Short-Term Rentals in Escambia County, FL (2026)

4 rules for unincorporated Escambia County, Florida.

Verified from official government sources

Note: These county rules apply to unincorporated areas of Escambia County. If you live within an incorporated city, that city's own rules apply: see the city list below.

Short-Term Rental Permits

Florida requires a DBPR vacation-rental license before renting a whole home short-term. Escambia County (unincorporated Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key) adds no operating permit but requires Tourist Development Tax registration.

Escambia STR Permits: State DBPR License Required

Some Restrictions

FS 509.241(1)

Each public lodging establishment and public food service establishment shall obtain a license from the division.

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Taxes & Fees

Escambia charges a 5% Tourist Development ("bed") tax on stays of six months or less, on top of Florida's 7.5% sales and discretionary surtax: collected from the guest and remitted to the Clerk.

Escambia County Tourist Development Tax: 5%

Some Restrictions

FS 125.0104(3)(f)

The tourist development tax shall be charged by the person receiving the consideration for the lease or rental, and it shall be collected from the lessee, tenant, or customer at the time of payment of the consideration for such lease or rental.

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Night Caps

Escambia County and Pensacola cannot set minimum-night stays, annual night caps, or limits on how often a home is rented. Florida law expressly bars local rules on rental duration or frequency.

Minimum-Stay and Night Caps Preempted in Escambia

Some Restrictions

FS 509.032(7)(b)

A local law, ordinance, or regulation may not prohibit vacation rentals or regulate the duration or frequency of rental of vacation rentals. This paragraph does not apply to any local law, ordinance, or regulation adopted on or before June 1, 2011.

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Primary-Residence-Only Rule

Escambia County cannot require a vacation rental to be the owner's primary residence. State law bars local rules that prohibit rentals, so whole-home, non-owner-occupied beach rentals are lawful.

No Primary-Residence Requirement for Escambia Rentals

Some Restrictions

FS 509.032(7)(b)

A local law, ordinance, or regulation may not prohibit vacation rentals or regulate the duration or frequency of rental of vacation rentals. This paragraph does not apply to any local law, ordinance, or regulation adopted on or before June 1, 2011.

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

All Escambia County ordinances

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