City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Longboat Key, FL
How Longboat Key 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.
- pre-2011 grandfathered zoning device: Ord. 82-10 (1982) splits Residential vs Tourism districts; STRs (<30-day rentals) excluded from residentially zoned property
- 30-day minimum rental in residential zones unless tourism-zoned or grandfathered tourism use
- town publicly guards its pre-2011-06-01 grandfathered status as the basis of its authority to regulate STR duration/frequency
- Ch. 115 Residential Rental Registry (adopted 2023-03-06, effective 2023-10-01): mandatory registration for rentals of 6 months or less; certificate posted + in advertisements
- general/process overlay: DBPR vacation-rental license + local BTR + 6% state sales tax + county tourist-development tax
Based on: Ord. 82-10 (adopted 1982) — Residential vs Tourism zoning distinction, 30-day minimum rental in residential districts
Summary of the rule
Zoning Code §158.104 (Tourism uses) expressly prohibits tourism use of property for remuneration except in the T-3/T-6 (and approved MUC-2) districts, and its subsection (B) states that tourism uses 'legally conforming as of October 6, 1982, but were rendered legal nonconforming uses by virtue of Ordinance No. 82-10, shall maintain their legal nonconforming use status ...'. The current code text thus names Ord. No. 82-10 (Oct. 6, 1982) as the ordinance that restricted short-term (tourism) use of residential property — a pre-2011-06-01 device grandfathered under Fla. Stat. §509.032(7). Section 158.104 was re-codified by Ord. 2018-24 (passed 4-1-19) but expressly preserves and continues the 1982 restriction (grandfathering pre-1982-conforming uses), so the pre-2011 lineage is unbroken.
View the ordinance source ↗✓ Verified
Last reviewed Sep 9, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Longboat Key · system last checked Oct 26, 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.