Walton County, FL Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)
Short-term rental permit rules in Walton County, FL, also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration, list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Key Facts
- Certificate required
- before renting as a short-term rental
- Renewal
- annual
- Scope
- one certificate per dwelling unit
- Governing law
- Walton County LDC § 1.13.16(A)
- Prerequisite
- executed compliance affidavit, § 1.13.16(C)
- Key exemption
- owner-occupied homesteaded units
Summary
Anyone renting a residential unit as a short-term vacation rental in unincorporated Walton County must first obtain a short-term vacation rental certificate and renew it annually, under LDC § 1.13.16(A), with a separate certificate required for every dwelling unit.
A.Short-Term Vacation Rental Certificate Required. To verify compliance with the short-term vacation rental standards contained within this Code, any property owner who wishes to rent a residential unit as a short-term vacation rental must first apply for and receive a short-term vacation rental certificate from Walton County and shall renew the certificate annually for as long as the unit is used as a short-term vacation rental. Each dwelling unit used as a short-term vacation rental requires a separate short-term vacation rental certificate. An annual certificate fee shall be paid for each dwelling unit certified as a short-term vacation rental, in an amount to be determined by resolution of the board of county commissioners, to cover the cost of administration and enforcement of the certificate program.
Full Breakdown
16(A) of the Land Development Code requires any property owner who wishes to rent a residential unit as a short-term vacation rental to first apply for and receive a short-term vacation rental certificate from Walton County before doing so, and to renew that certificate annually for as long as the unit continues operating as a short-term rental. The certificate is unit-specific: each dwelling unit used as a short-term vacation rental requires its own separate certificate, so an owner with multiple units cannot rely on one certificate covering a whole property.
An annual certificate fee, set by resolution of the Board of County Commissioners, is charged per certified dwelling unit to cover the cost of administering and enforcing the certificate program. S. Ch. 509 and Florida Administrative Code Rules 61C and 69A. S. Ch. S. Chs. 719 and 720 that instead apply for a single community certificate, certain owner-occupied common-ownership attached dwellings, and multifamily developments under common management. 16(H).
Violations & Fines
Renting a residential unit as a short-term vacation rental in unincorporated Walton County without first obtaining the required certificate violates LDC § 1.13.16(A), enforced under the progressive program in subsection H: warnings with a correction/compliance period for first-time violations, which may include notice to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, the Department of Revenue, and county tax officials, escalating to civil citations under F.S. Ch. 162 with fines set by Board resolution for repeat violations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to run a short-term rental in unincorporated Walton County?
Does one certificate cover multiple rental units I own?
Is my owner-occupied home exempt from the certificate requirement?
What must I sign before getting my first certificate?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Walton County
How Walton County compares: Most Airbnb-Friendly Cities in America·Florida rules heatmap·Compare Walton County to another location·View the Florida short-term rentals overview
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