St. Johns County STR Regulations: 2026 Owner Compliance Guide
St. Johns County STR regulations require owners east of the Intracoastal Waterway to register every short-term vacation rental annually, cap occupancy at 10 transient guests, meet parking and trash-container ratios, and collect an 11% combined tourist tax. At In The Sun VR, we walk St. Augustine owners through this exact ordinance every week, and getting it wrong is one of the most common (and preventable) mistakes new hosts make.
Registration is mandatory and renews every 12 months for any short-term vacation rental in unincorporated St. Johns County east of the Intracoastal Waterway, including Vilano Beach and Ponte Vedra Beach.
Occupancy is capped at 10 transient guests, or two per sleeping room or common area, not counting children age 12 and under, per the county's Ordinance No. 2021-23.
Combined transient tax runs about 11%: a 6% Florida state sales tax plus a 5% St. Johns County tourist development tax on stays of six months or less.
St. Augustine short-term rentals earned a median occupancy near 64% with an average daily rate around $227 to $256 in 2026, according to AirROI and StaySTRA market reports, making compliance costs a small fraction of typical revenue.
Properties west of the Intracoastal Waterway, owner-occupied homesteads, and HOA or condo-managed units are exempt from the county-level STR ordinance, though city rules in St. Augustine Beach still apply separately.
Violations start with a warning, but repeat offenses can escalate to citations and fines under Florida Statute 162, enforced through the county's STR hotline.
St. Johns County tightened its short-term rental rules with Ordinance No. 2021-23, and as of 2026 those rules remain the operating framework for anyone renting a property for six months or less east of the Intracoastal Waterway. If you own a rental in Vilano Beach, Crescent Beach, or the unincorporated stretches between downtown St. Augustine and Ponte Vedra, this ordinance governs your registration, your guest count, your parking, and your tax filings.
This guide breaks down exactly what the county requires, how it differs from city-level rules in St. Augustine Beach, and where the most common compliance mistakes happen. We manage properties across Vilano Beach and the greater St. Augustine market at In The Sun VR, and regulatory missteps, not slow seasons, cause most of the fines and headaches we see new owners run into.
Does St. Augustine Allow Short-Term Rentals?
Yes, St. Augustine and unincorporated St. Johns County both allow short-term rentals, but the rules differ depending on exactly where the property sits. Unincorporated St. Johns County east of the Intracoastal Waterway, which covers Vilano Beach and Ponte Vedra Beach, falls under the county's Short Term Vacation Rentals page ordinance. St. Augustine Beach, a separate municipality, enforces its own transient rental zoning rules.
Specifically, the county ordinance applies to nearly every short-term vacation rental in its jurisdiction, with a handful of exceptions covered later in this article. St. Augustine Beach, by contrast, restricts transient rentals to Commercial and Medium-Density Residential zoning, capping Medium-Density Residential units at 100 total while placing no cap on Commercial zoning. As a result, two properties a few miles apart can face entirely different registration paths depending on which jurisdiction they fall under.
Properties west of the Intracoastal Waterway are not subject to the county's short-term rental ordinance at all. Neither are single-family or two-family dwellings where the owner occupies the property full-time and maintains a homestead designation. Multi-family buildings governed by an HOA, condo association, or on-site property management also fall outside the county rule, though individual HOA bylaws may still restrict rentals independently.
What Registration and Licensing Does the County STR Ordinance Require?
St. Johns County requires every dwelling unit, or portion of a unit, used as a short-term vacation rental to register with the county and renew that registration every 12 months. Registration is the foundation of compliance under Ordinance No. 2021-23, and skipping it is the fastest way to draw a code enforcement complaint.
Beyond county registration, owners need three additional pieces of paperwork before listing a property on Airbnb or VRBO. First, a Sales Tax Identification Number from the Florida Department of Revenue. Second, a St. Johns County Business Tax Receipt. Third, a completed Tourist Development Tax Application through the St. Johns County Tourist Development Tax overview page maintained by the Tax Collector's office. The St. Johns County Tax Collector page on Tax ID and business tax walks through the exact sequence for obtaining both the sales tax ID and the business tax receipt, and it's worth bookmarking before you list your first property.
