Pinellas County adopts short‑term rental rules, creates registration and enforcement program

Pinellas County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt an ordinance and fee schedule creating a county‑wide short‑term rental registration and enforcement program.

The ordinance sets a 10‑person maximum occupancy for rentals, retains quiet hours from 10 p.m. to 9 a.m., requires a certificate of use, updates a bedroom definition to match state and building code language, and adds a process for reporting registered sex offenders to law enforcement. The implementing fee schedule funds a dedicated short‑term rental administrator, technology for registration and advertising monitoring, and a 24/7 hotline.

County director Kevin McAndrew, director of building and development review services, said the program will roll out in stages, with the registration website and outreach campaign launching immediately and the certificate‑of‑use requirement activated March 31. “This is a total reset for short term rentals in Pinellas County,” McAndrew said, adding the county will monitor the program and return to the board with adjustments if needed.

Why it matters: Residents who live beside short‑term rentals have repeatedly told the commission that noise, late‑night parties and parked cars on narrow streets degrade neighborhood life. The ordinance is intended to put every short‑term…