Gulfport, FL Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)
Short-term rental permit rules in Gulfport, FL, also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration, list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Key Facts
- Use status
- Conditional use in WROD, not permitted by right
- Approval bodies
- Planning and zoning board plus community redevelopment agency
- Process
- Site plan review with public hearing, § 22-5.08(e)
- Definition
- Owner-occupied use only, Code § 22-2.02
- Citation
- Code of Ordinances § 22-5.08(b)(8)d
Summary
Gulfport's only recognized short-term lodging use inside a home is the owner-occupied bed and breakfast, and it cannot open by right. Code of Ordinances § 22-5.08(b)(8)d lists it as a conditional use confined to the Waterfront Redevelopment Overlay District, requiring site plan approval and a public hearing first.
d.Conditional uses. The uses listed below would be in addition to what is already permitted in the RLM district. These uses are conditional uses subject to site plan approval by the planning and zoning board and the community redevelopment agency. Procedures and requirements for site plan review and approval shall be as set forth in article VII of this chapter.1.Personal or business services other than medical (e.g. law, accountant, architectural/planning/engineering brokerage services and similar uses which meet the purpose of the WROD. ... 12.Bed and breakfast subject to the provisions of subsection 22-5.08(h) in the waterfront redevelopment zoning district.
Full Breakdown
08(b)(8)d places bed and breakfast twelfth on the list of conditional uses allowed within the Waterfront Redevelopment Overlay District (WROD), the RLM-zoned corridor along Beach Boulevard between Shore Boulevard and 28th Avenue South. 08(h). 08(e): the planning and zoning board and the community redevelopment agency conduct that review by public hearing, applying the standards in article VII and article VIII of chapter 22. Outside the WROD corridor, the reviewed code recognizes only hotels, motels and 'transient accommodations' generally as lodging uses in certain commercial and WRD sub-areas; it does not set out a separate permit path for a non-owner-occupied, whole-home nightly rental anywhere else in the city.
02 as personally and physically operated and occupied by the owner or manager, an absentee-owned short-term rental does not qualify for this pathway at all.
Violations & Fines
Operating a bed and breakfast in the WROD without the required conditional use and site plan approval, or operating one anywhere else in the city where the use is not authorized, is a zoning violation. It is enforceable through the special master code enforcement process in §§ 12-15 through 12-23 and the city's general penalty in § 1-6, up to a $500 fine or 60 days imprisonment, with each day of continued operation a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run a bed and breakfast in my Gulfport home?
Who approves a Gulfport bed and breakfast permit?
Does Gulfport allow Airbnb-style short-term rentals citywide?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Gulfport
How Gulfport compares: Most Airbnb-Friendly Cities in America·Florida rules heatmap·Compare Gulfport to another location·View the Florida short-term rentals overview
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Short-Term Rental Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Pinellas County handle short-term rental permits.