Are short-term rentals legal in Miami Beach?

Only at eligible addresses and only after every required public and private approval is active. Single-family homes are prohibited from vacation-rental use. Many multifamily buildings are also ineligible. Confirm the exact address and unit with Miami Beach before relying on listing history.

How can I check whether a Miami Beach property is eligible?

Start with City address resources, then obtain property-specific confirmation before removing contingencies. Confirm that the parcel is inside Miami Beach. Check the zoning map, legal-rental lookup, and authorized apartment-building information. Verify the approved use, Certificate of Use history, and association rules with City reviewers.

Does Miami Beach require a dedicated short-term rental license?

Yes. A qualifying property needs multiple linked approvals rather than one standalone permission. Complete the City Certificate of Use process and assigned reviews. Obtain the City Business Tax Receipt and Resort Tax account. Complete applicable Miami-Dade and Florida registrations and licenses.

Can a tenant obtain the Miami Beach rental BTR for a condo?

No. City guidance states that the transient-rental Business Tax Receipt for an individual condominium unit is issued to the unit owner. Confirm the applicant matches the current ownership records. Do not treat a lease or owner authorization as a substitute for owner eligibility. Verify the application structure with the City before paying nonrefundable costs.

Does an association need to approve the rental?

Yes. City application requirements call for current association authorization for the specific unit. Obtain the letter in the form and recency required by the City. Review declarations, bylaws, rules, amendments, and pending changes. Treat private restrictions as separate conditions because they can be stricter than City rules.

What lodging taxes apply to a Miami Beach rental?

A typical taxable stay carries a combined 14% across state, county, and City taxes. Florida sales tax is 6%, with a 1% Miami-Dade discretionary surtax. Miami-Dade Convention Development Tax is 3%. Miami Beach Resort Tax on room rent is 4%.

Does platform collection eliminate Miami Beach tax filing?

No. Platform collection does not automatically eliminate every registration, return, or reconciliation duty. Include third-party platform sales in City Resort Tax filings as City instructions require. Separate platform-collected amounts from direct-booking liabilities. Confirm current marketplace treatment with the City, County, and Florida DOR.

What numbers must appear in a Miami Beach rental listing?

Miami Beach requires City-issued identifiers to appear conspicuously in rental advertisements. Display the Business Tax Receipt number. Display the Resort Tax certificate number. Keep the identifiers consistent across every listing channel.

Who handles illegal short-term rental complaints?

Miami Beach Code Compliance handles reports of illegal rentals and related code issues. Call 305-673-7555 for the City complaint channel. Use the City complaint portal when an online submission is appropriate. Provide the exact address and observable facts rather than assumptions about legality.

What should an investor verify before closing?

Make exact-address legality, association approval, inspections, taxes, and property economics explicit acquisition conditions. Confirm zoning, building and unit eligibility, ownership, and approved use. Verify licensing, inspection, tax, insurance, and association requirements. Underwrite address-specific operations and retain exit options until written approvals are confirmed.

Miami Beach, FL Airbnb Guide

Decision point

Miami Beach Airbnb Investment Decision

A Miami Beach vacation rental works only when the exact address, building, unit, and owner can complete every required approval.

Confirm the parcel is inside the City of Miami Beach and the address is eligible for vacation-rental use.
Make City zoning, building eligibility, and association authorization written acquisition contingencies.
Budget for City, county, and state approvals, tax accounts, inspections, and annual renewals.

Miami Beach remains the authority for local zoning, legal eligibility, Certificate of Use, and license approval.

Property eligibility

Miami Beach Short-Term Rental Eligibility

Miami Beach defines vacation rentals as stays shorter than six months and one day and prohibits them in all single-family homes and many multifamily buildings.

Use the City zoning map only as an initial screen, not a legal determination.
Check the legal-rental lookup and authorized apartment-building list for the exact address.
Confirm the approved use, Certificate of Use history, and current association authorization with City reviewers.

Neighborhood labels, listing history, and nearby rentals do not establish legal eligibility.

