What Must Be Posted Inside a Florida Vacation Rental?

The direct answer: it depends on your license type and your jurisdiction

There is no universal Florida posting list that applies to every vacation rental. What must be displayed depends on the state license classification and, more often, on the local jurisdiction's short-term rental program if one exists.

That said, the categories of information are predictable. Across Florida, local programs that address postings tend to focus on the same handful of items: who to call, how many people may stay, where to park, when quiet hours apply, how trash works, and what to do in an emergency.

Four different obligations that get confused

• Displaying a document — physically visible inside the unit, typically in a common area.
• Keeping a document on file — retained and producible on request, but not necessarily displayed.
• Posting information inside the unit — a notice with content, which may not correspond to any single document.
• Including information in a guest agreement or listing — contractual or online disclosure rather than physical posting.

These are not interchangeable. A jurisdiction that requires a permit number to be included in advertising has not necessarily required it on the wall, and a jurisdiction that requires a posted occupancy notice has not necessarily required it in your listing. Read the requirement's verb: display, post, maintain, provide, or include.

Licenses, permits, and receipts

DBPR license

State lodging licensure carries its own display and record expectations administered by DBPR. Confirm the current expectation for your license classification directly with DBPR rather than relying on a template — the practical answer differs between a licensed dwelling and a licensed condominium unit within a collective license.

Local vacation rental permit or registration

Where a local program exists, it commonly assigns a registration or permit number and may require that number to be displayed, included in advertising, or both.

Business Tax Receipt and Certificate of Use

Some jurisdictions require a Business Tax Receipt to be displayed at the place of business. Whether that applies to a residential dwelling operating as a vacation rental is a local question. Certificates of Use, where they exist, may carry their own display expectation. If you are unsure how these documents differ, see Certificate of Use vs BTR vs vacation rental permit.

Operating information guests and officials look for

Beyond documents, most local programs that address postings focus on operational facts. These are also the items that reduce complaints, which is reason enough to post them even where not required.

• Maximum occupancy for the unit, expressed the way the local program expresses it.
• Parking instructions, including the number of permitted vehicles and where they may be parked.
• Trash and recycling instructions, including collection days and bin placement.
• Noise restrictions and quiet hours as defined locally.
• The local responsible party or local contact name and phone number, where required.
• Emergency contact information and the property's own street address.
• The permit or registration number, where the program requires display.

Posting the property address matters more than owners expect. Guests in an unfamiliar place frequently cannot tell a dispatcher where they are.

Safety and emergency information

• Emergency exit information, particularly in multi-level or multi-unit buildings.
• Location of fire extinguishers, where provided.
• Pool and spa rules, including any supervision expectations for children.
• Evacuation information and the property's evacuation zone.
• Hurricane and severe-weather guidance appropriate to the season and location.
• Instructions for shutting off water and, where applicable, gas.

Evacuation zone information is specific to the property's address and is published by county emergency management. Look it up for your address rather than copying a neighbor's. Related: our fire safety checklist covers the equipment side of this.

Property-specific and environmental notices

• Pet restrictions, where the property or the association imposes them.
• Septic system instructions, where the property is on septic — these prevent expensive failures.
• Well water notices, where applicable.
• Beach access, dune protection, and turtle-lighting guidance in coastal areas where local rules apply.
• Waterway, dock, and boat lift rules where applicable.
• Condominium or HOA rules that guests must follow, including amenity access and elevator or move-in restrictions.

Association rules are contractual rather than governmental, but guests do not make that distinction — and neither does the board when a violation notice arrives. Post the ones guests can actually violate.

Format questions owners ask

Is posting inside a cabinet enough?

Where an ordinance requires information to be posted in a conspicuous location, a closed cabinet is a risky interpretation. The conservative approach is a visible location in a main living area — an entry wall, the kitchen, or beside the front door.

Is digital-only information enough?

Where a requirement says posted or displayed, a digital welcome guide generally does not satisfy it on its own. Digital guides are excellent supplements and terrible substitutes. Where a requirement says provided or included, digital delivery may be acceptable — read the verb.

Languages and readability

Local requirements rarely dictate language, but guests come from everywhere. Clear typography, adequate size, plain wording, and a simple layout matter more than volume. A dense page of small text is technically posted and practically invisible.

Keeping postings current

• Review the board whenever a permit, license, or registration is renewed.
• Update immediately when the responsible party or phone number changes.
• Update when trash collection days change.
• Re-check evacuation zone information before each hurricane season.
• Photograph the board after each update and date the photo in your compliance file.

Building a single compliance information board

Most owners end up with information scattered across a binder, a fridge magnet, a laminated card, and a digital guide. Consolidating into one board in a visible location is easier to maintain and easier to show an inspector.

• Choose one visible wall location in a main living area.
• Use a frame with a swappable insert so updates take two minutes, not a reprint.
• Group content into: contacts, occupancy and parking, house rules, safety, and emergency.
• Display required documents or numbers exactly as the program specifies.
• Keep a duplicate copy in the welcome binder and in the digital guide.
• Store a master file of the board layout so you can regenerate it for other properties.

Florida Vacation Rental Guest Compliance Information Sheet

Below is a framework you can adapt. Every bracketed field is a placeholder for you to fill in after verifying the correct value for your property and jurisdiction. Nothing here should be treated as a requirement in itself.

Do not populate a placeholder with a value you have not verified. An incorrect occupancy figure or an outdated contact number posted on the wall is worse than a blank line.

Required-posting verification checklist

• Confirm which government has jurisdiction over the parcel.
• Search the local code for posting, display, conspicuous, and notice in the short-term rental sections.
• Read the STR registration packet — posting rules are often in the application terms rather than the code.
• Confirm the DBPR display expectation for your license classification.
• Confirm whether the Business Tax Receipt must be displayed locally.
• List every item required to be posted, with the source noted next to it.
• Build or update the board, then photograph it with a date.
• Add a review reminder tied to each renewal.

Common mistakes

• Copying another property's posted sheet, including its occupancy number and contact.
• Posting a license that has since been renewed under a new number.
• Relying on a digital guide where the requirement says posted.
• Hiding the notice inside a drawer or cabinet.
• Listing a responsible party who no longer serves in the role.
• Publishing an evacuation zone copied from a general county page rather than looked up for the address.

What to do if the property is already operating

Walk the property and photograph everything currently posted. Compare each item against the list you build from the local code and the registration packet. Correct the outdated items first — a wrong phone number causes more damage than a missing one — and then fill the gaps.

Frequently asked questions

Request your Florida Compliance Map

Official sources

The following official sources were consulted while preparing this article. Requirements change; always confirm current details with the agency that has jurisdiction over your property.

• Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR)
• Online Sunshine — Florida Statutes
• Florida Administrative Code and Florida Administrative Register
• Municode Library — Florida municipal and county codes
• Florida Department of Health

Disclaimer: Florida Host Desk provides administrative compliance information and organizational support only. We are not a law firm, accounting firm, tax preparer, fire inspection company, building inspection company, or government agency, and nothing here is legal, tax, engineering, fire-safety, or building-code advice. We cannot guarantee permit approval, inspection passage, zoning approval, or legal compliance. Requirements vary by exact property address and change over time; verify current requirements with the agencies that have jurisdiction over your property.