STR rules · verified 1mo ago
Short-term rental rules in Key Colony Beach, FL
Key Colony Beach is a small incorporated city (~800 residents, ~1.2 sq mi) on Shelter Key in the Middle Keys, immediately east of Marathon. Key Colony Beach operates its OWN STR regulatory regime separate from Monroe County Sec. 134-1: the City Code requires a city Vacation Rental License, designates eligible zoning districts, and the regime PRE-DATES June 1, 2011 - making it one of the explicitly grandfathered Florida municipal STR ordinances under Fla. Stat. 509.032(7). Key Colony Beach's compact size and resort/single-family mix mean nearly the entire city is rental-active (it is one of the few Keys jurisdictions designed historically around tourism since its 1957 founding), so the city's licensing system is procedurally restrictive but does not have a de-facto ban.
What's behind the sign-in
- Registration fees — initial + annual renewal cost, per permit type
- Permit caps + waitlists — exact cap values, current waitlist counts
- Owner-occupancy rules — days/year requirement, permit-class splits
- Zoning carve-outs — which districts allow / disallow STR
- Tax stack — TOT, hotel, county + state layers
- Stay limits — min/max nightly, max nights/year
- Operational requirements — parking, insurance, fire inspection, neighbor notice
- Penalties — per-night fines, revocation thresholds
- City-specific gotchas — HOA carve-outs, pending legislation, recent court rulings
- Refresh on demand — re-run the agentic pipeline against the city's current ordinance
Frequently asked
Are short-term rentals legal in Key Colony Beach, FL?
Key Colony Beach is currently restricted for short-term rentals. Permitted but with material constraints — caps, owner-occupancy rules, zoning carve-outs, or active ordinance review. For the actual fees, caps, owner-occupancy rules, and city-specific gotchas, sign in.
Do I need a permit to run an Airbnb in Key Colony Beach?
Almost certainly yes — almost every U.S. city now requires a short-term rental permit, vacation rental permit, or transient lodging permit before you can legally list. The specifics for Key Colony Beach (cost, renewal cycle, required documents) are behind sign-in. You can also read the source ordinance directly: https://keycolonybeach.net/.
What happens if I rent without a permit in Key Colony Beach?
Most cities charge per-night fines (a few hundred to a few thousand dollars per violation), escalating to cease-and-desist letters and platform delisting on repeat. Airbnb and Vrbo now share permit-validation feeds with most major cities, so unpermitted listings get blocked at the platform level. Sign in to see the specific penalty schedule for Key Colony Beach.
How current is this data for Key Colony Beach?
This record was verified 1mo ago against the city's published ordinance (.gov or the city's official municipal-code publisher). Cached cities re-verify on a cadence — daily for cities under active legislation, weekly otherwise. Signed-in users can hit Refresh on any city to force a fresh pull. If you're underwriting a deal, always confirm against the city's code-enforcement office before closing.
Can my HOA or condo association ban STRs even if Key Colony Beach allows them?
Yes. City permits authorize you under municipal law, but your HOA, condo association, or co-op board sets contractual rules that override the city for your unit. Many HOAs adopted blanket STR bans between 2018 and 2024 in response to neighbor complaints. Read the CC&Rs, bylaws, and rental addendums before you buy with an STR plan — the city saying yes does not mean your building says yes.