LicensedRental

St. Lucie County, Florida

Fort Pierce, FL vacation rental requirements

Fort Pierce requires a yearly rental unit registration for every vacation and short-term rental: $350 to start and $200 a year to renew, with a site sketch and interior sketch, a city business tax receipt, and a responsible person who answers calls within one hour.

Checked against official sources November 4, 2026

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City registration
$350, then $200 a year
Renews on the anniversary of your first registration. A new owner needs a new registration.Source
Covers
Every rental under six months
Vacation rentals (under 30 days) and short-term rentals (one to six months), houses and condos alike.Source
Maximum occupancy
1 person per 200 sq ft
Of air-conditioned space, counting everyone over age five.Source
Responsible person
Answers within 1 hour
Three missed one-hour responses in 12 months bars them from managing the unit for a year.Source

Fines for an owner can reach $5,000 per violation, and guests can be cited directly. The code doesn’t say whether the city inspects before registering a rental; ask the City Clerk.

Your licensing checklist

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

State of Florida

  1. Get the DBPR vacation rental license

    Apply online to the Division of Hotels and Restaurants as a Vacation Rental – Condominium or Vacation Rental – Dwelling, listing every unit address. Approval usually takes one to two business days and the license is emailed. There is no inspection before it’s issued, but DBPR can inspect afterward. Post the license (or a copy) in the unit.Source

    DBPR vacation rental licensing guide →

  2. Renew every year by your district’s date

    Licenses renew on a set date for each DBPR district. Brevard, Volusia, Indian River, St. Lucie, Orange, Osceola, Lake, and Seminole (District 4) renew April 1, with the half-year rate from October 1. Duval, Nassau, Clay, Flagler, St. Johns, Levy, Alachua, Marion, and the rest of District 5 renew June 1, with the half-year rate from December 1. Bay, Walton, Okaloosa, Escambia, Santa Rosa, Gulf, Franklin, and the rest of District 6 also renew June 1. Martin, Palm Beach, and Broward (District 2) renew December 1, with the half-year rate from June 1. Miami-Dade and Monroe (District 1) renew October 1, with the half-year rate from April 1. Collier, Lee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Manatee, and the rest of District 7 renew December 1, with the half-year rate from June 1. Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Polk, Hernando, Citrus, and the rest of District 3 renew February 1, with the half-year rate from August 1. If you won’t rent until after the next renewal date, waiting to apply can save paying twice.Source

  3. Register for Florida sales tax if you collect rent yourself

    Whoever receives the rent collects and pays the tax. Airbnb and VRBO collect Florida’s 6% tax and the county surtax on bookings made through them, so if every booking goes through them you don’t need your own sales tax account. If you take direct bookings, or a property manager collects rent for you, you or the manager register with the Department of Revenue and file. You stay responsible if a platform or manager doesn’t pay it.Source

    Florida Department of Revenue →

  4. Meet the state fire safety rule

    Florida Administrative Code 69A-43.018 asks rental homes for smoke alarms powered by the house wiring plus one in every bedroom, NFPA 10 extinguishers, one hour of battery emergency lighting to the main exit, a posted floor diagram showing the primary and secondary exits, and fire safety information for guests.Source

    Florida rental fire safety checklist (FireEscapePlan.com) →

  5. Balcony inspection for taller buildings

    Buildings three or more stories tall must file a Certificate of Balcony Inspection with DBPR every three years. Condo units are exempt when the balconies and stairs are common elements and you give DBPR proof.Source

  6. Keep up the state operating rules

    Keep the unit clean, safe, and free of pests; change sheets and pillowcases between guests or weekly; use cribs that meet federal safety standards; and sanitize dishes between guests or post DBPR’s exception notice.Source

  7. Then the county and town

    Most rules that affect day-to-day operation, like registration, inspections, occupancy, and parking, are set by the county and the town. Pick your town for its full checklist.

