Can you Airbnb a home in Belleair Beach, Belleair Shore, Belleair Bluffs or the Town of Belleair? Not by the night. Each town I could confirm sets a long minimum. Belleair Beach and Belleair Bluffs require at least three months in their residential rules. The Town of Belleair requires seven. Belleair Shore is a single-family town of private homes, and I found no rental rule it has posted. Plan on seasonal and long-term tenants in all four, not weekend guests.
Each town writes its own rules, so start by finding which one governs the parcel.
I'm a broker and an Airbnb Superhost, and I own and manage short-term and furnished rentals. I live in downtown St. Petersburg.
What this covers
- Which Belleair is the house in?
- Can you Airbnb in Belleair Beach?
- What about condos in Belleair Beach?
- Can you Airbnb in Belleair Shore?
- Can you Airbnb in Belleair Bluffs?
- Can you Airbnb in the Town of Belleair?
- Does Florida's vacation rental law change the answer?
- How are three-month and seven-month leases taxed?
- How many Belleair addresses hold a state rental license?
- What should buyers and sellers check in the Belleair towns?
Which Belleair is the house in?
Four separate governments carry the Belleair name. Two are on the Gulf beaches. Two are on the mainland across Clearwater Harbor.
| Town | Where it is | Shortest rental the town allows | Town registration | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belleair Beach | Gulf beach town, north of Belleair Shore | 3 months for single-family homes in RL district II | Yes, $300 a year | City rental registration form and code guide |
| Belleair Shore | One mile of Gulf beachfront between Belleair Beach and Indian Rocks Beach | No posted rule found; the whole town is one single-family zoning district | None found | Town history page |
| Belleair Bluffs | Mainland, along West Bay Drive and Indian Rocks Road | 3 months, and no more than 4 tenancies in 12 months | Yes, rental registration plus a business tax receipt | Ordinance 2011-04 and the city's comprehensive plan |
| Town of Belleair | Mainland, on Clearwater Harbor next to Belleair Bluffs | 7 months | Yes, $100 a year local business tax | Town business tax page and FAQ |
Mailing addresses blur the lines. Belleair Beach and Belleair Shore share ZIP 33786. In DBPR's license file, some Belleair Road addresses carry a Clearwater location. Check the parcel with the county's address lookup and the Pinellas County Property Appraiser before you read anything else.
Can you Airbnb in Belleair Beach?
No. In the single-family district, the city's floor is three months. The city's code enforcement guide quotes the rule: within RL district II, homes may be rented "for not less than a three-month occupancy period." An owner may not rent out part of a house as a separate unit. The owner must register the home at City Hall, and each new tenant must be registered at the start and end of the lease. Only one family unit may live in a dwelling at a time.
Registration carries a fee. The city's 2026 rental registration form sets a $300 annual fee for rented property in Residential Medium District I and Residential Low District II. The fee is due by December 31. An owner who has not registered or paid before January 31 owes another $100.
The council has also put its view on record. In Resolution 2020-01, adopted March 2, 2020, the council opposed two state vacation rental bills. The resolution says Belleair Beach has "no commercial zoning classifications," that most residents want the city "free of short-term vacation rentals," and that a city ordinance bars "short-term vacation rentals for less than a ninety-day duration."
What about condos in Belleair Beach?
Treat them the same until the city tells you otherwise in writing. The code text the city publishes names RL district II, the single-family district. The registration form also covers rented property in Residential Medium District I, where condos sit. The 2020 resolution describes the 90-day bar without naming districts.
I could not open the full zoning code, so I can't quote a separate condo rule. Ask the city clerk for a written answer on the unit. Then read the condo declaration and rules. An association can set its own lease minimum, and the unit has to meet both.
Can you Airbnb in Belleair Shore?
I could not find a town rule that answers it, so do not assume yes. The town's history page says Belleair Shore was formed in 1955 along one mile of beachfront with 57 properties. It quotes Sec. 46-101 of the town code, which declares the whole town "the single-family zoning district." The home page describes a community of private homes and says commercial and multifamily high-rise buildings are prohibited.
