Miramar's Short-Term Rentals: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles short-term rentals a little differently. In Miramar, Florida, there are 9 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Short-Term Rental Permits

Running a vacation rental or bed and breakfast in Miramar requires a city zoning certificate of use, a business tax receipt, state DBPR transient lodging licensure, and annual re-registration with the police department by September 30, on top of building and insurance standards.

Key details: City permits needed: Zoning certificate of use + business tax receipt. State licensure: FL DBPR transient public lodging license. Annual renewal deadline: By September 30 each year. Repeat-violation suspension: 30 / 180 / 365 days, escalating. Fine during suspension: Up to $1,000 per day.

Operating a vacation rental, bed and breakfast, or short-term rental in Miramar without the required zoning certificate of use, business tax receipt, DBPR licensure, or annual September 30 police-department registration violates LDC § 405.11.2, triggering escalating suspensions (30/180/365 days for repeat violations) and fines up to $1,000 per day if operated during suspension.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Miramar actively enforces its short-term rental permits requirements.

Host Presence Rule

Miramar does not require a host to sleep on-site, but every bed and breakfast or vacation rental must have a local responsible party registered with the police department and reachable on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, plus a notarized trespass affidavit on file.

Key details: Availability requirement: Local contact on call 24/7. Registration point: With Miramar police department. Extra filing: Notarized trespass affidavit required. No physical host requirement: On-site host presence not mandated.

Failing to keep a local responsible party registered with the police department and available on call 24/7, or failing to file the required notarized trespass affidavit, violates LDC § 405.11.2 and exposes the certificate of use to the section's escalating suspension schedule (30 to 365-plus days for repeat violations).

This is one of the stricter rules in Miramar's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Insurance Requirements

Miramar requires every bed and breakfast, vacation rental, and short-term rental to carry commercial general liability insurance before it can operate. The Land Development Code sets minimum coverage categories and lets the city demand proof of the policy at any time to confirm the unit stays compliant.

Key details: Required coverage: Premises ops, injury, property damage. Insurer requirement: Licensed by Florida Insurance Commissioner. Proof of coverage: Must be shown to city on demand. Applies to: B&Bs, vacation and short-term rentals. Codified by: Ord. No. 25-14, effective 9-3-25.

Operating without the required liability coverage, or without documentation on hand, is treated as noncompliance with Section 405.11.2 and can result in denial, suspension, or revocation of the vacation rental zoning certificate of use. Each day the violation continues counts as a separate offense, code fines under this section are not subject to reduction by the Special Magistrate, and repeat violations trigger escalating suspensions of the rental's operating certificate on top of any fine.

Noise Rules

Miramar requires every short-term rental to follow the city's noise ordinance and to post a written notice about it inside the unit. Owners who install a permanent noise-monitoring device get their annual registration fee waived under the Land Development Code's vacation rental rules.

Key details: Compliance duty: Guests must follow city noise rules. In-unit notice: Noise ordinance notice must be posted. Notice source: References Code of Ordinances Chapter 10. Fee incentive: Registration fee waived with noise monitor. Annual registration: Due with police dept by Sept 30.

Noncompliance with the noise-related duties of Section 405.11.2, whether an actual disturbance or a missing in-unit noise-ordinance notice, is a violation of the section, enforced through the police department's Code Compliance Division. Each day a violation exists is a separate offense, fines are not reducible by the Special Magistrate, and repeat violations feed into the section's escalating suspension schedule for the property's vacation rental zoning certificate of use.

Repeat Violator Strikes

Miramar suspends a short-term rental's operating certificate on an escalating schedule for repeat violations: 30 days on a second offense, 180 days on a third, 365 days on a fourth, and 30 more days for every violation after that, under the Land Development Code's vacation rental rules.

Key details: 2nd violation: 30-day certificate suspension. 3rd violation: 180-day certificate suspension. 4th violation: 365-day certificate suspension. Each further violation: Adds 30 more suspension days. Operating during suspension: Up to $1,000/day fine.

