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Florida · Davenport

Davenport

city Allowed with registration Verified · last verified 2026-07-02

Short-term rentals are legal in Davenport. The city's Unified Land Development Regulations (Section 4.03.19) simply state that short-term rental units "are allowed per State of Florida statutes," and STRs are listed as Permitted with Conditions (PC) in every residential zoning district (Table 3.07.00(A)) — meaning permitted by right subject to district standards. The city imposes no separate STR-specific minimum stay, cap, or occupancy override. What operators must obtain is the state DBPR vacation-rental license, plus register for state sales tax (6% + 1% Polk surtax) and Polk County's 5% self-administered Tourist Development Tax, and hold a local Business Tax Receipt. Note: some third-party blogs describe a city "Vacation Rental Certificate" at $136.17 and a 7-day minimum stay; those claims could NOT be confirmed in any official city document and are consistent with neither the LDR nor Fla. Stat. 509.032(7)(b) preemption, so they are not asserted here.

Not legal advice. Last verified 2026-07-02 · sources linked below.

Requirements checklist

  • state Florida DBPR Vacation Rental License (Dwelling or Condominium) Required
    Fee: — · Renewal: Annual, staggered by DBPR district · Applies to: Any entire dwelling or condo unit rented to transient guests (rented more than 3 times in a calendar year for periods of less than 30 days / 1 calendar month, or advertised as such). · official page ↗
  • state Florida Department of Revenue sales & use tax registration (transient rental) Required
    Fee: $0 · Renewal: — · Applies to: Operators collecting transient rental charges must register to collect and remit the 6% state transient rental tax plus the 1% Polk discretionary sales surtax. · official page ↗
  • county Polk County Tourist Development Tax account (Polk County Tax Collector) Required
    Fee: — · Renewal: Monthly returns; due the first of the month following collection and delinquent if not paid by the 20th · Applies to: Owners, property managers, and operators of transient accommodations (rentals of six months or less) must register with the Polk County Tax Collector and remit the 5% TDT monthly. · official page ↗
  • city City of Davenport Business Tax Receipt (BTR) Required
    Fee: — · Renewal: annual · Applies to: All businesses located and/or operating inside Davenport city limits pay an annual Business Tax; a short-term rental operated as a business is subject to this citywide requirement. The city's Business Tax Receipts page also notes both City of Davenport and Polk County BTRs are required for a business inside city limits. · official page ↗

Taxes

TaxRateAdministered byAirbnb remitsVrbo remits
Florida state transient rental sales tax 6% Florida Department of Revenue Yes No
Polk County discretionary sales surtax 1% Florida Department of Revenue Yes No
Polk County Tourist Development Tax (TDT) 5% Polk County Tax Collector (self-administered county) — No

Operating rules

Primary residence
No
Min stay (nights)
—
Max nights / year
—
Max occupancy
—
Zoning-restricted
Yes
Cap on licenses
—

Grandfathering: No Davenport pre-June-1-2011 STR ordinance identified; the city's LDR expressly defers to state statutes, so no grandfathered duration/frequency restriction applies.

Zoning: Short-term / vacation rentals are listed as PC (Permitted with Conditions) in every residential zoning district in Table 3.07.00(A) (AG, TN-1, TN-2, RE-1, RE-2, R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-5, MF, MH-1, MH-2). PC means 'permitted by right provided that the use adheres to the standards prescribed for the zoning district and is in accordance with supplemental standards and regulations as prescribed in Section 4.03.00.' The supplemental standard (Section 4.03.19) states STRs 'are allowed per State of Florida statutes,' so there is no city-imposed minimum stay, night cap, or occupancy override — the city defers to state law and Fla. Stat. 509.032(7)(b) preemption.

  • City of Davenport Unified Land Development Regulations, Section 4.03.19: 'Short term rental units are allowed per State of Florida statutes.'
  • Third-party rental-management blogs assert a City of Davenport 'Vacation Rental Certificate' at $136.17 initial / $36.70 renewal and a 7-day minimum stay. These claims were NOT found in any official City of Davenport document (the only 'Rental Packet' on mydavenport.org is for Event Center / banquet-hall facility rentals, not dwelling STRs) and a 7-day minimum would conflict with Fla. Stat. 509.032(7)(b) preemption absent a grandfathered pre-2011 ordinance. Treated as unverified and not asserted.
  • LDR most recently updated March 2, 2026 via Ordinance 1396; base LDR adopted April 15, 2019 via Ordinance 874.

Enforcement

Active enforcement
unknown
Fines
—
Notes
No official City of Davenport enforcement schedule (fines, suspension periods) for short-term rentals could be confirmed firsthand. Third-party blogs describe first-violation fines of $500 and 30-90 day registration suspensions, but these are unverified against any official city ordinance or code section and are not asserted. State-level enforcement runs through DBPR licensing. Because the city's LDR defers STRs to state statutes and imposes no separate STR permit, code-enforcement exposure is primarily via the general LDR/zoning conditions and state DBPR requirements.

Official sources

Informational summary of publicly available sources; not legal advice. Verify against the linked official sources.