What It Costs to Start a Legal Bay St. Louis STR Stay

Thomas Garner
15 hours ago
10 min read

Lodging interior or exterior, Bay St. Louis stay 11

Most Bay St. Louis listings get marketed as a generic Gulf of Mexico stay. That pitch could describe a dozen other towns, and it wastes what actually sets City of Bay St. Louis, Hancock County, Mississippi apart. Guests who typed Bay St. Louis are looking for Old Town, the harbor, beachfront, the marina — not Vermilion, and not Crystal Beach. 340 active listings sit on this extract. Write the town you can actually walk. Keep the listing specific. A vague water caption loses the booking.

Typical listings here earned about $25,594 last year from 340 active rentals, AirROI trailing twelve months through July 2026. The average night was $279. Occupancy was 31.5 percent. Revenue per available night was $92. Year over year is minus 4.5 percent. Active supply moved 0.0 percent. Do not average in Vermilion at $29,012 on 78 listings. That is a different town. Leave Crystal Beach as a different market. Do not mix those towns. Treat this as a small sample, not a blended coast.

The three strongest months are June, October, and May. June is the busiest. January is the slowest. Most guests arrive from New Orleans, then Baton Rouge. Typical stay is 3.8 nights, booked about 60 days ahead. Call Planning at 228-466-5516. City short-term rental permit. Published as a $100 form. Confirm the live fee at hall. AirROI Low is a scrape Heirloom holds still show up in this sample. Confirm the live desk before you advertise. A regulation scrape is not a permit.

Price the City License Before You Furnish

That heading is the useful way to read Bay St. Louis, not a dashboard label. Guests come for Old Town. Say that in the listing. Do not bury it under a generic Gulf of Mexico caption. Do not write Vermilion copy onto a Bay St. Louis address. Do not use Crystal Beach as if it were this occupancy. Be specific about the walk. A vague caption loses the guest who typed this town. Keep the other town out of the title.

Read more in Bay St. Louis Tourism Data and Complete Visitor's Guide to Bay St. Louis and Old Town. Typical listings earned about $25,594 last year from 340 active rentals, at $279 a night and 31.5 percent occupancy. June is the busiest month. January is the slowest. Most guests arrive from New Orleans. Call Planning at 228-466-5516. City short-term rental permit. Published as a $100 form. Confirm the live fee at hall. AirROI Low is a scrape

Year over year is minus 4.5 percent. Supply moved 0.0 percent. Keep Crystal Beach ($44,416 a year) on its own line. A 28.8-percent share of listings uses a 30-night minimum. That is a stay rule, not occupancy. Photograph Old Town. Confirm the parcel before you advertise. Sales tax can still apply under 30 days. Call the desk. Do not underwrite another town's year.

Clerk Phone Is Two Two Eight Four Six Six Five Five One Six

That heading is the useful way to read Bay St. Louis, not a dashboard label. Guests come for the harbor. Say that in the listing. Do not bury it under a generic Gulf of Mexico caption. Do not write Vermilion copy onto a Bay St. Louis address. Do not use Crystal Beach as if it were this occupancy. Be specific about the walk. A vague caption loses the guest who typed this town. Keep the other town out of the title.

Read more in Complete Visitor's Guide to Bay St. Louis and Old Town and Bay St. Louis STR Report 2026. Typical listings earned about $25,594 last year from 340 active rentals, at $279 a night and 31.5 percent occupancy. June is the busiest month. January is the slowest. Most guests arrive from New Orleans. Call Planning at 228-466-5516. City short-term rental permit. Published as a $100 form. Confirm the live fee at hall. AirROI Low is a scrape

Year over year is minus 4.5 percent. Supply moved 0.0 percent. Keep Crystal Beach ($44,416 a year) on its own line. A 28.8-percent share of listings uses a 30-night minimum. That is a stay rule, not occupancy. Photograph the harbor. Confirm the parcel before you advertise. Sales tax can still apply under 30 days. Call the desk. Do not underwrite another town's year.

New Cards Need the Live Desk

That heading is the useful way to read Bay St. Louis, not a dashboard label. Guests come for beachfront. Say that in the listing. Do not bury it under a generic Gulf of Mexico caption. Do not write Vermilion copy onto a Bay St. Louis address. Do not use Crystal Beach as if it were this occupancy. Be specific about the walk. A vague caption loses the guest who typed this town. Keep the other town out of the title.

