Coral Gables treats short-term rentals differently depending on zoning, so read the city’s quoted rules before you list on either Airbnb or Vrbo. This page quotes the current city notice and zoning code so you can check what applies to your property.
Here is how the work splits. You, the owner, check the address, the approvals and the taxes. Your chosen local people handle the physical work: visits, cleaning and repairs. BnBGenius answers guest messages on Airbnb and Vrbo 24/7 and creates cleaning and repair tasks after checkout. That offer applies only if your address and use qualify under the quoted rules below.
What Is Banned or Limited
The city’s main restriction comes first.
“With the exception of designated historic bed-and-breakfast establishments, short-term rentals – stays of less than six months – are not permitted in Coral Gables in areas zoned for single-family or multifamily residential use.”
Source: City of Coral Gables
“Property owners and residents are reminded that rental agreements in these areas must be for a minimum of six months.”
Source: City of Coral Gables
What this means for you: In the quoted residential zones, you cannot rent for stays under 6 months. Rental agreements there must run at least 6 months. The only exception is a designated historic bed-and-breakfast establishment.
The zoning code also limits what single-family districts allow.
“In an SFR District no use other than these listed below shall be permitted. No buildings or premises shall be used, nor shall any building or structure be erected, altered or enlarged which is arranged, intended or designed to be used for a use other than a single-family use as defined in this Code.”
Source: Coral Gables Zoning Code
What this means for you: In an SFR District, only the uses listed in that part of the code are permitted. A building there cannot be set up for any other use. This covers single-family districts only.
Ordinary residential zoning is not the legal path described in the next section.
Where Short-Term Rentals Are Allowed
The mixed-use districts are a separate category.
“The MX Districts include MX1, MX2, and MX3. These are differentiated by their intensity and location.”
Source: Coral Gables Zoning Code
The code’s use table is the next place to look. Its title reads:
“Section 3-101. Principal Uses Table.”
Source: Coral Gables Zoning Code
The table’s own introduction says:
“This Table sets forth the uses permitted in the zoning districts.”
Source: Coral Gables Zoning Code
The legend explains the marks used in the table:
“P: Permitted Use C: Conditional Use AR: Additional Regulations (permitted but subject to additional regulations in this Article)”
Source: Coral Gables Zoning Code
The superscript footnote adds a condition:
“° Use is permitted only as a conditional use if abutting SFR or MF1 Districts”
Source: Coral Gables Zoning Code
What this means for you: The code’s use table lists which uses are allowed in each zoning district. In the rendered table, the overnight-accommodations row carries a P° mark in each of the MX1, MX2 and MX3 columns. The row itself does not name the districts. The names come from the table’s columns. P means a permitted use. The ° mark adds a condition. The use is permitted only as a conditional use if the property abuts an SFR or MF1 district. This is a reading of the table, not approval of every home.
The code also defines the use itself.
“Overnight accommodations means a building or portion thereof designed and used primarily to provide sleeping accommodations for transient guests for a daily or weekly rental charge and including interval ownership and such office, meeting, restaurant facilities as are integral to the primary function of the use.”
Source: Coral Gables Zoning Code
What this means for you: Overnight accommodations means a building, or part of one, used mainly for sleeping accommodations for short-stay guests. The charge is by the day or week. This is a permitted-use category, not approval of every home. The conditional-use condition above still applies when the property abuts an SFR or MF1 district. Before you list on Airbnb or Vrbo, confirm your address and use with the city.
How to Check Your Address
The city notice tells you where to look.
“Not sure how your property is zoned? Use the city’s online zoning map to look up your property and confirm its zoning designation.”
Source: City of Coral Gables
What this means for you: The city has an online zoning map for this exact purpose. Use it to look up your property and confirm its zoning designation.
The checklist below has 2 practical steps for checking your address against the quoted rules.
- Open the notice linked in the source line above, then follow its “View the Coral Gables Zoning Map” link to the official lookup. Find your property and read its district.
- Compare that district with the quoted rules above. If anything is unclear, contact the city and ask about your specific address and use.
