logo
pine
Try for free
HomeShort-Term Rental LawsFloridaMonroe

Local guide

Monroe County vacation rental rules by incorporated boundary

Separate countywide Florida Keys lodging taxes from Monroe County's unincorporated-only permit, manager license, zoning and inspection workflow.

  • 100+ U.S. cities
  • Official sources
  • Address used only for local rules

Compliance layers

A Clear Answer, Then a Path Forward.

Critical Finding

See whether the property can operate now, what blocks it, and which exception may apply.

Address Context

Confirm zoning, current land use, jurisdiction, and the rules that actually govern the address.

Required Approvals

Get the permits, licenses, documents, inspections, and tax registrations needed before launch.

Recommended Path

Follow prioritized next steps, deadlines, renewal duties, and viable alternatives when rules change.

Occupancy tax calculator

Estimate occupancy tax in Monroe County, Florida

Enter the nightly rate and stay length to estimate the lodging taxes and guest total for this jurisdiction.

Gross rent$150.00 × 3 nights
$450.00
Mandatory taxable feesRequired cleaning, resort, or similar fees included in the tax base.
$0.00
Florida sales tax on transient accommodations (6%) $450.00 × 6%
$27.00
Monroe County discretionary sales surtax on transient accommodations (1.5%) $450.00 × 1.5%
$6.75
Monroe County tourist development tax (4%) $450.00 × 4%
$18.00
Estimated taxes and fees
$51.75

Guest pays

$501.75

Assumptions used

  • Ordinary transient base case: The estimate uses the listed source-backed tax lines for an ordinary taxable transient stay in the jurisdiction boundary. It does not infer an address, parcel, tax district, or property class from the city name.

What may change the final amount

  • Local district applicability. Florida county discretionary-surtax and tourist-development layers can vary by property address, incorporated boundary, or tourist-development district. The calculator models only the common source-backed layers listed above; verify the parcel with the local collector before treating the estimate as final.
  • Stay and mandatory-fee treatment. A qualifying long-term or continuous-residence stay, statutory exemption, marketplace collection arrangement, or a mandatory-fee category treated differently by the authority can change the result. The calculator assumes an ordinary transient taxable stay and one mandatory-fee pool.
Open the full occupancy tax calculator

Estimated tax is $51.75. Estimated guest total is $501.75.

Estimate only. Verify the property jurisdiction, exemptions, taxable charges, filing duties, and marketplace collection with the linked official sources.

Boundary gate

Resolve incorporated status before using the county permit checklist

The tax stack is countywide, but the Special Vacation Rental Program is not.

Unincorporated parcel
County program may applyContinue to the zoning-district and permit checks.
Incorporated parcel
Use city operating rulesKey West, Marathon, Islamorada and other municipalities administer their own operating requirements.
Tax boundary
Monroe/Florida Keys stack remains countywideThe operating-rule split does not remove the county lodging-tax lines.

Permit gate

Match the unincorporated parcel to an eligible zoning district

Monroe lists zoning categories where vacation rentals may operate and categories where they are prohibited, with code-specific exceptions. Confirm the parcel designation rather than relying on a neighborhood name.

The annual permit is dwelling specific and nontransferable unless a cited program exception applies.

  • Verify zoning and any exception

    Save the parcel record and county determination used for eligibility.

    Required

  • Open the current forms portal

    Use current permit and manager forms rather than an older downloaded packet.

    Required

  • Plan for annual renewal

    Calendar the $100 permit renewal and all linked license expirations.

    Required

Document package

Build the October 2025 application package item by item

  • Property identity set

    Property record card, deed, exterior photo, floor plan and site plan.

    Required

  • License and tax set

    County business tax receipt, Florida DOR registration and DBPR vacation-rental license.

    Required

  • Safety and operations set

    Sewage certification, manager license, tenant agreement and notice materials.

    Required

Inspection

Use the current bedroom-tier inspection fees

One bedroom
$125
Two or three bedrooms
$250
Four or more bedrooms
$400

  • Avoid stale fee text

    The current inspections page is the source for these amounts; recheck it when scheduling.

    Warning

Countywide tax

Keep the 12.5% tax ledger separate from permit fees

State and surtax
7.5%Florida 6% plus Monroe surtax 1.5%.
County lodging taxes
5%Tourist development 4% plus tourist impact 1%.
Platform collection
Local collection not assumedCurrent collector guidance says no Airbnb/VRBO agreement.

From rules to action

Turn short-term rental rules into your next clear move.

Tell Pine what you’re trying to do. Pine can organize the official requirements into a practical plan—and help with the research, calls, emails, and follow-ups that come next.

Start with a common question

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

The cited Special Vacation Rental Program applies only in unincorporated Monroe County. A Key West property must use Key West operating rules, although countywide lodging taxes still apply.

The modeled countywide total is 12.5%: Florida 6%, Monroe surtax 1.5%, tourist development tax 4%, and tourist impact tax 1%, rounded by line.

The revised October 2025 form lists property/deed records, photos and plans, county BTR, DOR and DBPR registrations, sewage certification, manager license, tenant agreement and notice materials.

Current Monroe Tax Collector guidance says the county has no Airbnb/VRBO agreement, so homeowners remain responsible for local collection and monthly filing unless another documented arrangement applies.