If your property sits within the St. Augustine Beach city limits instead, the licensing path looks different. The city requires a Rental License from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulations, a Sales Tax Permit from the Florida Department of Revenue, an annual Business Tax Receipt and Transient Rental application through the City Manager's Office, and a Building Department inspection before the unit can legally rent.
New hosts consistently underestimate how long this paperwork stack takes to assemble, often two to four weeks when factoring in inspection scheduling. Building in that lead time before your intended launch date avoids a scramble during peak booking season.
What Is the 80 20 Rule for Airbnb?
The 80 20 rule for Airbnb generally refers to the observation that roughly 20% of a host's listings, amenities, or guest interactions drive about 80% of bookings, reviews, or revenue. It's a Pareto-principle application, not a formal Airbnb policy, and it shows up in how experienced operators prioritize where to invest time and money.
In practice, this means a small share of your property's features, like a hot tub, water access, or a highly responsive check-in process, typically account for the majority of five-star reviews and repeat interest. For example, across the portfolio we manage at In The Sun VR, properties with standout outdoor amenities near Vilano Beach or Crescent Beach consistently outperform comparable listings without them, even when nightly rates are similar.
Applied to compliance, the same logic holds. A small number of ordinance requirements, registration status, occupancy limits, and tax filings, create the vast majority of legal exposure if ignored. Focusing your compliance energy on those few high-stakes items first, rather than spreading equal attention across every minor rule, is the more efficient approach for a new host managing a limited number of properties.
What Are the Occupancy, Parking, and Solid Waste Rules?
St. Johns County caps short-term vacation rental occupancy at two transient occupants per sleeping room or common area, with an absolute maximum of 10 transient occupants per unit, excluding children age 12 and under. This 10-guest cap was phased in over three years for rentals that existed before the ordinance passed, and it now applies to all active listings as of 2026.
Parking requirements follow a similar ratio-based structure. The ordinance requires a minimum of one off-street parking space per three transient occupants, and the total count of vehicles, boats, RVs, and trailers on the property cannot exceed the number of available off-street spaces. Overnight parking is limited strictly to occupant vehicles, and nothing, no boat, RV, or trailer, can be parked on the street or in the front yard.
Solid waste rules matter more than most new owners expect. The county requires at least one covered trash container per four transient occupants, and pickup schedules must be posted somewhere guests can see them. Containers can only go to the curb after sunset the evening before pickup and must come back off the curb by sunrise the following morning. A stray trash can left out mid-week is a small thing that generates a surprising number of neighbor complaints.
Fire safety compliance is also non-negotiable. Every floor or level of a short-term rental needs a portable multi-purpose fire extinguisher, wall-mounted in an open common area or clearly marked if stored in an enclosed space.
Requirement | St. Johns County (Unincorporated) | St. Augustine Beach |
Registration | County STR registration, renewed every 12 months | Rental License plus annual Business Tax Receipt |
Zoning | Applies countywide east of the Intracoastal, minus exceptions | Commercial or Medium-Density Residential only |
Occupancy cap | 10 transient occupants, 2 per sleeping room | Set by zoning district, no county-style universal cap |
Parking | 1 space per 3 occupants, no street parking of RVs/boats | Determined during Building Department inspection |
Inspection | Not required for registration itself | Building Department inspection required |
Tax filing | 6% state + 5% county tourist tax, filed monthly | Same state and county tax structure applies |
What Is the Short-Term Rental Tax in St. Johns County?
The short-term rental tax in St. Johns County combines a 6% Florida state sales tax with a 5% county tourist development tax, producing a commonly quoted combined rate of about 11% on stays of six months or less. This tax applies on top of your nightly rate and any cleaning or resort fees you collect from guests.