What the City Requires Where Rentals Are Allowed
Parking has its own rule for overnight accommodations.
“Overnight accommodations. One and one-eighth (1 1/8) spaces per sleeping room.”
Source: Coral Gables Zoning Code
What this means for you: Overnight accommodations need 1 1/8 parking spaces per sleeping room. The code says sleeping rooms, not bedrooms. Ask the city how this applies to your site and use.
The code also sets operating limits under a heading called Section 3-415. Nighttime Uses.
“Section 3-415. Nighttime Uses.”
Source: Coral Gables Zoning Code
That section names overnight accommodations and restaurants among the uses it covers:
“Overnight accommodations and restaurants.”
Source: Coral Gables Zoning Code
The operating limits themselves are:
“No outdoor facilities, including pools, decks, outdoor dining or drinking facilities which are visible from land designated residential shall be used or operated between the hours of 10:00 PM and 8:00 AM weekdays and 10:00 PM and 8:00 AM on weekends. No music (live or recorded) shall be performed or played except within an enclosed building between the hours of 8:00 PM and 6:00 AM. No kitchen with outside venting shall be directed toward residential districts and shall not be operated between the hours of 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM.”
Source: Coral Gables Zoning Code
What this means for you: These rules apply to this specific use. Outdoor facilities cannot be used between 10:00 PM and 8:00 AM. That covers weekdays and weekends. It applies only if the facilities are visible from land designated residential. Pools, decks, and outdoor dining or drinking areas are examples. Music, live or recorded, is not allowed outside an enclosed building between 8:00 PM and 6:00 AM. A kitchen with outside venting cannot be directed toward residential districts. It also cannot be operated between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM. These are limits for this use, not citywide quiet hours.
This quote set does not establish any city licensing, registration, fee, advertising-number or responsible-party requirement for this use. That does not mean none exists. Ask the city which approvals apply to your address and use. Owners arrange local physical work themselves. BnBGenius does not perform zoning checks and does not act as a city contact.
Fines and Enforcement
The city warns about rentals that do not comply.
“Rentals that do not comply may be subject to fines and other code enforcement action.”
Source: City of Coral Gables
What this means for you: A rental that breaks the quoted rules may face fines and other code enforcement action. The notice gives no fine amount in this excerpt.
These are 2 steps for checking the notice and the applicable rule.
- If you receive a notice, ask the city to explain what it says and which rule it cites.
- Confirm the applicable rule against the quoted text above before you change anything about your listing.
No appeals process, grace period or inspection power is described in these quotes, so none is claimed here. The residential rules above keep their scope.
Taxes
State tax applies to short stays.
“Florida’s 6% state sales tax, plus any applicable discretionary sales surtax, applies to rental charges or room rates paid for the right to use or occupy living quarters or sleeping or housekeeping accommodations for rental periods of six months or less, often called “transient accommodations” or “transient rentals.””
Source: Florida Department of Revenue
The Florida Department of Revenue lists a Miami-Dade surtax.
“Miami-Dade 1% (.5%) Jan 1, 1992 None (.5%) Jan 1, 2003 None”
Source: Florida Department of Revenue
The same department’s rate table shows:
“Miami-Dade (2) 6% County”
Source: Florida Department of Revenue
“(2) Miami-Dade: 4% for Surfside and Bal Harbour, 7% for Miami Beach, and 6% for the rest of the county.”
Source: Florida Department of Revenue
The county tax applies to stays of 6 months or less.
“Yes – this tax is applicable to all guests who rent accommodations for six months or less, whether or not they are Florida or Miami-Dade residents.”
Source: Miami-Dade County
What this means for you: Florida charges 6% state sales tax plus any applicable surtax on rentals of 6 months or less. The state lists a 1% surtax for Miami-Dade. The rate table shows 6% for the county. It shows 4% for Surfside and Bal Harbour, 7% for Miami Beach, and 6% for the rest of the county. Coral Gables falls in the rest-of-county group, not the Miami Beach, Surfside or Bal Harbour rates.
