Short-Term Rental Rules on the Pinellas Beaches, City by City

Updated October 2026.

The short answer: Short-term rental rules on the Pinellas Gulf beaches change at every city line. Treasure Island and Indian Rocks Beach allow stays under 30 days broadly, with registration or licensing. Madeira Beach allows them outside its R-1 and R-2 residential districts. St. Pete Beach, the Redingtons, and Clearwater limit them to certain zoning districts or ban them in residential areas. On top of the city rules, every vacation rental needs a state license and tax accounts, and a condo association can set a longer minimum than the city does.

We are John and Nicole Kavaliauskas, licensed Florida Realtors with LoKation Real Estate. Buyers ask us about rental rules more than any other topic, so we put the main rules for nine beach communities in one place, with a link to the source for each. Always confirm the rule for a specific parcel and building before you buy.

Comparison table

City	Under-30-day rentals	Registration	Source
St. Pete Beach	Limited to the RM district and Pass-a-Grille overlay, no more than 3 times in 12 months; 30 days or longer allowed in any district	No city registration program; commission declined one in August 2026	Pinellas Realtor Organization
Treasure Island	No minimum in CG, RFM-30, RFH-50, PR-MU Core, and PR-MU Gulf Boulevard; turnover limits in RU-75 and RM-15	State license, city local business tax, county tourist tax	City of Treasure Island
Madeira Beach	Not in R-1 (6-month minimum) or R-2 (3-month minimum) unless grandfathered before Feb. 28, 2006	City business tax receipt, state license, tourist tax	City of Madeira Beach letter
Redington Beach	Single-family rentals under 181 days prohibited in Districts 2 and 3, per the Realtor summary	Town vacation rental ordinance applies; confirm with the town	Ordinance 2022-15
North Redington Beach	Not in residential districts; homes must be rented for more than 90 days	Confirm with the town	Town of North Redington Beach
Redington Shores	Only in ROR-15 and CTF; prohibited in RS-7, RS-10, RD-15, RM-15	Certificate of use application through the town	Town of Redington Shores
Indian Shores	Allowed; no town restriction documented in Realtor summaries	Confirm with the town	Pinellas Realtor Organization
Indian Rocks Beach	Allowed with city registration	City registration ($600) plus inspection, business tax receipt, state license, tax accounts	City of Indian Rocks Beach
Clearwater Beach (City of Clearwater)	Not on residentially zoned property (31 days or one calendar month minimum)	Confirm with the city	Clearwater Beach Association

City by city

St. Pete Beach

The city website was not reachable when we prepared this page, so we rely on secondary sources and say so. According to the Pinellas Realtor Organization, transient occupancy of less than 30 days is allowed in the RM (Residential Medium) district and the Pass-a-Grille overlay only if it does not occur more than three times in any 12-month period. The Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce summarizes it the same way and adds that rentals over 30 days are allowed in any district. Hotels and resorts operate under their own zoning. In August 2026, the city commission declined a proposed rental registration program and directed staff to enforce existing rules, as reported by FOX 13. The city posts its own summary on its Short Term Rental Rules and Regulations page; confirm the current rule with the city planning department. See our St. Pete Beach guide and St. Pete Beach condos.

Treasure Island

The City of Treasure Island says there is no minimum or maximum length of stay for tourist dwellings in the CG, RFM-30, RFH-50, PR-MU Core, and PR-MU Gulf Boulevard districts. Owners must get the required state lodging license, pay the annual city local business tax, and pay the Pinellas County tourist development tax. In the RU-75 single-family and RM-15 multifamily districts, the city limits turnover. The Pinellas Realtor Organization describes a property as a presumed tourist dwelling if it is publicly advertised for rent, or has more than two changes of occupancy in 12 months in RU-75 or more than six in RM-15. The Chamber of Commerce describes RM-15 as five times a year, so confirm the number with Community Development. See our Treasure Island guide and Treasure Island condos.

Madeira Beach

A City of Madeira Beach letter on short-term rentals says rentals in the R-1 single-family district must be at least 6 months and rentals in the R-2 low-density multifamily district at least 3 months. Properties legally rented short term before February 28, 2006, when Ordinance 1069 was adopted, are grandfathered. Operators must obtain a city business tax receipt and show proof of state licensing and tourist development tax payment, and violations can bring fines of up to $500 each. The letter does not address other districts; according to a private investor guide, R-3 and commercial districts carry no city minimum, so confirm with the city. See our Madeira Beach guide and Madeira Beach condos.

