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Pinellas County · Property management
Property management in Pinellas County.
Pinellas adopted a short-term rental program that most Florida counties do not have: Ordinance 25-15 created Division 5 of Article VI, Chapter 22 of the county code, and a companion Land Development Code amendment (Case LDR-24-04) built a Certificate of Use requirement into Chapter 138 zoning. It applies only in unincorporated Pinellas. The county's 24 municipalities each run their own rules, so two houses four blocks apart can face entirely different obligations.
What Pinellas County rents for right now
Pinellas is 24 municipalities plus unincorporated pockets packed into Florida's most densely built county, and a countywide rent average is close to meaningless across that geography — a 2-bedroom on Indian Rocks Beach and a 2-bedroom in Lealman do not belong in the same number. The RentCafe figures are Yardi Matrix data limited to apartment buildings of 50 or more units, which in Pinellas means mid-rise and garden product concentrated in St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Largo, not the beach condos, small multifamily and single-family homes most individual owners hold. Beach and near-beach units also carry a split between annual leases and short-stay use that no long-term rent index separates out.
| Bedrooms | Typical range, houses & condos |
|---|---|
| 1 bed | $1,400 - $1,700 |
| 2 bed | $1,950 - $2,100 |
| 3 bed | $2,500 - $2,620 |
| 4+ bed | $3,100 - $3,250 |
Ranges blend Zumper city-level medians for St. Petersburg (Sept. 18, 2026) and Clearwater (Sept. 17, 2026) with RentCafe/Yardi Matrix countywide averages for Pinellas County (Aug. 2026). Countywide ranges, not a valuation. We run comps on your specific address.
Twenty-four city halls, one county code, and a 49 percent tripwire
The county's short-term rental framework arrived in two pieces. The Board of County Commissioners passed the Land Development Code amendment (Case LDR-24-04) on March 25, 2025, adding definitions, a certificate of use program, standards and inspections for short-term rentals under Chapter 138 zoning, with a companion fee resolution the same day. The standalone ordinance creating Chapter 22, Article VI, Division 5 — Ordinance 25-15 — passed August 5, 2025. Because both post-date June 1, 2011, Florida Statute 509.032(7)(b) prevents them from setting a minimum stay or capping how often a home may be rented. What they can do, and do, is require registration, inspection and occupancy limits. The county defines a short-term rental as a home or unit rented for stays of less than 30 days, more than three times a year, or advertised for regular guest rental.
The program's mechanics are specific. A Certificate of Use costs $450, split $250 at application and $200 after a passed inspection, with a $150 initial inspection fee and a $100 re-inspection if the property fails. Renewal is annual at $450, with a re-inspection every two years at $100. Occupancy is capped at two guests per bedroom plus up to two additional guests in one common area, and total occupancy may not exceed 10. Owners must post the responsible party's name, address and phone number. A single bedroom rented inside an owner-occupied primary residence is exempt, but an owner-occupied home with a guest house or garage apartment is not. All of this applies to unincorporated Pinellas only — the county's Code Enforcement Division is explicit that if you are inside a city, you follow that city's rules.
What that means if you own here: Confirm jurisdiction first, because in Pinellas that is not a formality — it is the difference between a $450 annual certificate and a city program with different fees, different inspections, or none at all. If you are unincorporated and you rent short-term, get the certificate before you list rather than after a complaint, and build the inspection into your turnover calendar so a failed inspection does not land in the middle of a booked week. On the flood side, work to 49 percent, not 50: Pinellas treats a structure as substantially damaged when repair cost reaches 49 percent or more of its value excluding land, and it applied that to Helene and Milton repairs with no storm exemption. Price any repair or renovation against the structure's market value before you commit, and remember new and substantially improved buildings must be built at least one foot above base flood elevation.
Four things that make this county its own animal
Certificate of Use, unincorporated only
Adopted through LDC Case LDR-24-04 (March 25, 2025) and Ordinance 25-15 (August 5, 2025). $450 initial certificate, $450 annual renewal, $150 initial inspection, $100 re-inspection, and a two-year re-inspection cycle. Applies outside the 24 municipalities; a single bedroom in an owner-occupied primary residence is exempt, an accessory dwelling unit is not.
No county minimum stay — and there cannot be one
Because the Pinellas ordinances were adopted after June 1, 2011, Florida Statute 509.032(7)(b) prevents them from regulating duration or frequency. The county's 30-day, three-times-a-year definition is a trigger for registration, not a rental ban. Municipal rules adopted on or before June 1, 2011 are a separate question and have to be checked city by city.
49 percent, and no storm exemption
Pinellas uses a 49 percent repair-cost-to-market-value threshold for substantial damage, and stated plainly that permits arising from Hurricanes Helene and Milton are not exempt from substantial damage and substantial improvement rules. The county administers assessments for unincorporated areas; cities run their own.
One foot of freeboard
New and substantially improved buildings must be constructed at least one foot above base flood elevation. Call Floodplain Management for the base flood and design flood elevations before a designer draws anything — retrofitting elevation into a finished set of plans is the expensive way to learn this.
Where we work in Pinellas County
St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo, Pinellas Park, Dunedin, Tarpon Springs, Safety Harbor, Oldsmar, Seminole, Gulfport, South Pasadena, Kenneth City, Belleair and the Belleair communities, St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island, Madeira Beach, Indian Rocks Beach, Indian Shores and the Redington beaches, plus unincorporated Palm Harbor, East Lake, Lealman, Feather Sound, Bardmoor, Ridgecrest and Tierra Verde.
Encore has bought, sold and managed property across Central Florida for over a decade. We work this market the same way we work our own portfolio.
What you get
- Rent analysis on your actual address — not a countywide average
- Marketing and leasing — MLS, every major rental platform, showings handled, applicants screened against written criteria applied identically to everyone
- HOA coordination — lease approval packets started the day we list, not the week the tenant wants to move
- Maintenance — licensed, insured vendors; you approve anything over your spending limit
- Accounting — online rent collection, monthly statements, year-end financials and 1099s, owner portal
- The hard parts — late rent, violations, notices, evictions, turnovers
Backed by five written promises, including a 30-day leasing promise and a rent promise: if the tenant doesn't pay, we don't take a management commission that month. Full terms are in the management agreement.
What would your Pinellas County property rent for?
Send us the address. You'll get a real rent analysis and the owner packet — every service tier, what's included, and what it costs.
Pinellas County owner questions
- Do I need a Pinellas Certificate of Use for my rental?
- Only if the property is in unincorporated Pinellas and meets the county's short-term rental definition — stays under 30 days, more than three times a year, or advertised for regular guest rental. Annual and seasonal leases longer than that are outside the program. If you are inside one of the 24 municipalities, the county program does not apply and your city's rules do.
- Can Pinellas stop me from renting short-term at all?
- No. Florida Statute 509.032(7)(b) bars a local government from prohibiting vacation rentals or regulating duration or frequency unless the local rule was adopted on or before June 1, 2011. The Pinellas ordinances are from 2025, so they operate as registration, inspection and occupancy rules rather than a ban. Your HOA or condo documents are a separate matter and are not preempted.
- How many people can stay in my unincorporated Pinellas short-term rental?
- Two guests per bedroom, plus up to two additional guests in one common area, with total occupancy capped at 10. You also have to post the responsible party's name, address and phone number at the property.
- I am repairing storm damage. When does the substantial damage rule bite?
- When repair cost reaches 49 percent or more of the structure's market value excluding land. Pinellas confirmed that Helene and Milton permits are not exempt. Get the structure value and a full repair estimate in hand before you start, because crossing the line means bringing the whole building up to current flood standards, including the one-foot freeboard.