St. Augustine Beach, FL short-term rental limits
St. Augustine Beach is the one city in this silo that puts a number on how many short-term rentals it will tolerate. Transient rentals are allowed in two land use categories only, commercial and medium-density residential, and the medium-density district is capped at a hundred of them. Commercial has no limit. That cap, written into section 3.09 of the city code, turns the question from what paperwork do I need into whether a slot exists, and the paperwork — a state licence, a city receipt and a building inspection — only starts once it does.[6]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified September 20, 2026.
Can you rent short term in St. Augustine Beach?
Limited number allowed
What you apply for: Transient rental business tax receipt
- Seasonal homes
- 1,377
- Housing units
- 4,553
- Residents
- 6,860
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City ruleCapped
- City feeNone published
- Tax on each stay11.5%
- Seasonal homes302 per 1,000
St. Augustine Beach transient rental rules
St. Augustine Beach allows transient rentals only in land zoned commercial or medium-density residential, and limits the medium-density district to one hundred of them; the commercial district has no limit. The rules sit in section 3.09 of the city code, which governs transient lodging facilities within medium density land use districts. An owner needs a current rental licence from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation under section 509.241 of the statutes and a sales tax permit from the Department of Revenue before the city will process its own business tax receipt and transient rental application, and the building department then inspects the property against the applicable building and safety codes. Licences, inspections and taxes are renewed and paid annually, to the city and to St. Johns County. Resort condominium units fall outside section 3.09, but still need a business tax receipt under the hotels, motels, apartments and condominiums class. A transient rental also loses the homestead exemption and pays commercial garbage rates.[6]
What St. Augustine Beach asks of you
Transient rentals are allowed only in areas with a commercial or medium-density residential land use, and the medium-density district is limited to one hundred of them. Commercial has no limit.[6]
Section 3.09 of the city code governs transient lodging facilities within medium density land use districts.[6]
Owners need a current DBPR rental licence under section 509.241 of the Florida Statutes and a Department of Revenue sales tax permit before the city's applications are processed.[6]
The owner then files the city's business tax receipt and transient rental applications, and arranges an inspection by the building department against the applicable building and safety codes.[6]
Licences, inspections and taxes are renewed and paid annually, both to the city and to St. Johns County.[6]
Resort condominium units are outside section 3.09 but still need a business tax receipt under the hotels, motels, apartments and condominiums class. A transient rental cannot claim the homestead exemption and pays commercial garbage rates.[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 St. Augustine Beach
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 |
| St. Johns County discretionary sales surtax[5] | 0.5% | The state revenue department |
| St. Johns County Tourist Development Tax[4] | 5% | The county |
| Total on a taxable stay | 11.5% |
St. Johns County collects its own 5% tourist development tax, and the city is explicit that the county side renews annually alongside the city side. The stack totals 11.5%.[4]
How short-term rental taxes work for US hostsWhat the census counts
How much of St. Augustine Beach is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 1,377 of St. Augustine Beach's 4,553 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use — 302 out of every 1,000. That ranks St. Augustine Beach 14th of the 33 Florida cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 14th of 33
- Share of housing
- 302 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $634,400
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where St. Augustine Beach sits among its neighbors
Marathon, FL
Capped
1,522 seasonal homes, 234 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in MarathonKey West, FL
Capped
2,161 seasonal homes, 148 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in Key WestHolmes Beach, FL
Registration required
1,367 seasonal homes, 309 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in Holmes BeachBonita Springs, FL
Registration required
11,877 seasonal homes, 298 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in Bonita SpringsFAQ
St. Augustine Beach short-term rental questions
How many short-term rentals does St. Augustine Beach allow?
Do condominiums count against the cap?
Does a transient rental keep its homestead exemption?
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
- Transient Rentals, City of St. Augustine Beach, 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.