--- title: "Mid-Term Rentals in Florida: The 30-Day Line Explained" description: "How furnished stays of 30 days or more work in Florida: the state lodging definition, city 30-day rules, and the taxes still due up to six months." url: https://floridahosts.com/resources/mid-term-rentals-in-florida/ --- ![Light-filled condo living room with a white sofa, ceiling fan and balcony doors — vacation rental photography](/images/vacation-rental-photography.webp) Mid-Term & Long-Term # Mid-Term Rentals in Florida: The 30-Day Line Explained How furnished stays of 30 days or more work in Florida: the state lodging definition, city 30-day rules, and the taxes still due up to six months. 10,000+ guest reviews since 2016 · [Call (321) 321-2348](tel:+13213212348) Free rental projection — about a minute Free, no obligation. Prefer to talk? Call [(321) 321-2348](tel:+13213212348). By the Florida Hosts team · October 13, 2026 · Mid-Term & Long-Term A mid-term rental is a furnished home rented for 30 days or more at a time. In Florida that number matters because state lodging law and many city codes draw their short-term line at 30 days or one calendar month, so a monthly stay is often the legal route where nightly rentals are not allowed. Taxes follow a different line, six months, which means most mid-term stays still owe state sales tax and the county tourist tax. ## What counts as a mid-term rental under Florida law? Florida law never uses the phrase “mid-term.” It sorts lodging into transient and nontransient. A [transient public lodging establishment](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0500-0599%2F0509%2FSections%2F0509.013.html) is a unit “rented to guests more than three times in a calendar year for periods of less than 30 consecutive days,” or advertised as regularly rented for those periods. That is the definition behind the state’s vacation rental license. The same section, §509.013(4)(b)4, then excludes a condo, co-op or timeshare unit, or a house of one to four units, that is “rented for periods of at least 30 days or 1 calendar month, whichever is less,” and is not advertised as regularly rented for less than a month, “provided that no more than four rental units within a single complex of buildings are available for rent.” A home that meets all three conditions sits outside the public lodging definition entirely. The [DBPR’s own licensing guide](https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/hotels-restaurants/licensing/vrtsp-guide/) applies the same test: a whole unit needs a license when it is rented more than three times a year for less than 30 days, or held out to the public as regularly rented to guests. Advertising is the condition owners trip over. A listing that also offers weekend stays is holding the home out as transient, even if most bookings run a month. ## Why does the 30-day line open doors in so many cities? Florida limits what local governments can do to vacation rentals. Under [§509.032(7)(b)](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0500-0599%2F0509%2FSections%2F0509.032.html), a local law “may not prohibit vacation rentals or regulate the duration or frequency of rental of vacation rentals,” except a local law adopted on or before June 1, 2011. Cities with older rules, and cities whose zoning codes separate residential use from transient use, still have real limits on short stays. Those limits are usually written around 30 days or a calendar month. Three examples from the codes behind our city pages: - [Kissimmee](/kissimmee/): City Code [§14-6-44](https://library.municode.com/fl/kissimmee/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIIILADECO_CH14-6STACTEOTUS_PTIIISTSPUS_14-6-44SHRMRETIARDW) says “the rental of a dwelling for less than 30 days in a residential district is prohibited,” except for homes approved for short-term use inside the city’s Short-Term Rental Overlay. - [Clearwater](/clearwater/): the Community Development Code’s [definitions in §8-102](https://library.municode.com/fl/clearwater/codes/community_development_code?nodeId=PTICODECO_ART8DERUCO_S8-102DE) say a residential use on residentially zoned property “shall not include rentals for periods of less than 31 days or one calendar month, whichever is less.” - [Key West](/key-west/): City Code [§18-601](https://library.municode.com/fl/key_west/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=SPAGEOR_CH18BU_ARTXITRRE_DIV2REPR_S18-601LIRE) makes it unlawful to lease a residential property “for a period of less than 30 days or one calendar month” without a city transient business tax receipt. That rule comes from an ordinance adopted February 20, 2002. In each case, a furnished stay that runs at least the code’s minimum falls outside the short-term restriction. Other rules can still apply, such as rental registration, occupancy limits or parking, so read your