Vilano Beach vs. St. Johns County: Which STR Desk Applies

A host who buys in Vilano Beach almost always spends their first calls dialing the wrong government. That is not a criticism, it is geography: two incorporated cities, St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach, sit close enough that their names show up in every search result for the area, while the actual desk that governs a Vilano parcel belongs to a county office neither city name will surface.

Vilano Beach itself is unincorporated St. Johns County, sitting east of the Intracoastal Waterway across the Usina Bridge from St. Augustine proper. Because it has never incorporated as its own city, there is no Vilano Beach city desk, no Vilano Beach clerk, and no Vilano Beach short-term rental office. Registration, occupancy rules, and lighting requirements for a Vilano address run through St. Johns County government, and the tax on a booked night runs through the St. Johns County Tax Collector, a separate office with a separate phone line. This is not legal advice.

The Two Numbers a Vilano Host Actually Needs

Every other decision in this piece hangs off two phone numbers, so it is worth stating them plainly before anything else. County Code Enforcement, reached at (904) 209-0734 or by email at codenf@sjcfl.us, handles short-term rental registration, occupancy questions, and any overlay restrictions tied to a specific parcel. The St. Johns County Tax Collector, reached at (904) 209-2250 or str@sjctax.us, collects the county's Tourist Development Tax from the main office at 4030 Lewis Speedway, St. Augustine, FL 32084.

Neither of those is a city line. Neither of those belongs to St. Augustine or St. Augustine Beach. A host who calls a neighboring city's registration desk about a Vilano property is not making a small clerical mistake, they are calling an office that has no jurisdiction over the parcel at all, and whatever answer that office gives will not hold up if County Code Enforcement later reviews the listing.

Confirming the Parcel Sits in County Jurisdiction

Before advertising a Vilano Beach listing, confirm the parcel sits east of the Intracoastal Waterway. That boundary line is what separates unincorporated county land from the municipal boundaries of St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach, and it is the single fact that determines which desk a host should be calling in the first place. A county tax map will show the line clearly, and County Code Enforcement can confirm it over the phone if there is any doubt about a specific address.

Once jurisdiction is confirmed, the second call is about the registration requirement itself. Do not assume a 2026 fee amount, and do not carry forward a number from a listing forum or a prior year's paperwork. Ask the desk directly what the current registration process and cost are for the calendar year, since county fee schedules are the kind of detail that changes without much public notice and is easy to get wrong by assuming continuity.

The 5 Percent Tourist Development Tax, and Where It's Separate From Sales Tax

Registration and taxation are handled by two different offices inside the same county government, and treating them as one call is the second most common mistake after calling the wrong city. County Code Enforcement handles the registration side. The Tax Collector's office, specifically its Tourist Development Tax desk, handles the 5 percent county tax that has applied to short-term stays since October 1, 2021.

Florida sales tax is a third, entirely separate obligation, filed with the state Department of Revenue rather than with the county. A host managing a Vilano listing is potentially juggling three different remittance paths: county registration compliance, county Tourist Development Tax, and state sales tax. None of the three substitutes for either of the other two, and none of them should be estimated from an old figure. Confirm the current combined rate directly with the Department of Revenue rather than relying on a number that may already be stale.

One detail worth stating clearly because it trips up hosts trying to find a shortcut: setting a booking minimum of 30 nights or longer does not exempt a stay from Tourist Development Tax. A 30-night minimum changes how a property is marketed and how it shows up in search filters, it does not change the tax treatment of a short-term booking. Among the roughly 80 Vilano listings that already carry a 30-night-plus minimum, close to half of the market's active listing stock, that setting is a marketing choice, not a compliance workaround, and the county still expects registration on file regardless of how the calendar is configured.

Occupancy Limits and the Beachfront Lighting Rule

St. Johns County caps occupancy at two guests per room, with a hard ceiling of 10 guests per unit, and children age 12 and under are excluded from that count. This is a county-wide standard, not something a host can adjust listing by listing, and it is worth confirming with County Code Enforcement alongside any property-specific overlay that might apply to a particular parcel or subdivision.

Beachfront properties in Vilano carry one additional obligation that inland listings in the same county do not: turtle-friendly exterior lighting during sea turtle nesting season. This is a separate compliance requirement from the occupancy count, tied to protecting nesting habitat along the Atlantic side of the barrier island, and it is worth confirming directly with the county if a listing sits on or near the beach rather than assuming a generic bulb swap satisfies the requirement.

Why the Neighboring Cities Keep Causing Confusion

City of St. Augustine short-term rental registration runs through (904) 201-8839, a completely separate city government with its own licensing process, its own fee schedule, and its own enforcement staff. It does not apply to Vilano Beach, because Vilano is unincorporated county land, not a St. Augustine city parcel, no matter how close the two are geographically or how often they get grouped together in marketing copy.

St. Augustine Beach is a third, separate incorporated city with its own city desk line at (904) 471-2122 and its own short-term rental rules layered on top of county requirements that apply inside city limits. Its short-term market runs noticeably smaller than Vilano's: roughly $41,633 in typical annual revenue across 42 active listings, with 42.8 percent occupancy, a January low season, a 5.2-night average stay, and a 60-day average booking lead time. Those figures describe a different city with a different registration desk. They are useful for understanding how Vilano compares to its neighbors, not for deciding which office to call about a Vilano parcel.