Licenses and inspections

Miami Beach STR Approval Sequence

A qualifying property must complete a linked City, county, and state approval sequence before accepting guests.

Apply through Civic Access for the Certificate of Use for short-term rental use.
Complete assigned Planning, Building, Fire, Code Compliance, and Finance reviews.
After City approvals, complete Miami-Dade tax registration, Florida lodging licensing, and sales-tax registration.

A Certificate of Use alone does not replace the Business Tax Receipt, Resort Tax account, or other required approvals.

Documents and operations

Miami Beach Rental Operating Requirements

The City requires ownership, tax, association, platform, and operating records for a short-term rental Business Tax Receipt.

Submit ownership and entity records, federal tax ID, Florida resale certificate, and state lodging license.
Provide current association authorization, Resort Tax registration, platform details, and the required owner affidavit.
Display the City Business Tax Receipt and Resort Tax certificate numbers conspicuously in every advertisement.

For an individual condominium unit, the City issues the transient-rental Business Tax Receipt to the unit owner, not a tenant.

Guest and property controls

Miami Beach Rental Safety and Conduct

Local approval does not replace building, fire, occupancy, noise, parking, trash, or association requirements.

Complete every assigned inspection before hosting and retain the approval records.
Set guest capacity from approved plans, life-safety requirements, and association rules.
Publish enforceable guest rules for noise, parking, trash, access, pools, balconies, and emergencies.

Confirm property-specific fire, building, accessibility, and occupancy conditions with City reviewers.

Taxes and filings

Miami Beach Short-Term Rental Taxes

A typical taxable Miami Beach stay carries a 14% combined lodging-tax stack across state, county, and City filings.

Register for 6% Florida sales tax and the applicable 1% Miami-Dade discretionary surtax.
Register with Miami-Dade County for the 3% Convention Development Tax.
File the 4% Miami Beach Resort Tax and include third-party platform sales as City instructions require.

Reconcile direct bookings and each platform separately, then confirm marketplace collection and filing duties with every agency.

Enforcement and review

Miami Beach STR Enforcement Process

A prohibited address, missing approval, unlawful advertisement, or operating violation can trigger City enforcement.

Keep the City Business Tax Receipt and Resort Tax certificate numbers visible in every listing.
Route illegal-rental, noise, and related code complaints to Miami Beach Code Compliance.
Follow the deadline and appeal instructions printed on the actual notice, citation, or decision.

Potential consequences include guest removal, citations, license action, daily fines, liens, and Special Magistrate proceedings.

Property analysis

Miami Beach Property Underwriting

Property-level legality and building rules come before any revenue or return forecast.

Model address-specific comparables with the same legal stay pattern, unit type, and association rules.
Apply the 14% lodging-tax stack and separate platform collections from direct-booking liabilities.
Include licensing, inspections, furnishings, insurance, association charges, assessments, operations, and reserves.

Stress-test approval loss, enforcement downtime, storms, insurance changes, special assessments, and lower demand.

Contacts and support

Miami Beach Rental Contacts

Route each question to the agency responsible for the approval, filing, inspection, or enforcement decision.

Use Miami Beach vacation-rental guidance for eligibility and local approval routes.
Use the City Resort Tax service and Miami-Dade tourist-tax service for tax accounts.
Use Florida DBPR lodging licensing and Florida DOR for state requirements.

Before an offer or application, plan a Miami Beach property strategy call to review exact-address eligibility, association restrictions, approval sequencing, tax duties, and a lawful fallback use.

Sources and review

Miami Beach Official Sources

Official City, county, and state sources were rechecked on September 28, 2026.

Confirm eligibility through the City vacation-rental page, zoning resources, and authorized-building information.
Confirm application documents through the City short-term rental requirements, Certificate of Use, and Business Tax Receipt guidance.
Confirm current taxes through Miami Beach Resort Tax, Miami-Dade Convention and Tourist Tax, and Florida DOR guidance.

Recheck agency instructions, association restrictions, and property records before acquisition, application, renewal, or launch.

Miami Beach Airbnb Rules & Investment Guide (2026)

Miami Beach Rental Review