Tampa, FL

When deciding whether to become an Airbnb host, it's important for you to understand the laws in your city. As a platform and marketplace we do not provide legal advice, but we want to provide some useful links that may help you better understand laws and regulations in Tampa and Hillsborough County. This list is not exhaustive, but it should give you a good start in understanding your local laws. We’ll continue to update this information as more becomes available. If you have questions, you can visit the County's website or contact the Land Development office, or consult a local lawyer or tax professional.

Short-term rental regulations

Hosts in Florida are required to acquire a vacation rental license from the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). Hillsborough County allows short-term rentals (7 nights or less) in some residential and commercial zones.

A general business license is required from the state of Florida, which is also called a business tax receipt. The application for the business tax receipt is called a form DR-1. You can consult the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

Hillsborough County also requires a general business license. The County Tax Collector has additional information on general requirements and how to file.

Step 1: Check your eligibility

• Consult the Hillsborough County Land Development Office to determine if your property is zoned properly for short-term rental. Renting outside the approved zones could result in a fine.
• Tenants may rent their unit/dwelling but must receive permission from their landlord/owner.
• Hosts who remain in their dwelling while renting a room or part of their dwelling are not required to obtain a vacation rental license.

Step 2: Get a registration number

• Florida vacation rental applications can be completed online through the DBPR website.
• There are categories of license: a condo license and a dwelling license.
• The fees for these licenses vary and the fee schedule can be found here.

Step 3: Add your registration number to your listing

As a last step, you’ll need to add your license number to your listing to finalize your registration with the city. Once you add your number, your registration will be complete and you can continue hosting short-term stays.

Renewing your registration

You’ll need to renew your license annually. Licenses expire one year from the date the license is issued.

Other contracts and rules

As a host, you need to understand and abide by other contracts or rules that bind you, including leases, co-op rules, HOA rules, or other rules established by tenant organizations. You should be able to find out more by contacting your housing authority (such as a community council) or landlord. Your lease (or other contract) might also have specific details.

Our commitment to your community

We are committed to working with local officials to help them understand how Airbnb benefits our community. Where needed, we will continue to advocate for changes that will allow regular people to rent out their own homes.