RuleGridFlorida · Orlando
Orlando
Short-term rentals are legal in Orlando (owner-occupied home-sharing effective July 1, 2018) but tightly restricted into two categories. "Home-Sharing" (owner-occupied) is allowed in residential zones only if the resident uses the dwelling as their primary residence, lives on-site, is present during guest stays, and rents no more than half the bedrooms with one booking at a time; it requires annual city registration. Entire-home "Commercial Dwelling Units" (7-29 day stays) are permitted only in non-residential zoning districts or districts where multi-family residential is allowed and require a Business Tax Receipt. All operators also need a DBPR state vacation-rental license and must register for/remit state sales tax, the 0.5% Orange County discretionary surtax, and the 6% Orange County Tourist Development Tax. City of Orlando facts here are drawn from official-source (orlando.gov) WebSearch snippets because orlando.gov and Municode are bot-walled (Akamai 403) and could not be read firsthand; state/county tax facts (DR-15TDT, DR-15DSS, Orange County Comptroller TDT FAQ) and Fla. Stat. 509.032 were read firsthand. Record marked needs_review.
Not legal advice. Last verified 2026-07-02 · sources linked below.
Requirements checklist
-
state DBPR Vacation Rental License Required
-
city City of Orlando Home-Sharing Registration Required
-
city City of Orlando Commercial Dwelling Unit (Business Tax Receipt + zoning) Required
-
county Orange County Tourist Development Tax registration (Comptroller) Required
Taxes
| Tax | Rate | Administered by | Airbnb remits | Vrbo remits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Transient Rental Sales Tax | 6% | Florida Department of Revenue (DOR) | — | — |
| Orange County Discretionary Sales Surtax (School Capital Outlay) | 0.5% | Florida Department of Revenue (DOR) | — | — |
| Orange County Tourist Development Tax (TDT) | 6% | Orange County Comptroller (collected by county) | — | — |
Lodging-tax estimator
Estimate the combined transient/lodging tax (~12.5%) on a stay in Orlando. Estimate only — not tax advice.
Operating rules
- Primary residence
- conditional
- Min stay (nights)
- 7
- Max nights / year
- —
- Max occupancy
- Home-Sharing: may rent up to half of the dwelling's bedrooms; one booking/reservation at a time; host must be present during guest stays.
- Zoning-restricted
- Yes
- Cap on licenses
- —
Grandfathering: Fla. Stat. 509.032(7)(b) preempts local regulation of the duration or frequency of vacation rentals and prohibition of vacation rentals, except ordinances adopted on or before June 1, 2011, which are grandfathered. Orlando's owner-occupied home-sharing ordinance was adopted in 2018 (effective July 1, 2018), i.e., after the 2011 cutoff.
Zoning: Home-Sharing (owner-occupied, portion of home) is allowed in residential zones subject to registration. Entire-home 'Commercial Dwelling Units' are prohibited in residential zones and permitted only in non-residential zoning districts or districts where multi-family residential is allowed (7-29 day stays).
- Two regulated STR categories in Orlando: (1) owner-occupied Home-Sharing and (2) Commercial Dwelling Unit (entire-home).
- Home-Sharing requires the resident to occupy the dwelling as their primary residence and be present during guest stays; the resident need not be the owner but must prove it is their primary residence and live on-site (per official snippet, at least 51% of the year).
- Home-Sharing: host may rent up to half of the home's bedrooms; only one booking at a time.
- Commercial Dwelling Units are entire-home rentals with 7-29 day stays, allowed only in non-residential or multi-family-permitted zoning districts, and require a Business Tax Receipt (and a Certificate of Use).
- City of Orlando restriction facts are from orlando.gov official-source WebSearch snippets; orlando.gov and Municode are Akamai-blocked (403) and could not be read firsthand — record marked needs_review.
- State preemption (Fla. Stat. 509.032(7)(b), read firsthand) limits how far the city may regulate rental duration/frequency; SB 280 statewide registry (2024) was vetoed by Gov. DeSantis on 2024-06-27 and is not in effect (SB 280 status is background context, not quote-anchored here).
Enforcement
- Active enforcement
- yes
- Fines
- Reported (not firsthand-confirmed): fines start at $250 per day and can escalate to $500 per day for repeat offenses; if a property accumulates more than $5,000 in fines, the city can revoke its short-term rental permit.
- Notes
- Enforcement is complaint-based. Fine figures are NOT quote-anchored to a readable official source (orlando.gov 403); they appear only in secondary sources and are flagged needs_review. Operating without the required city registration/permit or the DBPR license can also result in delisting and state action.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Airbnb legal in Orlando?
Do I need a license or registration for a short-term rental in Orlando?
What taxes apply to short-term rentals in Orlando?
Official sources
- program_page Home Sharing Registration - City of Orlando ↗ checked 2026-07-02
- program_page Apply for Home Sharing Registration - City of Orlando ↗ checked 2026-07-02
- government_pdf City of Orlando Short-Term Rentals Fact Sheet ↗ checked 2026-07-02
- ordinance_reference Orlando Code of Ordinances Ch. 58 Part 5B(19) - Owner-Occupied Home Sharing (Municode, reference link only) ↗ checked 2026-07-02
- government_pdf Florida DOR Form DR-15TDT (R. 03/25) - Local Option Transient Rental Tax Rates (Tourist Development Tax) ↗ checked 2026-07-02 · changed 2025-03-01
- government_pdf Florida DOR Form DR-15DSS (R. 11/24) - Discretionary Sales Surtax Information for Calendar Year 2025 ↗ checked 2026-07-02 · changed 2024-11-01
- program_page Florida DBPR Vacation Rentals & Timeshare Projects Licensing Guide ↗ checked 2026-07-02
- statute Fla. Stat. 509.032 - Duties (vacation rental preemption 509.032(7)(b)) ↗ checked 2026-07-02
- program_page Orange County Comptroller - Tourist Development Tax FAQs ↗ checked 2026-07-02
Informational summary of publicly available sources; not legal advice. Verify against the linked official sources.