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

Short-term rental tax layers in Marathon
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's surtax is a point and a half. A Keys stay lands at 12.5%, while Collier next door sits at 11%.[5]

Florida transient rental taxAirbnb taxes for hosts

What the census counts

How much of Marathon is already a second home

The Census Bureau counts 1,522 of Marathon's 6,492 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 234 out of every 1,000. It ranks Marathon 27th of the 48 Florida cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.

Rank in the state
27th of 48
Share of housing
234 per 1,000
Median home value
$725,800

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

Nearby and comparable

Where Marathon sits among its neighbors

Key West, FL

Capped

2,161 seasonal homes, 148 per 1,000 housing units.

Key West 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

Key Biscayne, FL

Registration required

1,736 seasonal homes, 238 per 1,000 housing units.

Key Biscayne short-term rental rules

Cape Canaveral, FL

Registration required

2,125 seasonal homes, 230 per 1,000 housing units.

Cape Canaveral 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

Marathon short-term rental questions

Can I take a three-night booking in Marathon?

No. Renting a private residence for less than seven nights is prohibited, and no license exists for that length of stay. The licensed band runs from seven to twenty-eight nights.[6]

Do I have to take a course before renting?

Yes. The city requires owners, agents and local contacts to complete its vacation rental training course before operating a rental.[7]

How do I check whether a Marathon property is licensed?

Search the address in the city's public vacation rental database. Marathon also runs a transient rental fraud hotline for reporting unlicensed rentals.[7]
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. Ordinance 2010-14, vacation rentals, City of Marathon, read on September 20, 2026
  7. Vacation Rentals, Code Compliance, City of Marathon, read on September 20, 2026
  8. Licenses, Planning Department, City of Marathon, 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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