Short-Term Rentals in Palm Coast, FL (2026)

10 verified short-term rentals rules for Palm Coast, Florida, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.

Verified from official government sources

Permit Requirements

Palm Coast adopted Ordinance 2025-01 on January 7, 2025 (effective March 3, 2025), creating an annual short-term rental registration program codified at City Code Chapter 17, Section 17-68. Palm Coast is NOT grandfathered under the pre-June 1, 2011 FS § 509.032(7)(b) carve-out (Flagler County and the City of Flagler Beach are; Palm Coast is not), so the ordinance was carefully structured to operate within the 2023 amendments to FS § 509.032 that permit local governments to require registration, designate a responsible party, and impose maximum occupancy limits. The ordinance does NOT prohibit STRs in any residential zoning district, does not regulate duration or frequency of rentals, and does not single out STRs for inspection standards that don't apply to other dwellings. Annual registration with the City of Palm Coast PLUS a separate Flagler County registration is required, layered on top of the mandatory Florida DBPR Vacation Rental Dwelling/Condo license and Florida DOR sales tax / Flagler County Tourist Development Tax accounts.

Palm Coast Ordinance 2025-01 Requires Annual STR Registration (Effective March 3, 2025); Operates Within FS § 509.032(7)(b) Preemption Using 2023 'Responsible Party' and Occupancy-Cap Authority

Some Restrictions

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Noise Rules

Palm Coast Ordinance 2025-01 (Section 17-68) imposes specific quiet hours of 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. on short-term rental properties - one of the operational standards expressly permitted under the 2023 amendments to FS § 509.032. The STR-specific quiet-hour rule applies in addition to the citywide noise standards in the Palm Coast Code of Ordinances. Operators must inform guests of the 10 p.m. quiet-hour rule in the Sample Lease Agreement required under Section 17-68(A)(2). Violations are enforceable by Palm Coast Code Enforcement with the graduated warning-then-fine framework, with fines up to $250/day first violation and $500/day repeat under FS § 162.09. The Responsible Party designated under the ordinance must be available to respond to noise complaints.

Palm Coast STRs Have Codified Quiet Hours 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. (Section 17-68); Citywide Noise Ordinance Also Applies

Some Restrictions

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Taxes & Fees

Short-term rentals in Palm Coast collect a combined 12% in state and county taxes on stays of 6 months or less: 6.0% Florida state transient rental sales tax (FS § 212.03), 1.0% Flagler County discretionary sales surtax (administered by the Florida Department of Revenue, applies to the first $5,000 of the sale), and 5.0% Flagler County Tourist Development Tax (Flagler County Ordinance 2018-10, effective August 1, 2018, administered by the Flagler County Tax Collector). The City of Palm Coast does NOT impose an additional municipal lodging tax but does charge $375 annual STR registration plus $75 annual inspection fee per property under Ordinance 2025-01 and City Council Resolution 2025-05. The Flagler TDT is NOT automatically collected by Airbnb/VRBO in all cases - operators are responsible for verifying collection and registering directly with the Flagler County Tax Collector at flagler.county-taxes.com/tourist.

Palm Coast STR Tax Stack: 6% Florida State Sales Tax + 1% Flagler County Surtax + 5% Flagler Tourist Development Tax = 12% Combined, Plus City Registration Fees of $450/year

Heavy Restrictions

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Parking Rules

Palm Coast Ordinance 2025-01 (Section 17-68) imposes specific parking rules on short-term rental properties: all vehicles associated with the STR must be parked within the property's driveway only. Parking on the lawn or street is prohibited at any time, and parking within the first 15 feet from the edge of pavement (the swale area) is prohibited between 1:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. These STR-specific parking rules are layered on top of the citywide on-street parking rules and Florida traffic law (FS § 316.1945). The rules apply to all guest vehicles. Recreational vehicles, boats, and trailers face additional restrictions on residential storage citywide. The Responsible Party named on the STR registration is expected to manage guest parking; pattern violations are grounds for graduated fines and registration non-renewal.

Palm Coast Section 17-68 Requires STR Vehicles to Park in Driveway Only; No Lawn or Street Parking; Swale Restricted 1:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.

Heavy Restrictions

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Occupancy Limits

Palm Coast Ordinance 2025-01 (Section 17-68) imposes a HARD CAP of 10 occupants per short-term rental property, calculated as two transient occupants per sleeping room or habitable space - whichever produces fewer occupants. Children age 3 and younger do not count toward the limit. The 10-person cap is one of the most restrictive STR occupancy caps in coastal Florida and is permitted under the 2023 amendments to FS § 509.032 that authorize local maximum-occupancy ordinances at up to two per bedroom plus two in common area. Palm Coast's formula is functionally tighter than the statutory maximum. Pets are separately capped at 2 per rental house. When homeowners reside simultaneously with vacationers, the owners count against the maximum.

