Palm Coast, FL Short-Term Rentals: Taxes & Fees (2026)
Key Facts
- City application fee
- Set by City Council resolution
- County tax proof required
- Flagler County business tax receipt
- State tax proof required
- FL Dept. of Revenue tourist development tax cert.
- State license required
- DBPR transient public lodging license
- Renewal term
- Annual, 12 months
Summary
Registering a short-term vacation rental in Palm Coast costs a City Council-set application fee on top of proving compliance with county and state lodging taxes. Sec. 17-68(a)(4) through (7) requires a Flagler County business tax receipt, a Florida Department of Revenue tourist development tax registration certificate, a DBPR transient lodging license, and the city's own application fee before the city will issue a certificate.
(4)Obtain a business tax receipt from Flagler County Tax Collector;(5)A copy of the Florida Department of Revenue certificate of registration for payment of tourist development taxes;(6)Obtaining a Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation license as a transient public lodging establishment; and(7)The required application fee, in an amount established by resolution of the City Council of the City of Palm Coast; and
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 44 | Land Development Code: Supplement 18).
Full Breakdown
Money is part of the short-term vacation rental application under Sec. 17-68(a). ch. 125. Paragraph (6) separately requires a Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation license as a transient public lodging establishment. On top of those state and county requirements, paragraph (7) requires 'the required application fee, in an amount established by resolution of the City Council of the City of Palm Coast' before the city will process the registration. The certificate must be renewed annually (Sec. 17-69(a)), and a renewal application and its fee are due before the prior registration expires; Sec.
17-69(b) blocks renewal outright if the property carries pending violations, fines or liens from the prior registration period until those are paid or corrected. Because the tourist development tax and the DBPR license are state- and county-administered, Palm Coast does not set or collect a hotel occupancy tax rate itself: the city's role is limited to confirming, as a condition of its own local registration, that the operator is already registered to pay those taxes elsewhere.
Violations & Fines
Operating without the paid city application fee, or without proof of the county tourist development tax registration and DBPR license required by Sec. 17-68(a)(4) through (6), makes the rental noncompliant with Article V and triggers the warning-then-citation process of Sec. 17-74 and 17-75. A registration also cannot be renewed while fees, fines or liens tied to a prior violation remain outstanding, per Sec. 17-69(b).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Palm Coast charge a fee to register a short-term rental?
Do I pay hotel tax directly to the City of Palm Coast?
What proof of tax compliance does Palm Coast require for a short-term rental?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Palm Coast
How Palm Coast compares: Cities with the Highest Short-Term Rental Taxes·Florida rules heatmap·Compare Palm Coast to another location·View the Florida short-term rentals overview
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