St. Augustine, FL short-term rental registration

What St. Augustine asks of you

• Under section 28-146, each vacation rental registers with the city. The fee, set by resolution, falls due on filing, then once a year.^[8]

• Registration fees follow the number of rental bedrooms. The fee table on the registration page starts at $315.51 for a studio and reaches $729.76 at five bedrooms.^[6]

• The city's FAQ lists a lower schedule: a $303.03 base plus $79.30 per bedroom, which comes to $699.53 at five bedrooms.^[7]

• Renewing late adds $100, and each reinspection costs $50.^[6]

• In the RS-1 and RS-2 districts, a rental has to last at least one week. Nightly rentals are not allowed there.^[6]

• The code traces that weekly rule to Ordinance 2010-24 and classes a nightly rental in those districts as a motel use.^[8]

• The city's FAQ reads the weekly minimum differently. A home there may host one stay per week, lasting anywhere from one night to six.^[7]

• Ordinance 2010-24 was adopted on August 23, 2010. It also requires a separate registration for an RS-1 or RS-2 home rented more than four times a year.^[9]

• Gatherings of 20 people or more are banned at those homes. A single one voids the registration.^[9]

• The HP-1 district requires rentals of one month or longer. Every other zoning district allows nightly stays with an approved registration.^[6]

• Occupancy is capped at two persons per bedroom plus two children under 18, with 12 people as the ceiling.^[8]

• Studios hold two occupants at most.^[6]

• Visitors who don't count toward occupancy must leave by 10:00 p.m. They can return at 8:00 a.m.^[8]

• Each unit needs a smoke alarm, a carbon monoxide alarm and a fire extinguisher. Every bedroom needs a primary exit plus a secondary one.^[8]

• Each unit must post its occupancy limit and visiting hours. The trash schedule, emergency contact details and evacuation information go up as well.^[8]

• Each bedroom offered for rent needs one stabilized parking space. Dirt, sand and grass do not qualify.^[8]

• When the city relays a complaint, the owner or manager has 30 minutes to acknowledge it. Missing that window is a violation in itself.^[8]

• Listings must match the registration form. A mismatch counts as a separate code violation.^[8]

• Before the special magistrate, a code violation can cost up to $250 a day, each day counting as a separate offense.^[10]

• On a citation instead, the city charges $100 a day when uncontested. Contesting it raises the ceiling to $500 a day.^[11]

• The city can also revoke a registration for violations of the vacation rental rules.^[8]

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]