The county also sets rules on who registers and who pays.
“You, as the owner of the property, must register the property for a Convention & Tourist Tax account. If you are collecting taxes, you must file the taxes using your own registered account; you cannot give the taxes you collected to a third party. The rental agent can be added to the account as a contact. To authorize our staff to discuss the account with the agent should they call our office, a Rental Agreement or an executed Power of Attorney naming the agent must be provided to us. As the property owner, you are ultimately responsible for the required tax to be paid if the rental agent fails to do so.”
Source: Miami-Dade County
The county has agreements with platforms.
“Miami-Dade County has agreements in place with the following platforms to collect and remit all required Short-Term Rental taxes on behalf of their hosts:”
Source: Miami-Dade County
“HomeAway and its affiliated entities such as Expedia, VRBO, VacationRentals Airbnb”
Source: Miami-Dade County
What this means for you: You must register the property for a Convention & Tourist Tax account. If you collect taxes, you file them with your own account. You cannot hand the collected taxes to a third party. A rental agent can be added as a contact. County staff can discuss the account with that agent only after you provide a rental agreement or an executed power of attorney naming the agent. If the agent fails to pay, you are still responsible for the tax. The county’s list names Airbnb, and it names HomeAway and its affiliated entities such as Expedia, VRBO and VacationRentals. The agreements do not say which tax components each platform lists, so this page makes no such claim.
A separate state page names which municipalities can impose a resort tax.
“Currently, only three municipalities in Miami-Dade County (Bal Harbour, Miami Beach, and Surfside) are eligible to impose this tax.”
Source: Florida Department of Revenue
What this means for you: Only Bal Harbour, Miami Beach and Surfside are named as eligible. This source does not include Coral Gables. That is not a claim that no city tax of any kind exists. Ask the city what applies to you.
| Platform | Tax entries the platform lists | What the owner checks |
|---|---|---|
| Airbnb | “Florida Transient Rental Tax: 6% of the listing price including any cleaning fee for reservations 182 nights and shorter.” (Source: Airbnb Help) “Florida Discretionary Sales Surtax: 0.5%-1.5% of the listing price including any cleaning fee for reservations 182 nights and shorter.” (Source: Airbnb Help) “Tourist Development Room Tax: 2% of the listing price including any cleaning fee for reservations 182 nights and shorter in Miami-Dade County. The tax is not applicable to reservations in Miami Beach, Bal Harbour and Surfside.” (Source: Airbnb Help) “Professional Sports Franchise Facility Tax: 1% of the listing price including any cleaning fee for reservations 182 nights and shorter. The tax is not applicable to reservations in Miami Beach, Bal Harbour and Surfside.” (Source: Airbnb Help) “Convention Development Tax: 3% of the listing price including any cleaning fee for reservations 182 nights and shorter in Miami-Dade County. The tax is not applicable to reservations located in Bal Harbour and Surfside.” (Source: Airbnb Help) | “Hosts may need to manually collect and remit other applicable taxes on their stay or experience price.” (Source: Airbnb Help) “Hosts located in these areas are responsible for assessing all other tax obligations, including state and city jurisdictions.” (Source: Airbnb Help) |
| Vrbo | “State Transient Rentals Tax, Discretionary County Surtax Note: Discretionary County Surtax is state tax surcharges required by various counties that Vrbo will also be collecting and remitting. These rates vary between 0.5-2%. The state of Florida under 184 nights December 1, 2018” (Source: Vrbo Help) “Miami Dade County County Tourist Development Tax Miami-Dade County under 184 nights April 1, 2020” (Source: Vrbo Help) | “You’re also responsible for collecting and remitting lodging taxes when we’re not liable to do so.” (Source: Vrbo Help) |
What this means for you: Airbnb lists a state tax and a surtax for reservations of 182 nights and shorter. It also lists three county entries, each with its own exclusions. Vrbo lists state taxes for Florida stays under 184 nights. Its county row gives no rate breakdown. Keep the 182-night and under-184-night thresholds separate. These are platform tax rules, not zoning rules. Check the taxes collected for each booking and what remains due. BnBGenius is not an accounting tool.