Owners and their agents must remit this tax monthly. Payments are due on the first of the month following collection and are considered delinquent if not postmarked by the 20th of that same month, per the St. Johns County Tourist Development Tax overview. Missing that window repeatedly can trigger penalties on top of the tax owed, so setting a recurring calendar reminder around the 15th gives you a buffer.
Revenue context helps explain why this tax matters at scale. StaySTRA's 2026 data puts St. Augustine's average daily rate near $256.96 with occupancy around 64%, while AirROI's 2026 report shows average annual revenue per listing at roughly $41,902. On a property generating that kind of revenue, the 11% tourist tax represents a meaningful monthly remittance, one that platforms like Airbnb sometimes collect and remit automatically, but not always, depending on your jurisdiction agreement. Confirm with your tax collector whether your booking platform is handling remittance on your behalf or whether that responsibility still falls on you.
What Is the Loophole for Short-Term Rental Property?
There is no legal "loophole" that lets a short-term rental operator skip St. Johns County's registration or tax requirements, but the ordinance does contain legitimate exceptions that some owners structure their property around. Understanding these exceptions is different from exploiting a loophole, and it's worth being precise about the distinction. The county ordinance explicitly exempts properties west of the Intracoastal Waterway, single-family or two-family dwellings where the owner occupies the unit full-time and holds a homestead designation, and multi-family dwellings governed by an HOA, condo association, or on-site property management.
Some owners attempt to claim an owner-occupied exemption without genuinely living in the property full-time, which is not a loophole so much as a compliance risk. St. Johns County Code Enforcement can and does verify homestead status against county property tax records, and a mismatch between claimed occupancy and actual homestead filing is an easy violation to catch. If you're not living in the home as your primary residence, don't structure your rental strategy around this exemption.
The more defensible strategy for reducing regulatory friction is choosing a property within an HOA or condo association that already permits and manages short-term rentals under its own governance structure. That shifts day-to-day compliance oversight to the association while still requiring you to meet state tax obligations. This is exactly the kind of structural decision we help owners evaluate at In The Sun VR before they purchase or list a property, because the zoning and HOA landscape varies block by block in places like Vilano Beach and Crescent Beach.
What Should a 2026 Compliance Checklist Look Like?
A 2026 STR compliance checklist for St. Johns County should move in the same sequence the county itself expects: registration first, then tax setup, then day-to-day operational compliance. Following this order prevents the common mistake of listing a property on Airbnb before the paperwork is actually finished.
Confirm your jurisdiction. Determine whether your property sits in unincorporated St. Johns County, St. Augustine Beach, or west of the Intracoastal Waterway, since each has different rules.
Register with St. Johns County. Submit your short-term vacation rental registration and calendar the 12-month renewal date.
Obtain your Sales Tax Identification Number from the Florida Department of Revenue.
Secure your County Business Tax Receipt and complete the Tourist Development Tax Application through the Tax Collector's office.
Check HOA or condo bylaws even if your property type is technically exempt from the county ordinance; associations often impose their own stricter limits.
Install required fire extinguishers on every floor and confirm smoke detector placement meets DBPR sanitation standards under Rule 61C-3.001.
Set your parking plan to meet the one-space-per-three-occupants ratio and post it for guests.
Arrange trash service that meets the one-container-per-four-occupants rule and confirm your local pickup schedule.
Set a monthly tax remittance reminder around the 15th to stay ahead of the 20th delinquency deadline.
Save the STR hotline number, (904) 320-2442, in case you ever need to report or respond to a neighbor complaint.
Owners managing multiple units on a single lot, such as a main house plus a detached accessory dwelling, need to apply the 10-guest cap per registered dwelling unit, not per lot. Each unit registers separately and each carries its own occupancy ceiling. This distinction trips up a fair number of multi-unit owners who assume the cap applies to the entire property rather than each individual rental.