A listing description that cites St. Augustine's city registration number on a Vilano property, or that assumes St. Augustine Beach's city desk covers a Vilano address, is pointing prospective guests and, more importantly, code enforcement itself, to the wrong government. That is the exact mistake this piece exists to prevent.

Vilano Beach by the Numbers

Vilano Beach's 161 active listings produced typical annual revenue of $63,182 at an average daily rate near $492 and 40.0 percent occupancy. March, April, and June run as the market's peak months, October sits as the seasonal low, and the average booked stay runs 4.2 nights with a 93-day average booking lead time. Year-over-year revenue in the market is down 10.5 percent even as new listing supply is up 20.1 percent, a combination worth watching for anyone underwriting a new purchase rather than reading last year's numbers as this year's baseline.

Houses make up 68.3 percent of local listing stock, and listings with capacity for eight or more guests account for 42.2 percent of the market, which tells a buyer something about what kind of property competes best here. Professional management covers about 23.0 percent of Vilano's active listings, split across a handful of local companies, with Wren carrying 9 listings and Elite carrying 7 among the more visible names. The remaining majority of hosts self-manage, and Superhost status sits at 75.2 percent across the market, a high bar that suggests guests here are used to a responsive, well-run stay.

None of those operating statistics change which government office a host calls first. They describe the competitive landscape a listing enters after registration, tax filing, and occupancy compliance are already squared away, and they are worth reading in that order rather than treating market revenue as a stand-in for compliance status.

What to Bring to County Code, and What to Leave Out

Bring the property address and, if possible, a copy of the county tax map showing the parcel sits east of the Intracoastal Waterway. Bring the occupancy question directly: confirm the two-per-room, 10-guest maximum, excluding children 12 and under, and ask specifically about any beachfront lighting requirement if the property is on or near the water. Ask what documentation the county wants on file and what the renewal cycle looks like once registration is approved.

Do not bring an assumed or carried-forward registration fee, and do not lead with a number pulled from a listing forum or a prior owner's paperwork. Ask the desk what the current 2026 amount actually is. And leave City of St. Augustine paperwork, along with the (904) 201-8839 line, out of a Vilano Beach registration packet entirely. That number belongs to a different city government with no authority over an unincorporated county parcel, and including it in a packet only slows down a review that should otherwise be straightforward.

It also helps to write down the answers as they come in, phone number, contact name if given, and the exact figure or requirement stated, rather than relying on memory for a compliance file that may need to be produced again at renewal time. A short written record, even a simple note in a shared document, saves the second call a year later when the same questions come up again and the first conversation has faded.

Once registration, the county's Tourist Development Tax, and the separate Florida sales tax filing with the DOR are all confirmed and on file, a host is in a position to also ask County Code Enforcement whether a state DBPR license applies to the specific property type before opening the calendar to bookings.

A Sequence That Keeps the Desks Straight

The confusion in this market is rarely about any single rule being hard to understand. Every rule above is plain once it is attached to the right office. The confusion comes from the order hosts tackle these calls in, usually starting with whichever government name shows up first in a general search, which in this stretch of Florida is almost always a city rather than the county. A better sequence starts with jurisdiction, moves to registration, then tax, then occupancy, and treats the neighboring cities as reference points rather than starting points.

Start by confirming the parcel's jurisdiction against the tax map, since that single fact determines every call that follows. Move next to County Code Enforcement for registration, using the current year's fee and documentation requirements rather than a figure carried over from a prior owner or an old forum post. From there, move to the Tax Collector's Tourist Development Tax desk, and treat that as a distinct filing from both registration and from the separate Florida sales tax obligation filed with the state Department of Revenue. Only after those three are settled does it make sense to focus on occupancy limits, beachfront lighting, and any subdivision-specific overlay that might apply.

Hosts who follow that order rarely end up in a compliance bind, because each step either confirms or eliminates an assumption before it gets baked into a listing description. Hosts who start from a city's registration page because it is the first result in a search engine end up doing the same work twice, once under the wrong office and once under the right one, and the second pass usually happens after a guest has already booked rather than before.

Reading the Market Numbers Without Losing the Compliance Thread

It is tempting, once the desk questions are settled, to spend all remaining attention on Vilano's $63,182 typical annual revenue, its 40.0 percent occupancy, or the fact that houses with capacity for eight or more guests make up 42.2 percent of the market. Those numbers matter for pricing a listing and for deciding what kind of property to buy, but they say nothing about whether a specific parcel is registered, whether its Tourist Development Tax filing is current, or whether its occupancy count matches the county's two-per-room standard.

A host who nails the market analysis and skips the desk work still ends up out of compliance, and a host who nails the desk work but ignores the market numbers still ends up pricing a listing against St. Augustine Beach's smaller, lower-occupancy market instead of Vilano's own. Both halves matter, and neither substitutes for the other. The desk work is what keeps a listing legal. The market numbers are what keep it competitively priced once it is.

