Fort Lauderdale requires every vacation rental (transient stays of 30 days or less) to register annually with the City under Code Chapter 15, Article X (Sections 15-271 through 15-278) and pass a life-safety inspection before a Certificate of Compliance is issued through LauderBuild.
Vacation rentals are governed by Fort Lauderdale Code Chapter 15, Article X (Ord. C-15-29, eff. November 1, 2015), defined as a residential unit rented to transient occupants more than three times in a calendar year for periods of less than 30 days or one calendar month, whichever is less. Section 15-272 requires registration before any rental activity. Owners must first hold a Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) Transient Public Lodging license under FS 509.241, a Florida Department of Revenue Certificate of Registration, a Broward County Local Business Tax Receipt, and a Broward County Tourist Development Tax (TDT) account. Annual registration runs through LauderBuild and expires September 30 (renew by August 1). Owners must designate a 24/7 Responsible Party who lives within 25 air miles of the property. Inspection confirms compliance with Section 15-278 standards.
Operating an unregistered vacation rental is a code violation enforceable by Community Enhancement and Compliance with daily Special Magistrate fines, plus state DBPR penalties under FS 509.241 for operating without a Transient Public Lodging license.
See how other cities in Broward County handle registration rules.
See how Fort Lauderdale's registration rules rules stack up against other locations.
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