LicensedRental

Baldwin County, Alabama

Gulf Shores, AL vacation rental requirements

Gulf Shores requires a rental business license for short-term rentals in the city and its police jurisdiction: the gross-receipts license fee (from $135) plus $45 a year per vacation rental, a local emergency contact, and a rental safety inspection every three years. Lodgings tax is 16% in the city (10% city, 4% state, 2% county) and 11% in the police jurisdiction.

Checked against official sources November 5, 2026

Download checklist (PDF)Free. A printable version of this guide to tick off, with the official sources.

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City license
Rental business license + $45/unit
Gross-receipts fee from $135 (Resolution 7067-25, December 2025).Source
Safety inspection
Every 3 years
Fire Marshal or building inspection.Source
Lodgings tax
16% in the city
10% city + 4% state + 2% county; 11% in the police jurisdiction. On rent, cleaning, and parking fees.Source
Local contact
Required

The city rewrote its business license chapter in December 2025 (Ordinance 2186), and the sections its rental page cites now show as reserved in the online code. Ask the city where the inspection and contact rules now live.

Your licensing checklist

In order: the state, the county, then the town.

State of Alabama

  1. Register for the lodgings tax

    Create an account at My Alabama Taxes (MAT) and register for state lodgings tax, plus any local lodgings taxes the state administers for your county and city. Cities that collect their own tax need a separate account with the city.Source

    My Alabama Taxes →

  2. File by the 20th

    Returns are due by the 20th of the following month. Small filers can ask (before February 20) to file quarterly, twice a year, or yearly. Paying on time earns a small discount (5% of the first $100 of tax, 2% after).Source

  3. Know what the platform collects

    Under Act 2024-334, Airbnb, VRBO, and other booking platforms collect the state and local lodgings taxes on their bookings unless your contract says you remit. You still owe tax on direct bookings, and the law adds a yearly report of every unit rented more than 14 days.Source

  4. Keep filing once you register

    If every booking goes through a platform that collects all your state and local lodgings taxes, you may not need your own account. But if you take direct bookings, or the platform doesn’t collect one of your local taxes (often the ones filed with a city, a county, or Avenu), register and file it yourself. Once registered, file every period, even a $0 return, and report platform-collected sales as a deduction. Some county offices ask owners to keep their own account and file monthly even when the platform pays, so ask yours.Source

  5. Then your county and city

    Local business licenses, rental permits, and zoning rules are where Alabama towns differ most. Pick your area.

Baldwin County, Alabama

  1. Check the lodging tax district

    If your rental is in Gulf Shores, on the Fort Morgan peninsula, or in an area that opted in, add the 2% county lodging tax (filed with the state through My Alabama Taxes).Source

  2. Then your city

    City rules differ a lot. Pick your area.

City of Gulf Shores

  1. Register for lodgings tax

    Total lodgings tax here is 16% (11% in the police jurisdiction). The city’s 10% is filed with the city; the state 4% and county 2% go through My Alabama Taxes. Airbnb collects the state tax and the local taxes the state administers on its bookings; for taxes filed with a city, county, or Avenu, ask your platform whether it collects them. For direct bookings, file everything yourself by the 20th of each month.Source

  2. Apply for the rental business license

    Apply with the Revenue Division. Planning and Zoning reviews the application, then the Fire Marshal or Building Department inspects. Designate a local emergency contact.Source

    Gulf Shores rental license →

  3. Pass the safety inspection every three years

    Schedule it with the Building Department (251-968-1142).Source

Sources

A plain-language summary to help you prepare, not legal advice. Rules and fees change; confirm with the office before you apply. Spot something out of date? Email hello@licensedrental.com.