Monroeville, AL vacation rental requirements

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 →

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

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

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

Then your county and city

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

Register for the county lodgings tax

Open a local tax account with Avenu Insights for the 4% county tax.Source

Then your city

Monroeville has its own license, permit, and safety rules. Pick your area.

Get the business license and permit

Apply for a business license as a short-term residential rental (NAICS 721199) and pay $20 a year for each unit. Give the owner, any manager, a local contact with a 24-hour phone, the address, every platform you list on, and an affidavit that no lodging tax is owed. A separate manager needs a city license too.Source

Pass the fire inspection

Get the fire official’s approval the first year and sign a safety affidavit each year after; each unit is inspected every three years. You need a serviced, mounted fire extinguisher in the kitchen, smoke alarms in every bedroom and the hallway outside, and CO alarms where codes require.Source

Register for lodgings tax

Total lodgings tax here is 14% (6% city, 4% county, 4% state). The city 6% (3% in the police jurisdiction) is filed with the state; the county 4% with Avenu Insights. The state 4% goes through My Alabama Taxes; Airbnb collects it on its bookings. Ask your platform whether it also collects the local taxes, and file anything it doesn’t by the 20th of each month.Source

Follow the operating rules

Park all guest vehicles on site, keep trash out of view, post the contact placard inside, and answer complaints within a reasonable time. Report ownership or manager changes to the City Clerk within 15 days.Source

File the annual report

Each year, report your bookings, listings, operator information, and year-to-date platform revenue to the Revenue Officer at City Hall.Source