Redington Beach

According to the Pinellas Realtor Organization and the Chamber of Commerce, Redington Beach prohibits short-term rentals of single-family homes for less than 181 days in Districts 2 and 3. The town also adopted Ordinance 2022-15 in December 2022, which regulates vacation rentals in those districts, including an occupancy cap of two people per bedroom up to 12 and quiet hours from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. Confirm registration requirements with the town clerk. See our Redingtons guide.

North Redington Beach

The Town of North Redington Beach states that homes in residential districts must be rented for more than 90 days. The town page does not describe a registration program; confirm with the town clerk, and confirm the zoning of any specific condo building. See our Redingtons guide.

Redington Shores

The Town of Redington Shores allows transient rentals only in the ROR-15 (Residential/Office/Retail) and CTF (Commercial Tourist Facilities) districts. Transient rentals are prohibited in RS-7, RS-10, RD-15, and RM-15. In RM-15 and RD-15, rentals of less than one month are prohibited; in RS-7 and RS-10, rentals of less than 181 consecutive days are prohibited. The town cites Section 90-111.C, fines violations at $500 per day, and links a certificate of use application. See our Redingtons guide.

Indian Shores

The town website was not reachable when we prepared this page. According to the Pinellas Realtor Organization, no town rental restrictions are documented, and a local brokerage guide says daily and weekly rentals are allowed in all zones. Confirm any town registration or occupancy rules with the town clerk before you rely on this. See our Indian Shores guide.

Indian Rocks Beach

The City of Indian Rocks Beach requires vacation rental registration under its Short-Term Rental Ordinance 2023-02, adopted in May 2023. Under fees updated by Resolution 2026-16, effective October 1, 2026, initial and renewal registration is $600 plus a business tax receipt, the initial inspection is $150, and late renewals add $200. Registrants must hold a state lodging license, register for Florida sales tax and the Pinellas County tourist development tax, and schedule a fire inspection. Homesteaded, owner-occupied rentals can be exempt by affidavit. See our Indian Rocks Beach guide.

Clearwater Beach (City of Clearwater)

Clearwater’s Community Development Code, Sections 1-104.B and 3-919, says a residential use on residentially zoned property shall not include rentals for less than 31 days or one calendar month, as quoted by the Clearwater Beach Association. Owners in those districts may advertise only monthly rentals. Shorter stays are limited to properties that are not residentially zoned, and a local brokerage guide estimates about 30 condo and townhome properties in the 33767 ZIP code allow them. Confirm the zoning of a specific building with the city. See our Clearwater Beach guide.

State rules that apply everywhere

DBPR vacation rental license

Under Florida Statutes Chapter 509, a vacation rental is a condo, co-op, or one-to-four family dwelling that is also a transient public lodging establishment (F.S. 509.242). The Division of Hotels and Restaurants says you need a license if the unit is rented more than three times in a calendar year for periods of less than 30 days, or is advertised as regularly rented to guests (DBPR vacation rental brochure). Licenses come as single, group, or collective licenses, and condo units and houses cannot be combined on one license.

Why older city rules still apply

State law says a local law may not prohibit vacation rentals or regulate their duration or frequency, but that limit does not apply to local rules adopted on or before June 1, 2011 (F.S. 509.032(7)(b)). That is why several beach towns still enforce minimum stays written years ago.

Sales tax and tourist development tax

Rentals of six months or less are subject to Florida sales tax at the 6 percent state rate plus any county surtax, and you must register with the Florida Department of Revenue before you start. Pinellas County also charges a 6 percent tourist development tax on accommodations rented for six months or less, according to Visit St. Pete/Clearwater, and owners register for a tourist development account with the Pinellas County Tax Collector. Platforms such as Airbnb or Vrbo may collect some of these taxes, but the Tax Collector notes the owner remains liable if the platform does not.

Condo associations can be stricter

A city allowing nightly rentals does not mean a building does. Condo declarations often set minimums of one week, one month, or three months, limit rentals per year, or impose waiting periods. Under F.S. 718.110(13), an amendment that prohibits rentals, changes the rental term, or limits the number of rentals applies only to owners who consent to it and to owners who take title after it takes effect. In practice, if you buy after an amendment passes, it applies to you. Read the current declaration, amendments, and rules before you sign a contract.

Running the numbers

If you are buying with rental income in mind, model the rules first and the revenue second. Our investor site, investbeachside.com, is where we run rental numbers on beach condos with buyers. When you are ready to look at specific buildings, start with our St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island, and Madeira Beach condo guides, or call us at (727) 955-1222.

This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rental rules, fees, and tax rates change, and some summaries here come from secondary sources where city sites were unavailable. Verify the current rules for a specific property with the city or town, the condo or homeowners association, the Florida DBPR, and the Pinellas County Tax Collector before you buy or rent. Team Beachside, John and Nicole Kavaliauskas, LoKation Real Estate.