Last checked: October 2026
Hillsborough has three cities — Tampa, Temple Terrace and Plant City — and everything else, including Brandon and Riverview, is unincorporated county. In unincorporated Hillsborough and in Tampa's residential zoning, a stay of under seven nights is not a residential use. Here is how to tell which rulebook applies, and what the county's says.
Most of the people who live in Hillsborough County do not live in a city. Brandon, Riverview, Carrollwood, Lutz and most of the suburbs around Tampa are unincorporated, and answer to the county. Only Tampa, Temple Terrace and Plant City have their own city governments, and each of those sets its own short-term rental rules.
That would be manageable if the mailing address told you which one you were in. It doesn't. A “Tampa” address is very often in unincorporated county, and the city line runs through places you would never guess from the street. Which rulebook applies has to be read from the parcel against the county's boundary data.
One example, so this isn't just an assertion. In the City of Tampa the zoning code defines a dwelling as occupied by its owner or rented on a weekly or longer basis. A stay of under seven days makes it a transient lodging unit, which is not permitted in the city's residential zoning districts.
That is one of four jurisdictions. The other three each have their own answer, and we are not going to pretend a web page can tell you which one is yours.
Source: City of Tampa, Accessory Dwelling Units FAQ · City of Tampa Code of Ordinances s.27-43
Want the answer for your address, not just the county? The checker tells you on screen which rulebook your parcel is under. For an exact opinion on a specific property, ask us.
Even the cities don't work alike, which is why a county-wide summary is no use to an owner.
These apply only if your parcel is in unincorporated Hillsborough — not in Tampa, Temple Terrace or Plant City, whatever the mailing address says. The registration rules below start on 1 January 2027; the minimum-stay rule applies now.
The county's Land Development Code defines a dwelling unit as one occupied by its owner or rented on a weekly or longer basis, so a stay of under seven nights is not a residential use. Shorter stays are possible only on land rezoned into the Resort Dwelling Overlay District, or in the commercial and industrial districts where hotel use is permitted. The Overlay is a rezoning with public hearings, not a permit. The county has told us in writing that this definition has been in the code since 1985, before the 2011 state law that limits local rules on rental duration, and that it still applies.
Source: Hillsborough County Land Development Code, Part 12.01.00, definition of “Dwelling unit” · written confirmation from Hillsborough County Development Services, October 2026
Every short-term rental must be registered with the county each year, one registration per unit, before it is rented. Registration needs proof of the state DBPR vacation rental licence and a county tourist development tax account (or proof that the booking platform remits the tax). The fee is set by county resolution and is expected to be $200 a year. Applications are expected to open in January 2027, with a transition period for rentals already operating. Renewal applications are due at least 60 days before expiry, and a new owner has to re-register before renting.
Source: Hillsborough County Ordinance 26-40, adopted 2 September 2026, effective 1 January 2027 · fee, timing and transition confirmed in writing by County Code Enforcement, October 2026 · Fox 13 report on the adoption
You must name a responsible party aged 18 or over, reachable by phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week, who can reach the property within one hour of being notified by a guest, the owner, the county or the Sheriff's Office. The county expects a physical visit, not just a phone call. The owner may act as the responsible party.
Source: Ordinance 26-40 · confirmed in writing by County Code Enforcement, October 2026
The county registration number must appear in all advertising, including online listings. A listing that offers stays of under seven nights on residential property can itself be treated as a violation, even if no one books.
Source: Ordinance 26-40 · confirmed in writing by County Code Enforcement, October 2026
A placard of at least 8.5 by 11 inches goes by the main door or on the refrigerator, with the address, the responsible party's name and number, parking, a noise notice, trash days, the nearest emergency room and an evacuation statement — plus a drowning-safety reminder if there is a pool. Photos of it are submitted at registration and at each renewal. Guests must also be given noise, no-events, trash, evacuation and parking information in writing before check-in.
Source: Ordinance 26-40 · confirmed in writing by County Code Enforcement, October 2026
Reservation records must be kept for one year. There is no inspection before registration; if Code Enforcement inspects later, it checks standard items such as smoke detectors and fire extinguishers. Violations must be fixed within 30 days, and each day of renting without registration is a separate violation.
Source: Ordinance 26-40 · confirmed in writing by County Code Enforcement, October 2026
There is no short-term-rental cap on occupancy, no parking ratio and no separate quiet hours. The county's general noise ordinance applies, and from 1 January 2027 it must be posted in the unit and given to guests. Where usable off-street parking is, and where parking is not allowed, must be posted and given to guests before check-in.
Source: Land Development Code and Ordinance 26-40 · confirmed in writing by County Code Enforcement, October 2026
The county's rules are new, and the details of how it will run the registration are still being set. Not sure whether your parcel is unincorporated? Check the address and we'll tell you which rulebook applies, or ask us for an opinion on the property itself.
This is the part that gets skipped. Owners spend months establishing that a property is allowed to be a short-term rental, get the answer they wanted, and stop there. Being permitted to do something is not the same as it being worth doing, and a legal short-term rental that loses money is still a rental that loses money.
When we look at an address we answer both questions: what it is permitted to do, and whether doing it is worth your money. The second one is where we're most likely to disagree with whoever sold you the idea.
We'll tell you free which jurisdiction your parcel actually sits in — Tampa, Temple Terrace, Plant City or unincorporated county — and what that means for short stays. The jurisdiction comes back on screen straight away; the rules follow by email. It costs nothing either way.
If you want the answer you'd actually act on — the zoning district, the full licence and tax stack, your association documents read against it, and what comparable properties really net — that's the Parcel Report, quoted before we start.
Knowing what a property is allowed to do is the first of three things we do. The next questions are usually whether the place is ready to list and who's going to run it.