St. Petersburg, FL Accessory Structures: ADU Rental Restrictions (2026)

St. Petersburg's land development code treats accessory dwelling units (ADUs) as housing that must remain tied to the main home, not become separate short-term rental inventory. 4 then lists the establishment requirements for any ADU, no more than one per single-family lot, no ADU before the principal home is built, and the ADU must stay subordinate to the principal use in location, square footage and building coverage. 020, spells out what that phrase covers: any unit occupied for a term of less than a month, offered or advertised for such occupancy more than three times in any rolling 365-day period, "without regard to the form of ownership of the property or unit" or how the stay is paid for.

That definition sweeps in nightly and weekly platform rentals whether the owner lives on site or not. The rule applies citywide wherever ADUs are permitted, NT and NS traditional neighborhood districts and other zoning districts that allow the use per the Matrix: Use Permissions and Parking Requirements. It does not restrict standard month-to-month or longer leasing of an ADU, only occupancy structured as recurring short stays. Enforcement runs through the Planning & Development Services Department (POD) and, if unresolved, the Code Enforcement Board or a Special Magistrate under Chapter 9.