LicensedRental

County rules

St. Johns County, FL vacation rental rules and taxes

St. Johns County adds a 5% tourist tax, filed monthly with the Tax Collector, and requires a county business tax receipt for every rental. The county, St. Augustine, and St. Augustine Beach each set their own rental rules.

Checked against official sources November 3, 2026
Tourist development tax
5%
On stays of six months or less, on top of 6.5% state sales tax (6% plus the 0.5% county surtax). Raised from 4% on October 1, 2021.Source
Who files
All owners and agents
The Tax Collector requires every rental to register. Airbnb and Vrbo don’t list St. Johns among the counties whose tourist tax they collect.Source
Filed with
St. Johns County Tax Collector
Monthly, due the 1st and late after the 20th. File even when you owe nothing.Source
County business tax receipt
Required
From the Tax Collector, along with a Florida sales tax number.Source

What to do

  1. Register for the tourist tax

    Get a Florida sales tax number from the Department of Revenue, a county business tax receipt, and fill out the Tax Collector’s tourist development tax application. File a return every month by the 20th, including months with no rentals. Filing correctly and on time earns a 2.5% collection allowance, up to $30.Source

    Tourist development tax application (PDF) →

  2. Ask whether your platform covers the county tax

    Airbnb’s and Vrbo’s own tax pages don’t name St. Johns County, and the Tax Collector says every owner or agent collects and remits. Plan to file it yourself unless the Tax Collector tells you a platform remits for you.Source

  3. Know which rules cover you

    St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach run their own programs. Outside city limits and east of the Intracoastal Waterway (Ponte Vedra Beach, Vilano Beach, Crescent Beach, Butler Beach), the county’s short-term vacation rental registration applies. West of the Intracoastal, including Hastings, there is no county registration.Source

  4. Then your town

    Pick your town for its full checklist.

Towns

Full guide

St. Augustine

St. Augustine requires a yearly registration for every short-term rental, with a site plan, a floor plan, and an annual fire inspection. Nightly rentals are allowed in most districts, but stays must be a week or longer in RS-1 and RS-2 and a month or longer in HP-1.

Full guide

St. Augustine Beach

St. Augustine Beach bans stays of 30 days or less in low-density residential zoning. In medium-density zoning, up to 100 rentals are allowed citywide with a city business tax receipt, a local contact, and a yearly rental report.

Full guide

Unincorporated St. Johns

East of the Intracoastal Waterway, rentals outside city limits must register with the county every 12 months: 10 guests at most (children 12 and under don’t count), off-street parking, and a posted information page. Condos with an association or on-site management are exempt.

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.