If you're weighing whether to handle all of this yourself or bring in help, our team put together a broader breakdown in our guide to short-term rental management in St. Augustine, Florida, which covers how compliance fits into the bigger picture of running a profitable rental.
What Mistakes Cause the Most STR Violations in St. Johns County?
Most St. Johns County STR violations stem from a small handful of avoidable mistakes: skipping registration renewal, exceeding the 10-guest cap during peak weekends, parking a boat or trailer in the front yard, and leaving trash containers curbside outside the permitted window. Code Enforcement typically issues a warning for a first offense, but repeat violations escalate to citations and fines under the maximum penalties allowed by Florida Statute 162. For example, a common scenario we've seen across St. Augustine involves owners who register correctly in year one but forget the 12-month renewal, only realizing the lapse when a neighbor complaint prompts a county inquiry. Setting an automatic renewal reminder eliminates this entirely.
Another frequent issue involves group bookings that quietly exceed the occupancy cap. A listing advertised for 8 guests but booked informally for 12 during a wedding or graduation weekend is a straightforward violation, and it's one that neighbors notice fast in tight-knit beach communities like Vilano Beach. Being upfront about your registered maximum, and enforcing it at check-in, protects both your registration status and your relationship with the surrounding neighborhood.
Parking violations round out the top three. Storing a boat or RV on the street, even temporarily during a guest's stay, is one of the most visible and easily reported violations under the ordinance. If your property regularly hosts guests who bring water toys, building extra designated parking or storage into your listing description upfront avoids the problem before it starts.
How Do St. Johns County STR Rules Compare to Statewide and Industry Standards?
St. Johns County's regulatory approach, registration plus occupancy caps plus a combined 11% transient tax, is broadly consistent with how mid-sized Florida coastal counties manage short-term rentals as of 2026. What sets St. Johns County apart is the explicit phased-in 10-guest cap and the sharp jurisdictional line at the Intracoastal Waterway, which creates real variation within a single county.
From a revenue standpoint, compliance costs remain modest relative to what the market supports. StaySTRA and AirROI both report 2026 occupancy in the 44% to 64% range depending on methodology, with average daily rates between roughly $227 and $298 across different data sets. Chalet's 2026 analytics show monthly occupancy swinging from a low of 34% in May to a high of 74% in March, driven by spring break and shoulder-season travel patterns. Against that revenue backdrop, a properly filed business tax receipt and monthly tax remittance are a small operating cost, not a barrier to profitability.
Professional STR managers typically charge 15% to 25% of gross revenue for full-service management, and that fee commonly includes regulatory tracking as part of the package. This is where a boutique operator differs meaningfully from an owner going it alone: staying current on ordinance amendments, tax deadline changes, and HOA rule shifts is a full-time task when you're managing more than one or two units. It's also one of the most overlooked reasons owners eventually decide self-managing isn't sustainable. If you're weighing that decision, our guide on whether property management is worth it breaks down the actual trade-offs.
Practical Guidance: How Should Owners Prioritize Compliance Tasks?
Prioritize registration and tax setup first, since these two items carry the most immediate legal exposure and the longest processing lead times. Occupancy, parking, and solid waste compliance matter just as much long-term, but they're operational adjustments you can implement in a single afternoon once your paperwork is squared away.
A few trade-offs worth understanding upfront:
DIY compliance saves management fees but costs time. Tracking ordinance amendments, tax deadlines, and HOA rule changes across multiple properties adds up fast for owners managing more than one unit.
The homestead exemption is not a flexible workaround. If you don't genuinely live in the property full-time, don't rely on this exception; it invites closer scrutiny, not less.
HOA-managed condos shift compliance burden, not tax obligation. You still owe state and county tourist tax even if your building handles occupancy enforcement internally.
Registered occupancy and marketed occupancy must match. Advertising a lower guest count while regularly hosting more is one of the easiest violations for Code Enforcement to substantiate.
