Short Term and Vacation Rentals

Short term and vacation rentals (STRs) have become extremely popular throughout the State of Florida. The ease in which a homeowner can rent their property utilizing websites such as VRBO.com and Homeaway.com has helped spur this growth and popularity. However, prior to deciding to rent your property for less than 6 months, there are several factors that must be considered as well as associated fees and permits.

The City Commission adopted Ordinance 21-019 on July 19, 2021 with an effective date of August 3, 2021, which establishes standards, regulations and enforcement for short term and vacation rentals within the City of Fort Pierce. Please take a moment to fully review the requirements and standards established by the City Commission. In addition to the standards and regulations, the City Commission established an annual fee of $600.00 per unit via Resolution 21-R36. The conditional use zoning process for dwelling rentals was eliminated by the Commission on August 2, 2021 via Ordinance 21-020.  

All STR registrations are required to be complete by September 30, 2021 in order to remain compliant with City Code. If you received a prior zoning approval via the conditional use process, you are still required to register your STR with the City and remit the registration fee pursuant to Chapter 22, Article X of the Code of Ordinances. The Good Neighbor Brochure described in the ordinance can be found below.

Vacation rentals less than 30 days require a Business Tax Receipt issued by the City of Fort Pierce in addition to the registration process. Any short term rental greater than 30 days but less than six months require only the registration process.

Please be aware that the City will be increasing its enforcement efforts to identify STRs that have not registered with the City.