Alachua County, FL Short-Term Rentals: Permit Requirements (2026)

Under F.S. 509.032(7)(b), local governments may not prohibit vacation rentals or regulate the duration or frequency of rentals, and any local ordinance enacted on or after June 1, 2011 cannot be more restrictive than this state law. Alachua County does not impose a separate short-term rental operating permit or zoning license for STRs, but the County Tax Collector requires every operator of a rental of six months or less to register through the TouristExpress portal and collect the 5% Tourist Development Tax (Tourist Development Council levy under F.S. Ch. 125, ratified by Alachua County Code). Covered properties include entire single-family homes, individual rooms, mother-in-law suites, and campgrounds. Operators must also obtain a state vacation rental license from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Division of Hotels and Restaurants, under F.S. Ch. 509, and collect 6% Florida state sales tax plus the 1% Alachua County local option tourist tax. Online platforms (Airbnb, VRBO) collect and remit state sales tax and the 1% local option tax but do NOT remit the 5% Tourist Development Tax — operators remain responsible for that. Cities within Alachua County (Gainesville, Alachua, etc.) have their own zoning rules and are also bound by F.S. 509.032(7).