If your property design currently makes compliance harder, awkward parking layout, no clear trash storage area, insufficient covered containers, addressing those physical issues is often more effective than trying to manage around them operationally every week. Sometimes a modest layout or landscaping adjustment solves a recurring parking violation permanently.
Frequently Asked Questions About St. Johns County STR Regulations
Do all short-term rentals in St. Johns County need to register?
Nearly all do, unless the property qualifies for a specific exception. Properties west of the Intracoastal Waterway, owner-occupied homestead units, and HOA or condo-managed multi-family buildings are exempt from county registration, but everything else east of the Intracoastal, including Vilano Beach and Ponte Vedra Beach, must register and renew every 12 months.
How many guests can stay at an STR in St. Johns County?
The county caps occupancy at 10 transient occupants total, or two per sleeping room or common area, not counting children age 12 and under. This cap was phased in over three years for pre-existing rentals and applies fully as of 2026.
What taxes do St. Johns County STR owners have to pay?
Owners collect and remit a combined transient tax of about 11%, made up of a 6% Florida state sales tax and a 5% county tourist development tax. Payments are due monthly by the 1st and become delinquent after the 20th of the following month.
Is St. Augustine Beach subject to the same rules as St. Johns County?
No. St. Augustine Beach is a separate municipality with its own transient rental rules, restricting rentals to Commercial or Medium-Density Residential zoning and requiring a Rental License, Building Department inspection, and separate city Business Tax Receipt in addition to state tax requirements.
What happens if I violate the St. Johns County STR ordinance?
The first violation typically results in a warning from St. Johns County Code Enforcement. Subsequent violations can lead to citations and fines under the maximum penalties allowed by Florida Statute 162. Violations can be reported through the county's STR hotline at (904) 320-2442.
Can I rent my property short-term if my HOA has its own rules?
Yes, but HOA or condo association bylaws can be more restrictive than the county ordinance, and you must follow both. Multi-family dwellings governed by an HOA with on-site management are exempt from the county-level ordinance specifically, but you still need to meet state tax registration requirements regardless of HOA status.
How long does it take to get fully licensed to operate an STR in St. Johns County?
Assembling the full paperwork stack, county registration, state Sales Tax ID, county Business Tax Receipt, and Tourist Development Tax Application, typically takes two to four weeks depending on processing times and whether an inspection is required. Building in that lead time before your intended launch date is worth the patience.
Does the 10-guest cap apply per property or per registered unit?
The cap applies per registered dwelling unit, not per lot. If you have multiple separately registered units on one property, such as a main house and a detached guest cottage, each unit carries its own 10-guest maximum rather than sharing a single combined cap.
Conclusion: Staying Compliant While Maximizing Your St. Augustine Rental
St. Johns County STR regulations boil down to four pillars: registration renewed annually, occupancy capped at 10 transient guests, parking and trash ratios tied to guest count, and an 11% combined tourist tax filed monthly. Get those four right, and the rest of the ordinance, fire safety, sanitation, and posted pickup schedules, falls into place with minimal ongoing effort. As of 2026, with St. Augustine's short-term rental market showing average daily rates well above $225 and occupancy consistently in the 60% range according to AirROI and StaySTRA data, compliance costs remain a small fraction of what a well-run property can earn. The bigger risk isn't the tax rate or the paperwork itself, it's letting a registration lapse or an occupancy cap slip during a busy weekend when you're not paying close attention.
Regulations shift, tax deadlines move, and HOA rules evolve property by property. Staying ahead of all three while also optimizing pricing and guest experience is a lot to track alone, which is exactly why so many owners eventually bring in local support.
If navigating St. Johns County STR regulations feels like a moving target, In The Sun VR tracks every ordinance update, tax deadline, and HOA nuance across our managed St. Augustine portfolio so owners don't have to. Reach out to see how our regulatory and compliance support fits alongside revenue management and guest experience for your property.
Written by Seth Balogh, Owner at In The Sun VR
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