St. Lucie County, Florida

  1. Open a tourist tax account, even if you only use Airbnb or Vrbo

    Get a Florida sales tax number from the Department of Revenue first, then create a TouristExpress account with the Tax Collector and apply for a tourist tax account. File every month by the 20th. Filing on time online earns a 2.5% collection allowance, up to $30.Source

    TouristExpress (St. Lucie Tax Collector) →

  2. Ask about a business tax receipt

    Ask the Tax Collector whether your rental needs a county business tax receipt. Fort Pierce also requires its own city receipt.

  3. Know which rules cover you

    Fort Pierce (including its part of Hutchinson Island) and St. Lucie Village run rental registrations. Port St. Lucie and the unincorporated county, including the county side of Hutchinson Island, have no rental registration, so the state license, tax accounts, and your condo or HOA rules apply.

  4. Then your town

    Pick your town for its full checklist.

City of Fort Pierce

  1. Get the state license, tax accounts, and business tax receipts

    The application asks for your DBPR license number, Florida sales tax number, St. Lucie County tourist tax account number, and any county business tax receipt. You also need a City of Fort Pierce business tax receipt.Source

  2. Draw the site and interior sketches

    The application needs an exterior site sketch (with the location of your parking spaces) and an interior building sketch showing all bedrooms, fire extinguishers, smoke and CO alarms, the ways in and out, and living spaces.Source

  3. Meet the safety standards

    Working smoke and CO alarms; a 2A:10B:C extinguisher on the wall of each floor; lit, clear halls and stairways with rails and an unobstructed path to the exit; a pool, spa, or hot tub that meets the state pool safety act; and a working phone (landline or cell) that can call 911.Source

  4. Apply to the City Clerk

    Submit the owner and responsible person details (with a 24-hour phone), the unit’s address and phone, the property appraiser profile, the parcel number, property type, maximum occupancy, parking count and locations, both sketches, your license and tax numbers, and the fee. The city decides within 30 days.Source

  5. Put the registration details in every ad

    Every listing must show the city registration number, the city business tax receipt number, the maximum occupancy, and the maximum parking, plus a link to the city’s good neighbor brochure.Source

  6. Ask guests about sex offender status

    At booking, ask whether any guest is a registered sexual offender. If one is, notify the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office within 24 hours.Source

  7. Renew every year

    Renew on the anniversary of your first registration with a renewal form, your current state licenses, updated responsible person details, and the fee. Adding occupancy or changing parking or management needs an amended registration.Source

City registration fees

$350 the first year and $200 a year after that, plus the city business tax receipt.

Initial rental unit registration$350
Annual renewalOnly if the unit was registered for the full previous 12 months.$200

In effect since July 1, 2023. Source

Inspection checklist

What the inspector looks for, from City of Fort Pierce’s published checklist.

  • Smoke and CO alarmsWorking alarms per the Florida Building Code, including R315 for carbon monoxide.Source
  • Fire extinguishersA 2A:10B:C extinguisher on the wall of each floor, in a common area or a marked enclosed space, maintained per NFPA 10.Source
  • Exits and stairsHalls and stairways clean and lit, rails on all stairs, and a clear path from anywhere to the exit.Source
  • PhoneA landline or cell phone in the unit that can call 911.Source
  • Posted information within 10 feet of the front doorResponsible person’s name, address, and phone; maximum occupancy; maximum vehicles with a parking sketch; trash days; nearest hospital and police station; copies of the city registration, business tax receipt, the rental ordinance, and the current rental agreement.Source

House rules for guests

Occupancy
1 person per 200 sq ft
Of air-conditioned space; 1 per 150 sq ft of the rented room if you rent only rooms.Source
Parking
Marked on-site spaces only
No overnight street parking, nothing on grass. Condos use their assigned spaces.Source
Trash
Out after 6 p.m. the day before
Back from the curb by 6 p.m. on pickup day, in city-approved carts.Source
Events
No commercial events
Source
Hurricanes
Leave on an evacuation order
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.