Short Term Vacation Rentals
The Short Term Vacation Rental Ordinance is established to provide for registration, basic health, safety, parking, and solid waste requirements to help mitigate the effects of short term vacation rentals in an attempt to make them safer, more compatible with existing neighborhood regulations and provide accountability for their proper operation. The County desires to encourage short term vacation rentals that are safe, fit in with the character of the neighborhood, provide positive impacts for tourism, increase property values, and achieve greater neighborhood compatibility. The County seeks to balance respect for private property rights and incompatibility concerns between investors/short term vacation rentals and families/single family residences in established residential neighborhoods through the use of reasonable development standards.
Requirements
- Complete Application (each unit or portion thereof must be registered separately)
- Sample Rental/Lease Agreement that shall include:
- Maximum Occupancy
- Maximum number of vehicles allowed
- Name and 24 hour contact information of the owner, property manager and a secondary contact person
- Acknowledgement and agreement by the tenant/lessee/guest of the right of the County to reasonably inspect.
- Local Business Tax Receipt. St. Johns County Tax Collector
- Copy of Florida Dept. of Business and Professional Regulation License as a Transient Public Lodging Establishment. Hotels and Restaurants – Guide to Vacation Rentals and Timeshare Projects – MyFloridaLicense.com
- Copy of Florida Dept. of Revenue Certificate of Sales and Use Tax. If renting through a third party such as VRBO, Airbnb, etc., you must submit a statement of third party tax collection and remittance by your host provider. Florida Dept. of Revenue – Florida Sales and Use Tax – FloridaRevenue.com
- Required Registration fee
- Executed affidavit (Located on the first page of the Registration Application)
Each dwelling unit, or portion thereof, used as a short term vacation rental shall be registered with the County and renewed every 12 months.
All Short-Term Vacation Rentals in St. Johns County shall be subject to the regulations set forth herein, with the exception of those located:
- In the unincorporated areas of St. Johns County located West of the Intracoastal Waterway;
- In a Single-Family Dwelling occupied on a full-time basis by the owner as an on-premises, permanent resident and that has been declared and continues to be declared as homestead by the Property Appraiser;
- In a Two-Family Dwelling, where both Dwellings are under common ownership and one of the Dwellings (a) is occupied on a full-time basis by the owner of the Dwellings as an on-premises, permanent resident and (b) has been declared and continues to be declared as homestead by the Property Appraiser; or
- In a Multi-Family Dwelling governed by or subject to a property owners association, condominium owners association, or homeowners association, or with onsite property management.
Use and Occupancy Standards
- Minimum Life/Safety Requirements
Portable multi-purpose fire extinguisher on each floor/level shall be installed on the wall in an open common area or in an enclosed space with appropriate markings. - Maximum Occupancy
Two (2) transient occupants per sleeping room or common area (max of 10*), excluding children twelve (12) years of age and under. - Parking
Minimum off street parking of one (1) space per three (3) transient occupants; total number of vehicles, boats, RVs, and trailers shall not exceed the total number of off street parking; only occupant vehicles can be parked overnight; all vehicles, boats, RVs, and trailers shall be parked only on designated parking spaces on the property; and no boats, RVs, or trailers can be parked on the street or in the front yard. - Solid Waste
Covered trash containers, minimum of one (1) container per four (4) transient occupants, schedules for pick up services shall be posted, container shall be placed at curbside no earlier than sunset the day before and shall be removed from curbside no later than sunrise the following day. - Noise
Compliance with Ordinance 2015-19 - Evacuation
Property shall be immediately evacuated upon posting of a hurricane warning.
Required Postings
The following information shall be posted on a single page on the back of, or next to the main entrance door of each short term vacation rental.
- A phone number of short term vacation rental owner and/or property manager
- Maximum Occupancy
- Maximum number of vehicles
- Location of evacuation route map
- Location of nearest Hospital
- Marine Turtles regulatory policies (Sec 4.01.08.B.03)