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March 18, 2026
Naples is one of the most desirable — and most regulated — vacation rental markets in Florida. Get your licensing right and you have access to one of the highest-earning STR markets in the state. Get it wrong and you are looking at $500-per-day fines with no grace period.
This guide covers exactly what you need to do to legally operate a short-term rental in Naples, FL — including the two licenses required, the taxes you must collect, and the compliance rules that catch most hosts off guard.
If you would rather skip the paperwork entirely, our team handles the full application process for you.
In Florida, a short-term rental is any property rented more than three times per year for periods of less than six months (180 days). This applies to single-family homes, condos, townhomes, and multi-family units.
Naples falls within Collier County jurisdiction. That means you are subject to both City of Naples rules and Collier County requirements — and you need to satisfy both.
Most hosts are surprised to learn there are two separate licensing requirements in Naples. Both are mandatory. Neither waives the other.
Every vacation rental property in Naples must be individually registered with Collier County. This registration is per property — not per owner. If you have three units, you need three registrations.
Operating without this registration carries a fine of $500 per day, per property. There is no warning period.
To register with Collier County you will need:
The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) requires a state-level license for any property rented more than three times annually for stays under six months. This license is issued through the Division of Hotels and Restaurants.
You will need to determine your property type before applying. DBPR classifies vacation rentals as:
How to get your DBPR license:
Your DBPR license must be renewed annually and displayed on your listing.
Running a short-term rental in Naples means collecting and remitting two taxes on every booking.
The Tourist Development Tax is 5% of gross rental revenue for stays of six months or less. As the property owner, you are responsible for collecting this from guests and remitting it to Collier County on a monthly basis.
If you list on Airbnb or VRBO, these platforms typically collect and remit the TDT on your behalf in Collier County. However, you are still required to register for a TDT account — the county needs your registration on file regardless of who collects.
Florida imposes a 6% state sales tax on short-term rental income. Again, Airbnb and VRBO handle this in most cases, but direct bookings require you to collect and remit it yourself through the Florida Department of Revenue.
Before your DBPR license is issued and during annual renewals, your property will be inspected against Florida building and safety codes. Here is what inspectors look for:
Naples and Collier County enforce STR regulations actively. The penalties are not small.
The most common reason hosts get fined is not ignorance — it is letting licenses lapse during renewal periods. Set calendar reminders for your DBPR renewal date.
Total realistic timeline: 4 to 6 weeks if you manage the process yourself. Our team typically reduces this significantly by managing submissions, follow-ups, and inspection prep on your behalf.
Most of our Naples clients come to us after spending weeks trying to navigate DBPR, Collier County, and TDT registration simultaneously. It is time-consuming, easy to get wrong, and the cost of mistakes is $500 per day.
We handle the entire Naples vacation rental licensing process from start to finish — application prep, submission, inspection coordination, and compliance verification.
Contact us today to get started. Tell us your property address and we will take it from there.