Related Reading

More Vilano Beach, Florida reading already live on Crest & Cove.

• Vilano Beach STR Report 2026: $63,182, Not City Copy

• Market a Vilano Beach Stay: The Pier, Not Castillo Copy

• Vilano STR Rules: County Registration Versus City Desk

• Vilano Shoulder: March Peak, October Hole, June Extra

• Vilano Beach Remote Stays: 80 Listings Already Set 30-Plus

• DIY vs Hire in Vilano: Twenty-Three Percent PM, Wren Nine

• Who Books a Vilano Rental: March Peak, Jacksonville Origin

• Buying a Vilano Rental: Cite $63,182,

• Vilano Tourism Data: The Bridge Is Demand, Not T12

• Complete Visitor's Guide to Vilano Beach and the Pier

• What It Costs to Start a Legal Vilano Beach STR Stay

• Financing a Vilano Beach Rental Without a City blend

• Vilano $63,182 vs St Augustine Beach $41,633: Two Halls

Frequently Asked Questions

Which office handles Vilano Beach STR registration?

Vilano Beach short-term rental registration runs through St. Johns County Code Enforcement, not through a city hall in St. Augustine or St. Augustine Beach. Reach the desk at (904) 209-0734 or codenf@sjcfl.us. Because Vilano is unincorporated county land, no municipal registration line has authority over it, and confirming that jurisdiction first saves a host from filing paperwork with an office that cannot act on it.

Does County Code Enforcement cover Vilano Beach?

Yes, County Code Enforcement covers Vilano Beach parcels because the community sits in unincorporated St. Johns County rather than inside either neighboring city's limits. Coverage still depends on confirming the specific address against the county tax map, since the boundary that separates county land from city land runs close enough to some parcels that it is worth a direct call rather than an assumption.

What is the Tourist Development Tax and who collects it?

The St. Johns County Tourist Development Tax is 5 percent, in effect since October 1, 2021, and it is collected by the county Tax Collector at (904) 209-2250 or str@sjctax.us, from the main office at 4030 Lewis Speedway, St. Augustine, FL 32084. It is a separate office and a separate filing from the registration process handled by County Code Enforcement.

Is Florida sales tax the same as the county tourist tax?

No. Florida sales tax is filed with the state Department of Revenue and sits on a separate remittance track from the county's Tourist Development Tax. Both can apply to the same short-term booking, so a host underwriting a Vilano stay should keep each obligation labeled separately rather than assuming one filing covers both, and should confirm current rates with each desk rather than working from an older combined figure.

What is the occupancy limit for a Vilano Beach short-term rental?

St. Johns County caps occupancy at two guests per room, with a hard maximum of 10 guests per unit, excluding children age 12 and under. Beachfront properties in Vilano also need turtle-friendly exterior lighting during sea turtle nesting season, a separate compliance requirement from the occupancy count that is worth confirming directly with the county for any property on or near the beach.

Does City of St. Augustine registration apply to Vilano Beach?

No. City of St. Augustine short-term rental registration, reached at (904) 201-8839, covers a separate incorporated city and has no authority over Vilano Beach's unincorporated county parcels. A listing that cites that number on a Vilano property is directing both guests and code enforcement to the wrong office.

How is St. Augustine Beach different from Vilano Beach for STR purposes?

St. Augustine Beach is its own incorporated city with a separate city hall line at (904) 471-2122 and its own short-term rental rules layered on top of county requirements. Its market also runs smaller than Vilano's, with roughly $41,633 in typical annual revenue across 42 listings and 42.8 percent occupancy, compared with Vilano's $63,182 across 161 listings at 40.0 percent occupancy.

Does a 30-night minimum stay exempt a Vilano listing from the county's Tourist Development Tax?

No. A 30-night-plus minimum stay is a marketing and calendar setting, not a tax exemption. Roughly 80 Vilano listings, close to half the market's active inventory, already carry that minimum, and County Code Enforcement still expects registration on file for the parcel regardless of how the booking minimum is configured.

What should I confirm before advertising a Vilano Beach listing?

Confirm the parcel sits east of the Intracoastal Waterway, confirm registration with County Code Enforcement at (904) 209-0734, confirm the occupancy cap and any beachfront lighting requirement, and confirm the current Tourist Development Tax filing path with the Tax Collector. Handle all four before the listing goes live, not after a guest has already booked.

Who should I contact if I'm not sure whether my Vilano property needs a DBPR license?

Ask County Code Enforcement directly when confirming registration. State DBPR licensing requirements can apply on top of county registration depending on the property type, and it is a question worth raising in the same call rather than treating registration, tax filing, and state licensing as three separate research projects.

Work with Crest & Cove Creative

Two city desks sit close enough to Vilano Beach that hosts assume one of them must be in charge. Neither is.

Crest & Cove helps independent hosts around Vilano Beach and St. Johns County keep their listing's compliance language matched to the desk that actually owns the parcel. If your about block still blends a neighboring city's rules into a county property, reach out at crestcove.co or (256) 998-7502 and we will help separate the story.

Reach out at crestcove.co or (256) 998-7502.