Mobile, AL Short-Term Rentals: Taxes & Fees (2026)
Key Facts
- City STR tax rate
- 10% of rental charge
- Police jurisdiction rate
- 5% of rental charge
- Named coverage
- "short-term rental" named in § 34-101
- Filing deadline
- 20th of following month
Summary
Short-term rentals in Mobile are explicitly taxed the same as hotels: 10 percent of the rental charge inside city limits under Sec. 34-101, or 5 percent in the police jurisdiction under Sec. 34-102.
...to transients in any hotel, motel, inn, short-term rental, bed & breakfast, tourist camp, tourist cabin, or any other place in which rooms, lodgings, or accommodations are regularly furnished to transients for a consideration. The tax shall be in an amount equal to ten (10) percent of the charge for such room...within the city" (Sec. 34-101) — "...an amount equal to five (5) percent of the charge for such room, rooms, lodgings, or accommodations within the police jurisdiction" (Sec. 34-102).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 67).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 34-101 names "short-term rental" by name among the lodging types subject to Mobile's lodgings tax, alongside hotels, motels, inns, and bed & breakfasts; the tax reaches 10 percent of the rental charge, including any personal property or services bundled with the stay, for units inside the city limits. Sec. 34-102 applies the same tax scheme at half that rate, 5 percent, to short-term rentals operating in the city's police jurisdiction outside the corporate limits. Operators must file a monthly report with the Revenue Department and remit the tax by the 20th of the following month under Sec. 34-104, and non-payment carries interest plus the criminal penalties in Sec. 34-105.
Violations & Fines
Failing to collect and remit the lodgings tax exposes a short-term rental operator to state-law interest and criminal penalties: a $100 fine for a first offense, up to $500 and six months in jail for a second within a year (Sec. 34-105).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Mobile's lodgings tax apply to Airbnb-style rentals?
Is the short-term rental tax lower outside the city limits?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mobile
How Mobile compares: Cities with the Highest Short-Term Rental Taxes·Compare Mobile to another location·View the Alabama short-term rentals overview
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