City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Gulf Shores, AL
How Gulf Shores regulates short-term rentals: the rules that apply, their sources, and pending changes.
Rules here limit which homes may operate as short-term rentals, how many, where, or for how many nights a year.
- Residential-district exclusion
- License required
- Inspection required
- Permit-suspension authority
- Heavy tax burden
Based on: Gulf Shores Ord. 1738 (2013) vacation-rental regime
Summary of the rule
Gulf Shores Zoning Ordinance §6-18(B)(2) (Art.6, as amended by Ord. 2201, eff. 2026-02-23): 'Vacation Rental Dwelling Units are prohibited in the following areas of the City; AG, ATP, ED, IND, OS, R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, and R-5 Zoning Districts and single family subdivisions in Planned Unit Developments (PUD).' §6-18(B)(1) allows vacation rentals only in the Single Family and Duplex Vacation Rental Overlay District, BN, BG, BT, ICW-N, ICW-S districts, and PUD multi-family uses designated for vacation rental; the City may approve individual Multi-family developments in R-3/R-4 by Conditional Use Permit. This is a codified, enacted residential-zone STR exclusion, not process-only licensing.
View the ordinance source ↗✓ Verified
Last reviewed Sep 10, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Gulf Shores · system last checked Nov 4, 2026
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City Watch tracks changes from public sources — council agendas, state bills, local news — not a complete legal compendium.
A city permit is not the whole picture — HOA, condominium, deed, or lease rules may be stricter.
City Watch provides good-faith summaries of publicly available information as of the review date shown. Rules, enforcement, and permit availability can change, and summaries may contain errors or omissions. Ratings describe the general regulatory environment; they do not establish whether a particular property or stay is permitted. This is general information, not legal advice. Before buying, listing, or hosting, verify applicable requirements with the responsible authorities and review any HOA, condominium, deed, or lease restrictions.