Polk County applies its standard residential parking standards to short-term rentals because Fla. Stat. 509.032(7)(b) preempts STR-specific parking rules. Guests must park on a paved driveway or in a garage; on-street parking is limited to 72 hours under county and state law.
Florida Statute 509.032(7)(b) bars Polk County from adopting parking standards that apply only to vacation rentals, but the county can - and does - apply general residential parking rules to STR properties. Under the Polk County Land Development Code, vehicles in residential districts must be stored on a paved driveway or in an enclosed garage. Recreational vehicles, boats, and trailers must be set back at least 5 feet from the property line in a side or rear yard. Vehicles left on a public right-of-way for more than 72 hours are presumed abandoned under Fla. Stat. 316.1945. Yard or grass parking violates Polk County Code Enforcement standards. STR operators are advised to specify a hard-cap on guest vehicles equal to driveway capacity.
Vehicles parked over 72 hours on the right-of-way may be tagged and towed under Fla. Stat. 715.07. Yard parking and driveway-overflow violations are Polk Code Enforcement citations with daily fines up to $250 (first violation) and $500 (repeat).
Polk County, FL
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Polk County, FL
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Polk County, FL
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Polk County, FL
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Polk County, FL
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Polk County, FL
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