Sarasota County does not require STRs to be an owner's primary residence. Instead, the UDC bans leases under 30 days in most residential zones, allowing true short-term rental only for barrier-island multi-family property.
There is no owner-occupancy or primary-residence mandate in unincorporated Sarasota County. The county's control on short-term use is duration-based: UDC Article 8, Section 124-131 generally prohibits leases of less than thirty days for single-family and multiple-family homes, except multiple-family (RMF) properties on the barrier islands (Siesta Key, Casey Key, Manasota Key). A homeowner anywhere in the county may rent a whole home for periods over 30 days regardless of where they live. Florida law would independently bar a local rule requiring primary residency for vacation rentals.
Renting a non-exempt property for under 30 days is a UDC violation enforced through citations and daily code-enforcement fines.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Sarasota County's primary-residence-only rule rules stack up against other locations.
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