own city’s page in [our areas list](/areas-we-serve/) before you list. ## Can a condo or HOA require more than 30 days? Yes. The state’s preemption in §509.032(7)(b) speaks to a “local law, ordinance, or regulation,” and association documents are a separate layer with their own statutes. For homeowners’ associations, [§720.306(1)(h)2](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799%2F0720%2FSections%2F0720.306.html) lets an association amend its documents to “prohibit or regulate rental agreements for a term of less than 6 months” and to bar renting a parcel more than three times a year, and those amendments bind every owner. Condominiums work differently. Under [§718.110(13)](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799%2F0718%2FSections%2F0718.110.html), an amendment that prohibits rentals or alters the rental term applies only to owners who consent and to owners who buy after it takes effect. That makes the declaration in force when you bought, and any later amendments you agreed to, the documents that decide your minimum stay. ## Do mid-term stays still owe sales tax and tourist tax? Usually yes, because the tax line is six months, not 30 days. [§212.03(1)(a)](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0200-0299%2F0212%2FSections%2F0212.03.html) levies 6% on rent for living quarters, and the exemption goes only to a person who “exclusively enters into a bona fide written agreement for continuous residence for longer than 6 months.” The Department of Revenue’s brochure [GT-800034](https://www.floridarevenue.com/Forms_library/current/brochure/gt800034.pdf) says the 6% state tax, plus any discretionary sales surtax, applies to “rental periods of six months or less,” and lists single-family homes, condo units and apartments among its examples. Counties follow the same line. [§125.0104(3)(a)1](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0100-0199%2F0125%2FSections%2F0125.0104.html) makes rentals “for a term of 6 months or less” subject to the county tourist development tax. Each county’s rate, and whether you pay it to the county or to the state, is on the DOR’s form [DR-15TDT](https://floridarevenue.com/Forms_library/current/dr15tdt.pdf); surtax rates are on [DR-15DSS](https://floridarevenue.com/Forms_library/current/dr15dss_26.pdf). GT-800034 lists three exemptions that come up with mid-term guests: - A full-time student at a postsecondary institution who gives you a written statement from the school confirming full-time attendance. - Active-duty military personnel present under official orders who give you a copy of the orders. - A guest who has stayed continuously for more than six months and paid tax on the first six is exempt from the seventh month on. Anyone who rents transient accommodations must register with the DOR, and so must anyone who collects the rent on the owner’s behalf, according to the same brochure. ## Who books furnished stays of a month or more? Mid-term guests need a working home rather than a vacation base. In Florida they tend to be traveling healthcare professionals on contract, people relocating for a job or between houses, families placed in temporary housing by their insurer after a fire, flood or storm, and seasonal winter residents. Our guide to [seasonal and snowbird rentals](/resources/seasonal-snowbird-rentals-florida/) covers the winter market in detail. What these guests share is a need for a full kitchen, laundry, reliable internet, a workspace and a straightforward written agreement. A home set up for weekend groups often needs some changes to suit them. ## What paperwork changes for a monthly stay? Write the stay down. Chapter 83, the [Florida Residential Landlord and Tenant Act](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0000-0099%2F0083%2FSections%2F0083.42.html), excludes “transient occupancy in a hotel, condominium, motel, roominghouse, or similar public lodging,” and [§83.43(18)](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0000-0099%2F0083%2FSections%2F0083.43.html) defines transient occupancy as occupancy the parties intend to be temporary. Whether a given monthly stay is inside or outside Chapter 83 depends on the facts, so the safer setup treats it as if the Act applies: deposits held the way [§83.49](/resources/florida-security-deposit-rules/) requires, and written notices. Two disclosures are triggered by length of stay: - Radon. Florida requires a radon statement on a document signed at or before a rental agreement, but [§404.056(5)](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0400-0499%2F0404%2FSections%2F0404.056.html) exempts transient occupancy of 45 days or less. Stays longer than that need it. - Lead paint. For homes built before 1978, the federal disclosure rule exempts only [leases of 100 days or less](https://www.epa.gov/lead/real-estate-disclosure) that cannot