Niceville, Florida

Short-term rentals are legal in Niceville. Florida law (Chapter 509, administered by the DBPR) treats vacation rentals as public lodging establishments, so any whole-unit rental of 30 days or less, offered more than three times a year, needs a state DBPR vacation rental license, renewed annually. Operators must also register for and collect Okaloosa County’s 6% Tourist Development Tax plus Florida’s 6% state sales tax, 12% total, on stays under six months, remitted monthly to the Okaloosa County Clerk of Courts. No Niceville-specific STR permit, cap on rental nights, or owner-occupancy or primary-residence requirement was found. Florida generally preempts cities from banning rentals or limiting stay duration or frequency, unless a local ordinance was grandfathered in before June 2011, and no such Niceville ordinance was identified. Local rules are limited to standard code-compliance matters such as noise, parking, trash, and occupancy safety. Enforcement is rated minimal, consistent with Niceville’s character as a residential, military-adjacent inland bay town rather than a beach-rental hotspot, though state licensing and county tax compliance are actively administered. Niceville’s Code of Ordinances was recodified via Resolution 25-07-02, adopted July 8, 2025, but no new short-term-rental-specific provisions were identified in that update. Investors should confirm current DBPR license fees and check for any HOA or subdivision deed restrictions, which can be stricter than city code.