Local guide

St. Augustine Short-Term Rental Laws

St. Augustine STR rules for 2026: Registration and annual inspection required. Check eligibility, permits, fees, taxes, renewal, enforcement, and official sources.

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  • 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 St. Augustine, 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
St. Johns County discretionary sales surtax on transient accommodations (0.5%) $450.00 × 0.5%
$2.25
St. Johns County tourist development tax (5%) $450.00 × 5%
$22.50
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.

Decision rule

St. Augustine STR status and controlling approval

Lawful short-term rentals require city registration and a recurring life-safety inspection in eligible locations.

For this St. Augustine page, the controlling local record is St. Augustine Short-Term Rental Registration.

The city lists a $303.03 base registration amount plus $79.30 per bedroom; confirm the current schedule before filing.

  • Registration and annual inspection required

    Lawful short-term rentals require city registration and a recurring life-safety inspection in eligible locations.

    Warning

St. Augustine rules that change the property decision

Separate the St. Augustine approval, property condition, charge, tax record, and renewal duty before advertising.

Legal posture
Lawful short-term rentals require city registration and a recurring life-safety inspection in eligible locations.
Approval record
St. Augustine Short-Term Rental Registration
Government charge
The city lists a $303.03 base registration amount plus $79.30 per bedroom; confirm the current schedule before filing.
Inspection
A city fire and life-safety inspection is required at registration and annually.
Filing cycle
Use the frequency assigned by the tax authority and confirm whether direct bookings, platform bookings, and zero-activity periods require returns.
Renewal
Renew for each October 1 through September 30 fiscal-year cycle and complete the recurring annual life-safety inspection.
Application deadline
Before advertising, booking, or operating

St. Augustine property and operator decision checks

Resolve the conditions below against the exact address before opening or paying for a St. Augustine Short-Term Rental Registration case.

  • St. Augustine: Legal posture

    Lawful short-term rentals require city registration and a recurring life-safety inspection in eligible locations. If the property cannot satisfy this condition, stop before payment or advertising.

    Required
  • St. Augustine: Approval record

    St. Augustine Short-Term Rental Registration If the property cannot satisfy this condition, stop before payment or advertising.

    Required
  • St. Augustine: Inspection

    A city fire and life-safety inspection is required at registration and annually. If the property cannot satisfy this condition, stop before payment or advertising.

    Required

Evidence file for the St. Augustine Short-Term Rental Registration

Keep every record tied to the same St. Augustine address, owner or operator, rental class, and government case.

  • St. Augustine Short-Term Rental Registration application or issued record for the exact St. Augustine property

    Match this evidence to the current St. Augustine application or issued approval.

    Required
  • Property and operator evidence required by the cited St. Augustine source

    Match this evidence to the current St. Augustine application or issued approval.

    Required
  • Inspection record: A city fire and life-safety inspection is required at registration and annually.

    Match this evidence to the current St. Augustine application or issued approval.

    Required
  • Tax and renewal records tied to the same St. Augustine address

    Match this evidence to the current St. Augustine application or issued approval.

    Required

St. Augustine filing, payment, tax, and renewal sequence

A submitted form or payment is not the same as an active St. Augustine Short-Term Rental Registration.

  1. Resolve the St. Augustine approval class

    Lawful short-term rentals require city registration and a recurring life-safety inspection in eligible locations. Success means the exact address and rental model have one supported path; otherwise stop and use the correction or non-operation path stated by the agency.

  2. Open the official St. Augustine Short-Term Rental Registration channel

    Use https://www.citystaug.com/830/Short-Term-Rentals. Success means the agency accepts the correct property-specific case type; if it does not, correct the address, category, or prerequisite in that case.

  3. Confirm the St. Augustine government charge

    The city lists a $303.03 base registration amount plus $79.30 per bedroom; confirm the current schedule before filing. Retain the current fee display and payment record with the submitted case.

  4. Maintain the St. Augustine tax record

    Use the cited St. Augustine tax source to identify the lodging-tax account and filing duty that applies to this property.

  5. Keep the St. Augustine Short-Term Rental Registration current

    Renew for each October 1 through September 30 fiscal-year cycle and complete the recurring annual life-safety inspection.

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Lawful short-term rentals require city registration and a recurring life-safety inspection in eligible locations.

St. Augustine Short-Term Rental Registration. The city lists a $303.03 base registration amount plus $79.30 per bedroom; confirm the current schedule before filing.

Use the cited St. Augustine tax source to identify the lodging-tax account and filing duty that applies to this property.

Renew for each October 1 through September 30 fiscal-year cycle and complete the recurring annual life-safety inspection.