If Your Address Qualifies: What BnBGenius Does
The sections below apply only if your address and use qualify under the quoted rules above.
Answers guest messages on Airbnb and Vrbo 24/7
BnBGenius answers guest messages on Airbnb and Vrbo 24/7, using the Airbnb automated messages and Vrbo automated messages features. If your address does not qualify, this offer does not apply to it.
Requests a review from the guest and publishes the host’s review
BnBGenius requests a review from the guest and publishes the host’s review through its reviews feature. Kent Morgan shared his experience:
“We went from reviewing 40% of stays to 100% overnight. The AI even thanked guests for things we fixed mid-stay. Our review-to-review rate jumped immediately.”
Creates cleaning and repair tasks after checkout
BnBGenius creates cleaning and repair tasks after checkout through its tasks feature. The physical cleaning and repairs are done by your chosen local people, not the software. Kent Morgan described his result:
“We used to find out about issues in post-stay reviews. Now BnBGenius flags them mid-stay, creates the task, and our cleaners respond in under 15 minutes.”
Answers guest calls with a voice AI agent
BnBGenius answers guest calls with a voice AI agent (Voice Concierge, an add-on), described on the voice page. Kent Morgan reported:
“The concierge answered 84% of our after-hours calls last month without waking anyone up. Guests thought it was our in-house team the whole time.”
Sells gap nights, early check-in and late checkout
BnBGenius sells gap nights, early check-in and late checkout through its upsells feature. This applies only to addresses that qualify under the quoted rules; selling extras does not override zoning or approvals. Kent Morgan shared:
“BnBGenius filled nine gap nights in the first month. $2.3k we would have lost. Guests got a friendly Airbnb message and we didn’t lift a finger.”
Is run from Telegram
BnBGenius is run from Telegram, as described on the Telegram page.
Airbnb and Vrbo
| Guest work | Airbnb | Vrbo |
|---|---|---|
| Messages | “Every reservation automatically creates a group thread where all bookers, co-travelers, hosts and co-hosts can connect.” (Source: Airbnb Help) | “You can send a message to a host through our secure messaging platform.” (Source: Vrbo Help) |
| Reviews | “On the day of checkout, both the guest and their host will be prompted to leave a review. Both parties will have 14 days after checkout to submit their review.” (Source: Airbnb Help) | “You and your guests have 180 days to provide your review. Once one party submits their review, the other party has 14 days to complete their review.” (Source: Vrbo Help) |
| Check-in details | “Guests will see your check-in method (such as smart lock, keypad, or lock box) but they won’t see the detailed check-in instructions until 48 hours before check-in.” (Source: Airbnb Help) | “The welcome guide includes: Host or property manager contact information. Directions to the property. Parking instructions. Access instructions. Check-in and check-out instructions.” (Source: Vrbo Help) “The welcome guide information is emailed to your guests in the language you wrote it in, three days before check-in.” (Source: Vrbo Help) |
What this means for you: On Airbnb, every reservation creates a group thread for messages. Both guest and host get a review prompt on checkout day and have 14 days to submit. Guests see your check-in method, but they do not see the detailed check-in instructions until 48 hours before check-in. On Vrbo, guests message through a secure messaging platform. You and your guests have 180 days to provide a review, and once one party submits, the other has 14 days to finish. Vrbo emails the welcome guide, which includes contact information, directions, parking, access and check-in instructions, 3 days before check-in. These platform policies do not decide local zoning. Your address must qualify under the city’s quoted rules first.
How to Start
These steps apply only to addresses and uses that qualify under the quoted rules above.
More City Guides
- Airbnb rules in Miami Beach, FL
- Self-managing an Airbnb in Sunny Isles Beach, FL
- Self-managing an Airbnb in Hallandale Beach, FL
- Self-managing an Airbnb in Hollywood, FL
- Florida short-term rental laws by city
Rules and rates last checked on 3 October 2026.
