Panama City Beach

Operating rules

Primary residence

No

Min stay (nights)

—

Max nights / year

—

Max occupancy

Maximum occupancy set on the Vacation Rental Certificate: 150 sq ft gross floor area per person for one- and two-family dwellings; 200 sq ft gross floor area per person for all other Vacation Rentals, reducible to 150 sq ft per person if the City Fire Inspector determines NFPA 101 egress/travel requirements are met. Calculations round up to the nearest whole person.

Zoning-restricted

No

Cap on licenses

—

Grandfathering: Not applicable — Ord. 1632 / Sec. 8-183 was adopted 9-28-2023, well after the June 1, 2011 grandfather cutoff in Fla. Stat. 509.032(7)(b). The ordinance imposes no rental prohibition and no duration/frequency limit, so it does not conflict with the state preemption; it regulates only registration, life-safety, occupancy, and operating standards.

Zoning: The city ordinance does not restrict Vacation Rentals to specific zoning districts or ban them in residential zones; Florida preemption Fla. Stat. 509.032(7)(b) bars local ordinances (post-2011) from prohibiting vacation rentals. A vacation rental is defined as a unit rented more than 3 times per calendar year for periods of less than 30 days / one calendar month.

• No minimum-stay or maximum-nights cap is imposed by the city (would conflict with Fla. Stat. 509.032(7)(b) duration/frequency preemption).
• No cap on the number of Vacation Rental Certificates.
• Operator must designate a locally available Rental Responsible Party available 24/7 by phone and able to reach the unit within 1 hour.
• Vacation Rental Certificate Number must be displayed in every hosting-platform listing/advertisement for the unit.
• Required interior postings: emergency info, maximum occupancy, evacuation map, trash/parking/noise notices, and (for 3+ occupied floors) per-bedroom evacuation maps on the 3rd floor and above.

Enforcement

Active enforcement

Active. Progressive code-enforcement program run under Chapter 25 of the City Code; the City Fire Inspector and Code Enforcement Officers enforce, and warnings may be copied to DBPR, DOR, the Bay County Clerk of Court, and the Bay County Property Appraiser. Certificate may be revoked/suspended for repeat violations or for denying inspection access.

Fines

First violation $500; second violation $1,000; third and subsequent violations $1,000 each plus possible Vacation Rental Certificate revocation/suspension for up to 12 months (if within 12 months of the first violation). 50% reduction if the violator does not contest and pays the City Clerk directly. Penalties are cumulative and the City may also pursue injunctive relief, liens, and other civil/criminal remedies.

Notes

A Notice of Violation warning with a correction period is issued first for correctable violations; non-compliance escalates to a citation. Operating without a Vacation Rental Certificate is expressly unlawful. City Council may amend penalty amounts by Resolution.