City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Apalachicola, FL
How Apalachicola 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-zone exclusion of true short-term (under 30-day) rentals: LDC §111-292/§111-293 define transient accommodation as rental for periods less than 30 consecutive days and confine transient lodging facilities (hotel/motel/B&B) to commercial zoning districts; residential districts R-1 to R-4 (§§111-268 to 111-272) do not list transient lodging as a permitted use and prohibit any use not specifically permitted — so whole-home nightly or weekly STR is excluded from all residential districts
- Pre-2011 grandfathered device: the transient-lodging regulation §111-293 was adopted by Ord. No. 2005-08, §1, 9-27-2005 (before 2011-06-01) and amended by Ord. No. 2017-07 (2017) and Ord. No. 2023-06 (2023); its pre-2011 adoption survives §509.032(7) preemption
- local Business Occupational License (BTR) + zoning-compliance + public signage requirement layered on top of state DBPR license and Franklin County tourist-development (bed) tax (general/process)
Based on: Apalachicola Land Development Code (Ch. 111 Land Use), §111-292 (Transient lodging) + §111-293 (Additional
Summary of the rule
City of Apalachicola Residential Zones Vacation Rental Fact Sheet: 'Residential Zones cannot be rented for a period of less than 30 days'; a Monthly Vacation Rental is min 30 days / max 6 months. Effect: nightly/weekly STRs excluded from R-1/R-2/R-3/R-4.
View the ordinance source ↗✓ Verified
Last reviewed Sep 9, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Apalachicola · system last checked Oct 24, 2026
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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.