Palm Coast Caps STR Occupancy at 10 People Total (Section 17-68); Two Per Sleeping Room/Habitable Space Formula; Children Under 3 and 2 Pets Maximum

Heavy Restrictions

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Insurance Requirements

Palm Coast Ordinance 2025-01 (Section 17-68) does not impose a minimum liability insurance requirement on short-term rental operators. The 2023 amendments to FS § 509.032 do not authorize cities to mandate STR-specific insurance minimums, and a city-imposed insurance floor would arguably exceed the local-regulation authority granted by the amendments. Florida state law (FS § 509.241 et seq., DBPR Vacation Rental licensing) similarly does not impose a state-mandated minimum liability insurance level. Insurance for a Palm Coast STR is therefore governed by (1) mortgage lender requirements, (2) HOA/condo association requirements, (3) commercial-prudence standards (most operators carry $300K-$1M liability through a commercial STR policy or homeowner's endorsement), and (4) platform-provided host protection (Airbnb AirCover up to $1M, VRBO liability up to $1M). Standard homeowner's policies typically EXCLUDE business activity and do not cover STR claims.

Palm Coast Does Not Mandate STR Liability Insurance Minimum; Section 17-68 Silent on Insurance; State and Industry Practice Govern

Few Restrictions

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Night Caps

Palm Coast Ordinance 2025-01 does NOT impose an annual cap on the number of nights a short-term rental may host, and the city cannot do so even under the 2023 amendments to FS § 509.032. The core preemption at FS § 509.032(7)(b) - which prohibits local governments from regulating the duration or frequency of vacation rentals - remains in effect and was NOT relaxed by the 2023 amendments (which only authorized registration, responsible-party, and occupancy-cap requirements). The June 1, 2011 grandfather clause that protects Flagler County and the City of Flagler Beach does NOT extend to Palm Coast, which did not adopt any pre-2011 STR ordinance. A registered Palm Coast STR may therefore operate up to 365 nights per year as long as the operator maintains the city Section 17-68 registration, the Florida DBPR license, the Flagler County registration, the city/county/state tax accounts, and all generally-applicable rules.

No Annual Night Cap on Palm Coast STRs - FS § 509.032(7)(b) Still Preempts Frequency/Duration Regulation Even Under 2023 Amendments

Few Restrictions

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Registration Rules

Effective March 3, 2025, Palm Coast Ordinance 2025-01 (Section 17-68) requires every short-term rental in the city to register annually with the City of Palm Coast through cdpservices.palmcoast.gov/btr. The annual fee structure is $375 registration + $75 inspection = $450 per property per year (City Council Resolution 2025-05). Required documents: Sample Lease Agreement with Section 17-68(A)(2)(A-H) terms, Responsible Party designation (up to 3 individuals), Business Tax Receipt application, Florida DOR Certificate of Registration for tourist development taxes, Florida DBPR Transient Public Lodging license, Executed Affidavit certifying compliance and no registered sex offenders among guests, and advertising compliance verification. Operators must ALSO separately register with Flagler County (which runs its own grandfathered STR program), with the Florida DOR (Form DR-1 sales tax), with the Flagler County Tax Collector (TDT), and hold the Florida DBPR Vacation Rental Dwelling/Condo license.

Palm Coast Annual STR Registration Required Under Section 17-68: $375 Registration + $75 Inspection = $450/Year; Layered with DBPR State License, Flagler County Registration, and DOR/TDT Tax Accounts

Heavy Restrictions

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Host Presence Rule

Palm Coast Ordinance 2025-01 (Section 17-68) requires every registered short-term rental to designate a Responsible Party (up to three individuals may be named on the registration) who is available to respond to issues at the property. The Responsible Party requirement is one of the operational standards expressly permitted under the 2023 amendments to FS § 509.032. The ordinance does NOT require the host, owner, or Responsible Party to be physically on-site during stays - unhosted whole-home STRs are permitted, as the city cannot impose a host-presence mandate beyond what the statute authorizes. The Responsible Party must sign an affidavit certifying that no guests are registered sex offenders. Failure of the Responsible Party to respond to complaints is grounds for enforcement against the city STR registration.

Palm Coast Requires Designated Responsible Party (Up to 3 Individuals) Under Section 17-68; No On-Site Presence Required But Responsible Party Must Be Available to Respond

Some Restrictions

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Primary-Residence-Only Rule

Palm Coast Ordinance 2025-01 does NOT require a short-term rental to be the operator's primary residence - the 2023 amendments to FS § 509.032 that authorized the city's registration and occupancy programs did NOT extend to primary-residence-only restrictions, which remain preempted under FS § 509.032(7)(b). Investment-property STRs, second-home STRs, corporate/LLC-owned STRs, and out-of-state owner STRs are all permitted in Palm Coast as long as the operator holds the Section 17-68 city registration ($450/year), the Florida DBPR Vacation Rental Dwelling/Condo license, the separate Flagler County registration, and remits the 12% combined tax stack. There is no city-level cap on how many STRs a single operator or LLC may hold in Palm Coast. HOA/CC&R restrictions in Grand Haven, Hammock Beach, Hammock Dunes, and beachfront condo communities may still impose private restrictions per parcel.

No Primary-Residence Requirement in Palm Coast (Still Preempted); Investment-Property and Corporate-Owned STRs Permitted Subject to Section 17-68 Registration

Few Restrictions

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Looking for Flagler County county-wide rules?

County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Palm Coast city rules.

Short-Term Rentals in Flagler County →