None of the ordinances the town posts as approved and effective deal with rental length. The full code is on Municode, which blocked my connection. Before you buy here for rental income, get the town's answer in writing.
Can you Airbnb in Belleair Bluffs?
No. Belleair Bluffs requires a three-month minimum lease. Ordinance 2011-04 created Article XXIX of the city's land development code. Sec. 102-216 says each tenant must lease for "a minimum three (3) month term," with no more than four separate tenancies in any 12 months. The copy posted in the code library is unsigned, so I used the city's newsletter for the date. The fall 2024 newsletter says the commission passed it in May 2011.
The article covers attached and detached dwellings, dwelling units and accessory dwellings. It does not apply to hotels, motels or resort condominiums. Owners must:
- Register each rental with the city and list an in-state address for the owner or agent and for each tenant.
- Name a local contact or management company in Pinellas, Pasco, Hillsborough or Manatee County.
- Get a business tax receipt before renting and renew it by October 1 each year.
- Inspect the property each year and file an affidavit with the city within 15 days.
- Tell the city in writing when the property is no longer rented.
A violation is a Class I offense under the county's uniform fine schedule, and each day counts as a new offense. The summer 2025 newsletter repeats the message: "No Airbnb, No VRBO No Private Daily Rentals!"
The city's comprehensive plan, effective July 21, 2025, backs this up. Policy 1.2.8 tells the city to keep enforcing the three-month minimum. The plan does allow short stays in one setting: a hotel. Policy 1.3.7 allows temporary lodging in the Commercial General category at up to 60 units an acre. Above 40 units an acre it needs a development agreement, a reservation system and a front desk.
Can you Airbnb in the Town of Belleair?
No, and the town has the longest minimum of the four. Its FAQ says short-term rentals, meaning anything under seven months, "are NOT permitted in Belleair per our Code of Ordinances."
The town's business tax page explains the rental side. Any owner who rents a house to a person or family must pay the local business tax. The yearly fee for a rental is $100, set by Resolution 2011-16. The owner files an application and a tenant information sheet. Renewals run July 1 through September 30. The page points to Ordinance 466 for the rest of the rental rules. I could not open that ordinance on an official site, so I am not quoting it here.
A seven-month minimum fits a snowbird season. A lease from November 1 through May 31 meets it. Weekly bookings do not.
Does Florida's vacation rental law change the answer?
Maybe for one town, and that is a legal question. Fla. Stat. 509.032(7)(b) says a local law "may not prohibit vacation rentals or regulate the duration or frequency of rental of vacation rentals." The same paragraph says it "does not apply to any local law, ordinance, or regulation adopted on or before June 1, 2011."
The adoption dates matter. Belleair Bluffs says it passed its rule in May 2011, before that cutoff. I could not confirm from an official source when Belleair Beach or the Town of Belleair first adopted their minimums. Belleair Shore has no posted rule to test. I am not offering a legal opinion. Ask a Florida land use attorney before you buy on the theory that a minimum is unenforceable.
How are three-month and seven-month leases taxed?
By lease length. Florida's 6% tax on rentals, in Fla. Stat. 212.03, does not apply to a bona fide written lease longer than six months for continuous residence. Pinellas County charges its six percent tourist development tax on homes rented for six months or less. The DR-15DSS rate table lists a 1% Pinellas surtax through December 31, 2029.
| Lease | 6% state tax | 6% county bed tax | DBPR vacation rental license |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 months (Belleair Beach, Belleair Bluffs) | Yes, six months or less | Yes, six months or less | Not by the stay test, which counts stays under 30 days or one calendar month |
| 7 months, bona fide written lease (Town of Belleair) | No | No | Not by the stay test |
Sources: Fla. Stat. 212.03, DR-15DSS, Pinellas tourist development tax, DBPR vacation rental guide.
