Jacksonville Beach, FL Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)

Section 34-731(c)(1) sets the occupancy standard as a formula with a hard ceiling. Maximum occupancy is two persons per bedroom plus two. Under no condition can it exceed twelve occupants per short-term vacation rental unit. For calculating the total, only individuals over the age of twenty-four months are included, so infants and toddlers under that age do not count.

The figure is not informal. The maximum occupancy appears on the short-term vacation rental registration certificate, and the lease agreement must state the maximum occupancy of the unit as permitted on that certificate. The one-page posting near the entrance door or on the refrigerator must also list the maximum occupancy of the unit. Advertising must conform to the information in the registration certificate and the property's approval, particularly as it pertains to maximum occupancy.

Parking is tied to the same number: the minimum off-street parking is the maximum occupancy divided by four, rounded up. That means a larger bedroom count carries both a higher occupancy and a higher parking requirement.

Raising occupancy requires paperwork. Under subsection (e)(3), an application to modify the registration certificate is necessary where the gross square footage of the unit has increased, the number of bedrooms is proposed to increase, or the occupancy is otherwise proposed to increase. If an inspection is required, the change in usage or occupancy cannot happen until after a successful inspection, though the current certificate stays valid pending that inspection.