STR rules · verified 1mo ago
Short-term rental rules in Marathon, FL
The City of Marathon (Florida Keys, Monroe County) requires a Vacation Rental Property License under Chapter 8 Article I of the Marathon Code (Ordinance 2010-14). Rentals must be for not less than 7 nights and not more than 28 nights; renting less than 7 nights is strictly prohibited. Licenses are annual and non-transferable; the license number must appear on every advertisement, with the PLR number on the listing 'home page'. Maximum occupancy is (bedrooms x 2) + 2. Annual fire inspection is mandatory, with hard-wired smoke detectors, certified extinguishers, emergency lighting, pool door alarms, and hot-tub child latches required. Monroe County's Rate of Growth Ordinance (ROGO) does NOT cap STR licenses directly but constrains new dwelling-unit creation; combined with Marathon's 7-night minimum, the supply of STR-eligible units is structurally tight. Florida Statute 509.032(7) preempts an outright ban; Monroe County 5% TDT plus 1.5% Monroe discretionary surtax plus FL 6% state sales tax stack to ~12.5%.
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 Marathon, FL?
Marathon 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 Marathon?
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 Marathon (cost, renewal cycle, required documents) are behind sign-in. You can also read the source ordinance directly: https://www.ci.marathon.fl.us/codecompliance/page/vacation-rentals.
What happens if I rent without a permit in Marathon?
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 Marathon.
How current is this data for Marathon?
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 Marathon 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.