The DBPR guide requires a license when a whole unit is rented more than three times a calendar year for less than 30 days or one calendar month, whichever is less. It also requires one when the unit is "advertised or held out to the public as a place regularly rented to guests." A license costs $50 to apply, a $10 education fee and $170 a year for one unit. DBPR adds that a licensed rental "may still be subject to city, county or other local authority jurisdiction."
A January to March lease in Belleair Beach owes the state tax and the bed tax. A seven-month lease in the Town of Belleair, signed in writing for continuous residence, owes neither. My Pinellas Airbnb tax guide covers how to register and file.
How many Belleair addresses hold a state rental license?
Dozens in Belleair Beach, most of them condos. On November 12, 2026, I downloaded DBPR's District 3 lodging file from its lodging public records page and filtered it to the four town names.
| Location city in the DBPR file | Vacation rental, condominium | Vacation rental, dwelling | Other lodging records |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belleair Beach | 48 (4 past their expiration date) | 12 (1 past its expiration date) | 1 motel |
| Belleair Bluffs | 1 | 3 (2 past their expiration date) | 9 nontransient apartment |
| Belleair | 1 | 0 | 1 hotel, 1 nontransient apartment |
| Belleair Shore | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Read these counts with care. DBPR records a location city that can follow the mailing address, and Belleair Beach and Belleair Shore share a ZIP code. Three of the Belleair Beach records use a ZIP code other than 33786. A state license shows that an owner registered with DBPR. It does not make short stays legal under a town's rules. For countywide license and tax data, see my Pinellas STR revenue and inventory report.
What should buyers and sellers check in the Belleair towns?
For a buyer, in this order:
- Name the government. Look up the parcel with the county tool and the property appraiser. Belleair Road and a Belleair mailing address prove nothing.
- Match the plan to the town. Belleair Beach and Belleair Bluffs support three-month seasonal leases. The Town of Belleair supports seven-month leases. Belleair Shore needs a written answer first.
- Read the condo or HOA documents. An association minimum can be longer than the town's.
- Ask the seller for the rental registration, business tax receipt and every lease from the last two years. Lease dates show whether the house followed the minimum.
- Price flood risk. Both beach towns and parts of Belleair Bluffs face the water, so read my Pinellas flood zone guide before you set a budget.
For a seller, market the house on the use the town allows. A Belleair Beach home with a clean record of registered three-month tenants can show that record. A Town of Belleair house with seven-month leases and a current business tax receipt can show both. My guide to selling an Airbnb in Pinellas lists the paperwork.
To compare nearby rules, read my Indian Rocks Beach guide. That city borders Belleair Shore to the south. The Pinellas STR zoning map compares every city. Parcels in unincorporated Pinellas follow the county program in my unincorporated Pinellas County Airbnb guide.
Sources
I opened every source below on November 12, 2026.
- City of Belleair Beach: 2026 rental registration form, code enforcement guide, Resolution 2020-01
- Town of Belleair Shore: history, home page, ordinances approved and effective
- City of Belleair Bluffs: Ordinance 2011-04, comprehensive plan, effective July 21, 2025, fall 2024 newsletter, summer 2025 newsletter
- Town of Belleair: business tax receipts, short-term rental FAQ
- Florida Statutes, 2026: 509.032, 212.03
- Florida DBPR: vacation rental guide and lodging public records
- Florida Department of Revenue: DR-15DSS, 2026 surtax rates
- Pinellas County: tourist development tax, short-term rental program, address lookup
- Pinellas County Property Appraiser
General information only, not legal, tax or insurance advice. Each Belleair town can change its code, and state fees and tax rates change too. Before you buy, get the town's answer for that address in writing, read the association documents, and have your attorney or CPA review the plan. Last checked November 12, 2026.
Cover photo: Belleair Causeway Boatramp Park by Mikereichold, under a CC BY-SA 3.0 license. We cropped and resized it.