Tarpon Springs, Florida

Short-term rentals are legal in Tarpon Springs but tightly zoned. A permit is required: operators need a Florida DBPR transient public lodging license, a City of Tarpon Springs Business Tax Receipt, and, depending on the zoning district, a Tourist Home/Seasonal Rental permit or Conditional Use approval, per StaySTRA’s area profile (last updated July 15, 2026).

Zoning is the key local constraint: rentals of six weeks or less (‘tourist homes’) are permitted by right only in the Resort Residential district, and require Conditional Use approval through a public hearing in the RM, RO, WDI-B, and WDI districts; under the city’s SmartCode, they are allowed by right in T4c and by Conditional Use in several other T4/T5/SD transect zones. Tourist homes must be single-family detached dwellings and cannot sit within 1,200 feet of another approved tourist home, which deliberately limits density. Occupancy is capped at roughly two persons per bedroom plus two more in a common area, not to exceed ten guests total.

There is no owner-occupancy requirement and no primary-residence requirement, and no annual night cap at the city level. Guests pay a combined 13% transient tax on stays of six months or less: 6% Florida state sales tax, a 1% Pinellas discretionary surtax, and the 6% Pinellas County Tourist Development Tax. Enforcement is characterized as moderate. Note that Pinellas County’s newer, stricter unincorporated-area STR ordinance (Certificate of Use, inspections, $500/day fines) does not directly apply to the incorporated City of Tarpon Springs, though it reflects a countywide enforcement-tightening trend. Investors should verify a specific address’s zoning eligibility with Planning & Zoning before purchasing.