City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Orlando, FL
How Orlando 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: leasing an entire dwelling unit for short-term transient use is not allowed in residential districts
- owner-occupied host-present home sharing only in residential zones (host lives on-site and is present, single booking at a time)
- whole-home STR confined to commercial zoning districts as a Commercial Dwelling Unit (7-29 days) or hotel/motel use
- mandatory owner-occupied home-sharing registration with annual fee and proof of on-site residency
Based on: Orlando City Code §58.989 Owner-Occupied Home Sharing — General Requirements (Ord. No. 2018-3, §1, 2-12-2018, Doc.
Summary of the rule
VERBATIM (Orlando City Code §58.989, Owner-Occupied Home Sharing — General Requirements): 'Owner-occupied home sharing is permitted for hosted visits only, where the property owner or tenant lives on-site and is present on the property for the hosted visit, and provided there is a single booking at a time. Leasing out an entire dwelling unit for short term, transient use is not allowed, unless the use is allowed as a Commercial Dwelling Unit under this Code, or within a hotel/motel use, or a two family dwelling unit as provided below.' This is the operative, in-force device excluding whole-home/absentee short-term rental from residential zoning; in residential districts only hosted owner-occupied home sharing is lawful.
Last reviewed Sep 25, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Orlando · system last checked Oct 25, 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.