Every day a suspended vacation rental continues to operate is a separate violation carrying a fine of up to $1,000 per day, or the maximum penalty Florida Statutes allow for repeat violations, on top of the suspension itself. The city can also pursue injunctive relief, liens, and other civil or criminal penalties, and can refer a case to other enforcing agencies, none of which is limited by the suspension remedy under Section 405.11.2.

This is one of the stricter rules in Miramar's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Night Caps

Miramar imposes no annual night cap or minimum-stay requirement on vacation rentals. Florida Statute 509.032(7)(b) preempts any local ordinance enacted on or after June 1, 2011 that regulates the duration or frequency of vacation rentals. Stays of less than 30 days remain subject to the 6% Broward Tourist Development Tax and 6% state transient rental sales tax under F.S. 125.0104 and 212.03.

Key details: Annual Night Cap: None; preempted. Minimum Stay: None; preempted. State Preemption: F.S. 509.032(7)(b). STR Trigger: >3 rentals/year for <30 days. Broward Tourist Development Tax: 6%.

Because no local cap exists, there are no per-night enforcement actions. Failure to remit Broward TDT or state sales tax on rentals under 30 days triggers a 10%/month penalty (max 50%, minimum $50) plus interest under F.S. 212.12 and 125.0104, enforceable by the Broward County Records, Taxes & Treasury Division and the Florida Department of Revenue.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Miramar gives residents more flexibility on night caps.

Short-Term Rental Parking Rules

Miramar short-term and vacation rentals must fit all guest parking on the rental unit's own lot. Guests cannot spill over onto neighboring driveways, clubhouse or common areas, or the public street, under the same Land Development Code section that governs vacation rental registration.

Key details: On-site parking: Required on the rental unit's own lot. Neighbor lots: Guest parking there is prohibited. Common areas: Clubhouse/common-area parking prohibited. Street parking: Guests may not park on streets. Disclosure duty: Sketch/photo of parking posted in unit.

A guest parking on a neighboring lot, in a shared clubhouse area, or on the street is treated as noncompliance with Section 405.11.2, which can trigger a code enforcement complaint filed with the police department's Code Compliance Division. Each day the violation persists is a separate offense, and repeat parking violations count toward the section's escalating suspension schedule for the rental's zoning certificate of use, on top of any civil fine imposed.

Primary-Residence-Only Rule

Miramar's Land Development Code flatly requires bed and breakfast units to be owner-occupied, a standard laid out in the same section that governs short-term rental and vacation rental registration citywide.

Key details: Owner-occupancy required: For bed and breakfast units. Governing section: LDC § 405.11.2. Second-violation penalty: 30-day certificate suspension. Operating during suspension: Up to $1,000/day fine.

Operating a bed and breakfast unit in Miramar that is not owner-occupied violates LDC § 405.11.2 and is treated as a non-compliance triggering the section's escalating certificate-of-use suspension schedule, up to a daily fine of $1,000 for operating during suspension.

This is one of the stricter rules in Miramar's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Taxes & Fees

Miramar vacation rental operators must register with the Florida Department of Revenue for sales tax and with Broward County for Tourist Development Tax, and may owe local hotel taxes and permit fees, with a registration-fee waiver available for units running a noise monitor.

Key details: State tax registration: FL Dept. of Revenue sales tax. County tax registration: Broward County Tourist Development Tax. Possible added charges: Local hotel taxes and permit fees. Fee waiver incentive: Waived for units with noise monitor. Suspension-period fine: Up to $1,000 per day.

Failing to maintain current Florida Department of Revenue sales tax registration or Broward County Tourist Development Tax registration, or operating without paying applicable local hotel taxes and permit fees, violates LDC § 405.11.2 and can prevent certificate-of-use renewal; operating during a tax or registration-related suspension carries a fine of up to $1,000 per day.

The Bottom Line

Miramar is tougher than many cities when it comes to short-term rentals. Out of the 9 rules covered here, 4 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Miramar, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

All of the above reflects Miramar's municipal code as of our last review. If you need specifics on fines, exemptions, or filing requirements, the detailed ordinance pages linked above have the full breakdown.