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

6 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Polk County, Florida.

Verified from official government sources

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

Short-Term Rental Permits

Polk County cannot run a licensing scheme, but it does require every vacation-rental operator to obtain a Class B local business tax receipt for each rental location and register a Tourist Development Tax account.

STR Registration: County Business Tax Receipt Required

Some Restrictions

Polk County Tax Collector — TA 05-01

An individual or business that rents or leases short-term rental accommodations in Polk County for a period of six months or less (hotels, motels, rental dwellings, vacation homes, etc.) must obtain a Class B county local business tax receipt for each rental location.

Taxes & Fees

Polk County levies a 5% Tourist Development Tax on rentals of six months or less. Combined with Florida's 7% sales tax, short-term guests pay about 12%. Owners and property managers collect and remit it monthly.

5% Tourist Development (Bed) Tax on Polk Rentals

Some Restrictions

Polk County Tax Collector — Tourist Development Tax

The Tourist Development Tax rate in Polk County is set at 5%. ... Remittance payments are due on the first of the month following collection and are considered delinquent if not paid by the 20th of that same month.

Short-Term Rental Parking Rules

Polk County sets no vacation-rental-specific parking mandate. STR parking is governed by the same Land Development Code residential parking and yard standards that apply to any dwelling in the zoning district.

STR Parking Follows General Zoning, No Special Cap

Some Restrictions

Fla. Stat. § 509.032(7)(b)-(c) (Vacation Rental Preemption)

A local law, ordinance, or regulation may not prohibit vacation rentals or regulate the duration or frequency of rental of vacation rentals. Paragraph (b) does not apply to any local law, ordinance, or regulation exclusively relating to property valuation as a criterion for vacation rental if the local law, ordinance, or regulation is required to be approved by the state land planning agency pu...

Occupancy Limits

Polk County does not impose a special guest-occupancy cap on vacation rentals. Florida law bars local governments from adopting occupancy standards for STRs unless applied uniformly to all residential units.

STR Occupancy Limits Are State-Controlled, Not County-Set

Some Restrictions

FS 509.013(4)(a)1.

Any unit, group of units, dwelling, building, or group of buildings... which is rented to guests more than three times in a calendar year for periods of less than 30 days or 1 calendar month, whichever is less, or which is advertised or held out to the public as a place regularly rented to guests.

Night Caps

Polk County cannot cap the number of nights or rentals per year. FS 509.032(7)(b) expressly bars local rules that regulate the duration or frequency of vacation rentals adopted after June 1, 2011.

No Minimum or Maximum Night Caps on Polk 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.

Primary-Residence-Only Rule

Polk County cannot restrict vacation rentals to owner-occupied or primary residences. FS 509.032(7)(b) bars local laws that prohibit vacation rentals or regulate their frequency or duration, so non-owner-occupied STRs are allowed.

No Primary-Residence Requirement for Polk County 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.

Short-Term Rentals by City in Polk County

1 cities in Polk County have their own short-term rentals rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.

All Polk County ordinances

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