be renewed or extended. A longer stay needs the EPA pamphlet and disclosure. ## How Florida Hosts helps Florida Hosts runs [mid-term rental management](/services/mid-term-rental-management/) alongside short-term and long-term management. The leasing for mid-term and long-term stays is done with licensed brokers. Our own cleaning and maintenance staff look after the home between and during stays, and guests can reach us 24/7. We also help with the licensing and registration side: checking whether a DBPR license is needed, local registration, and the DOR and county tax accounts. If you are weighing monthly against nightly stays, a [free rental projection](/rental-projection/) compares both for your address, sent within one business day. This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice; confirm your situation with the Department of Revenue, your county and city, or a Florida attorney or tax professional. FH Written by the Florida Hosts team We're a vacation rental management company working across Florida. We manage 350+ homes, have earned 10,000+ guest reviews, and bring 10 years of hands-on hosting experience to every guide we publish. [More about Florida Hosts →](/about/) Questions about your specific property? Talk to a real person on our team — straight answers, no scripts. [Call (321) 321-2348](tel:+13213212348) [Get a free projection](/rental-projection/) Free projection · about a minute ## What could your property earn? Tell us about it and we'll build a free, comps-based projection — a real person, not an algorithm, back to you within one business day. Free, no obligation. Prefer to talk? [Call (321) 321-2348](tel:+13213212348) Common Questions ## Frequently Asked Questions Does a 30-day furnished rental need a DBPR vacation rental license in Florida? Usually not. Florida's lodging law excludes a condo unit or a house of up to four units rented for at least 30 days or one calendar month, whichever is less, as long as it is not advertised as regularly rented for shorter stays and no more than four rental units in the same complex are available for rent. If any of those conditions fails, the license question comes back. Do I charge sales tax on a two-month furnished rental in Florida? Yes. Florida's 6% state tax applies to rentals of six months or less, plus any county discretionary sales surtax, and counties levy their tourist development tax on the same six-month line. Only a bona fide written agreement for continuous residence longer than six months takes the stay out of the state tax. Can I rent monthly in a city that bans short-term rentals? Often, yes, because many local rules draw their line at 30 days or one calendar month. Kissimmee, Key West and Clearwater use a 30-day, one-month or 31-day test in their codes. Your condo or HOA documents can still set a longer minimum, so check those too. Who rents furnished homes for one to six months? Mostly people who need a real home for a while but not a year: traveling healthcare professionals on contract, people relocating for a job, families placed by their insurer after a fire, flood or storm, and seasonal winter residents. Does Florida landlord-tenant law apply to a monthly furnished stay? It can. Chapter 83 excludes transient occupancy in hotels, condominiums and similar public lodging, and defines transient occupancy by whether the parties intended the stay to be temporary. Because that turns on the facts, set up deposits, notices and the written agreement as if Chapter 83 applies. Looking for more owner guides? [← Back to all resources](/resources/) [See our pricing](/pricing/) [Get my free projection](/rental-projection/) Related guides ## Keep reading [Mid-Term & Long-Term ### Florida Eviction Process: A Step-by-Step Guide for Owners How evictions work in Florida: the 3-day and 7-day notices in §83.56, filing in county court under §83.59, the rent deposit rule, and the sheriff's writ. Read the guide →](/resources/florida-eviction-process-for-owners/) [Mid-Term & Long-Term ### Florida Landlord-Tenant Law: The Basics for Rental Owners What Chapter 83 asks of Florida landlords: lease rules, required disclosures, repairs under §83.51, entry under §83.53, and the notices that end a tenancy. Read the guide →](/resources/florida-landlord-tenant-law-basics/) [Mid-Term & Long-Term ### Florida Security Deposit Rules for Landlords (§83.49) Florida's security deposit law in plain English: where the deposit must be held, the notice tenants get, and the 15-day and 30-day deadlines at move-out. Read the guide →](/resources/florida-security-deposit-rules/) ## See what your home could earn Get a free, no-obligation rental projection from people who actually manage homes in your neighborhood. [Get my free projection](/rental-projection/) [or call (321) 321-2348](tel:+13213212348) Free · comps-based · delivered within one business day.