What we'll cover
Quick answer: Inside St. Petersburg city limits, a home can be rented for stays under 30 days only three times in any consecutive 365-day period. Most buyers plan on furnished stays longer than 30 days instead. Gulfport is a separate city and allows short-term rentals only where its zoning permits.
- Check first: which city controls the parcel, its zoning district, then the condo or HOA rules
- Sources: St. Petersburg Transient Accommodation Uses handout and City of Gulfport short-term rentals page. Last verified Nov 1, 2026
If you've scrolled Airbnb and seen St. Pete homes booked by the night, I get why it looks wide open. It isn't. A listing shows what someone is doing, not what the city allows.
After the third short stay in a year, the city treats the home as a transient accommodation use. That needs a licensed hotel or motel, or a spot in an approved Resort Facilities Overlay. The city's handout says no location has that overlay yet.
I'm Troy Nowak, Broker of Mangrove Bay Realty (BK3436609) in St. Petersburg. Send me the address and I'll tell you which rules apply before you write an offer. Use the contact form.
Prefer to watch? A short St. Pete STR walkthrough
The video covers the three-stay city rule, Gulfport, and where a nightly stay can still work.
What the St. Pete rule actually says
The city doesn't have a "short-term rental" use. Its land development rules talk about transient accommodation, an umbrella term for hotels, motels and residential stays under 30 days.
Here's the part that matters to you as a buyer:
| Stay length | How the city treats it |
|---|---|
| Under 30 days, up to 3 times in any 365 days | Allowed on residential property |
| Under 30 days, more than 3 times | Transient accommodation: hotel/motel license or Resort Facilities Overlay needed |
| Longer than 30 days | Not transient accommodation use |
Source: City of St. Petersburg, Transient Accommodation Uses handout. Last verified Nov 1, 2026.
What I'd do: If a seller tells you the house is "grandfathered" for nightly stays, ask for the city's written record before you spend a dollar on inspections. A booking history isn't a permit.
A house can sit close to downtown, the Pier, Grand Central, the EDGE District or Kenwood and still be the wrong deal if the legal rental path isn't there. So don't buy assuming nightly income until the city, zoning, state licensing and condo or HOA documents have all been checked for that address.
The three-stay cap is the first screen, not the whole file. I also want the flood zone check in the folder before anyone runs numbers.
Gulfport vs St. Pete: two cities, two rulebooks
Gulfport sits right next to St. Pete, and buyers blur the two all the time. Don't. A Gulfport parcel with a St. Pete mailing address follows Gulfport rules.
Gulfport treats a unit offered for less than one month, more than three times in any consecutive 12-month period, as a temporary/tourist lodging use. That use is allowed only in the zoning districts that list it. The city's map shows where rentals may be allowed, but city staff make the final call.
Gulfport also says to finish your state registrations first: the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) and the Florida Department of Revenue for sales and transient rental tax.
Source: City of Gulfport, Short-Term Rentals. Last verified Nov 1, 2026.
| Where the parcel is | What to plan around |
|---|---|
| City of St. Petersburg | Three short stays a year on residential property; plan on stays longer than 30 days |
| Gulfport | Zoning decides; confirm with city staff in writing |
| Unincorporated Pinellas | County Certificate of Use program for stays under 30 days |
| Another beach city | That city's own code; check it for the parcel |
Unincorporated land next door
Some addresses with a "St. Pete" feel are actually in unincorporated Pinellas County. That puts you on the county's Certificate of Use path instead of either city's rules, with its own application, inspection, occupancy and parking rules. Assume the wrong rulebook and the whole plan is off. Pinellas County's short-term rental program page links a lookup that tells you whether an address is in a city or unincorporated. Last verified Nov 1, 2026.
How to check one St. Pete or Gulfport parcel
Do it in this order. Don't start with Airbnb comps or loan quotes.
- Confirm the parcel ID and governing city on the Pinellas County Property Appraiser site. The mailing city isn't the jurisdiction.
- Find the zoning district. For St. Petersburg, use the city's zoning page, which links a GIS lookup. For Gulfport, use Gulfport's map.
- Read the rule against that district: the St. Pete Transient Accommodation Uses handout and Use Permissions and Parking Matrix, or Gulfport's page.
- Email planning staff if the deal depends on short stays, and get the answer in writing for that address.
- Pull the condo, HOA and deed restrictions. Private rules can still block a stay the city allows.
- Get flood and insurance quotes that name the rental use you plan.
- Check the rental taxes in Pinellas County Airbnb taxes. Talk to your CPA about your situation.
For a countywide view, compare the address on the Pinellas County short-term rental map. If you're still choosing an area, the St. Pete investor guide walks through neighborhoods.
Financing comes after the rule
The lender underwrites the same parcel the city regulates. Don't build a loan around nightly income on a home limited to three short stays a year. Settle the allowed use first, then compare options in how to finance a short-term rental in Pinellas.
Frequently asked questions
What are the Airbnb rules in St. Pete?
Three short stays a year. Inside city limits, a residential property can be offered for stays under 30 days up to three times in any consecutive 365-day period. Beyond that it needs a hotel or motel license or an approved Resort Facilities Overlay, and the city's handout says no location has that overlay yet.
Can I rent a St. Petersburg home monthly on Airbnb?
Yes, if each stay runs longer than 30 days. The city's handout says transient accommodation use does not include rentals longer than 30 days. The platform doesn't change the rule; the length of each stay does, so set your minimum stay above 30 nights before you list.
Is there a St. Petersburg short-term rental zoning map?
Not a separate one that I've found. The city's zoning page links a GIS lookup: zoom to the parcel and click it to see the zoning district, then read the handout against that district.
Can you run a short-term rental in Gulfport?
Only where zoning allows it. Gulfport permits temporary/tourist lodging only in the districts that list it, and city staff make the final determination. Register with DBPR and the Florida Department of Revenue before you operate.
Does a St. Petersburg mailing address mean city rules apply?
No. Some St. Pete mailing addresses sit in unincorporated Pinellas County or another city. Use the lookup on the county's short-term rental page to see which government controls the address.
Want me to look at a specific address?
Send it over with how you plan to rent it through the contact form. I'll tell you which city or county rule applies, the stay limit, and which records to ask the seller for before you write an offer.