Read more in Bay St. Louis STR Report 2026 and Market a Bay St. Louis Stay. Typical listings earned about $25,594 last year from 340 active rentals, at $279 a night and 31.5 percent occupancy. June is the busiest month. January is the slowest. Most guests arrive from New Orleans. Call Planning at 228-466-5516. City short-term rental permit. Published as a $100 form. Confirm the live fee at hall. AirROI Low is a scrape

Year over year is minus 4.5 percent. Supply moved 0.0 percent. Keep Crystal Beach ($44,416 a year) on its own line. A 28.8-percent share of listings uses a 30-night minimum. That is a stay rule, not occupancy. Photograph beachfront. Confirm the parcel before you advertise. Sales tax can still apply under 30 days. Call the desk. Do not underwrite another town's year.

Confirm City Parcel Before You Buy a Permit Story

That heading is the useful way to read Bay St. Louis, not a dashboard label. Guests come for the marina. Say that in the listing. Do not bury it under a generic Gulf of Mexico caption. Do not write Vermilion copy onto a Bay St. Louis address. Do not use Crystal Beach as if it were this occupancy. Be specific about the walk. A vague caption loses the guest who typed this town. Keep the other town out of the title.

Read more in Market a Bay St. Louis Stay and Bay St. Louis STR Rules. Typical listings earned about $25,594 last year from 340 active rentals, at $279 a night and 31.5 percent occupancy. June is the busiest month. January is the slowest. Most guests arrive from New Orleans. Call Planning at 228-466-5516. City short-term rental permit. Published as a $100 form. Confirm the live fee at hall. AirROI Low is a scrape

Year over year is minus 4.5 percent. Supply moved 0.0 percent. Keep Crystal Beach ($44,416 a year) on its own line. A 28.8-percent share of listings uses a 30-night minimum. That is a stay rule, not occupancy. Photograph the marina. Confirm the parcel before you advertise. Sales tax can still apply under 30 days. Call the desk. Do not underwrite another town's year.

Statewide Tax Sits Statewide

Read more in Bay St. Louis STR Rules and Bay St. Louis Shoulder. Typical listings earned about $25,594 last year from 340 active rentals, at $279 a night and 31.5 percent occupancy. June is the busiest month. January is the slowest. Most guests arrive from New Orleans. Call Planning at 228-466-5516. City short-term rental permit. Published as a $100 form. Confirm the live fee at hall. AirROI Low is a scrape

Crystal Beach Permit Is Another Desk

Read more in Bay St. Louis Shoulder and Bay St. Louis Remote Stays. Typical listings earned about $25,594 last year from 340 active rentals, at $279 a night and 31.5 percent occupancy. June is the busiest month. January is the slowest. Most guests arrive from New Orleans. Call Planning at 228-466-5516. City short-term rental permit. Published as a $100 form. Confirm the live fee at hall. AirROI Low is a scrape

Year over year is minus 4.5 percent. Supply moved 0.0 percent. Keep Crystal Beach ($44,416 a year) on its own line. A 28.8-percent share of listings uses a 30-night minimum. That is a stay rule, not occupancy. Photograph the harbor. Confirm the parcel before you advertise. Sales tax can still apply under 30 days. Call the desk. Do not underwrite another town's year.

Vermilion Is a Different City Desk

Read more in Bay St. Louis Remote Stays and DIY vs Hire in Bay St. Louis. Typical listings earned about $25,594 last year from 340 active rentals, at $279 a night and 31.5 percent occupancy. June is the busiest month. January is the slowest. Most guests arrive from New Orleans. Call Planning at 228-466-5516. City short-term rental permit. Published as a $100 form. Confirm the live fee at hall. AirROI Low is a scrape

Year over year is minus 4.5 percent. Supply moved 0.0 percent. Keep Crystal Beach ($44,416 a year) on its own line. A 28.8-percent share of listings uses a 30-night minimum. That is a stay rule, not occupancy. Photograph beachfront. Confirm the parcel before you advertise. Sales tax can still apply under 30 days. Call the desk. Do not underwrite another town's year.

What You Actually Spend Before Night One

Read more in DIY vs Hire in Bay St. Louis and Who Books a Bay St. Louis Rental. Typical listings earned about $25,594 last year from 340 active rentals, at $279 a night and 31.5 percent occupancy. June is the busiest month. January is the slowest. Most guests arrive from New Orleans. Call Planning at 228-466-5516. City short-term rental permit. Published as a $100 form. Confirm the live fee at hall. AirROI Low is a scrape

Year over year is minus 4.5 percent. Supply moved 0.0 percent. Keep Crystal Beach ($44,416 a year) on its own line. A 28.8-percent share of listings uses a 30-night minimum. That is a stay rule, not occupancy. Photograph the marina. Confirm the parcel before you advertise. Sales tax can still apply under 30 days. Call the desk. Do not underwrite another town's year.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a typical Bay St. Louis STR year on this extract?

AirROI lists Bay St. Louis's typical year at about $25,594 from 340 listings, trailing twelve months August 2025 through July 2026, updated 2026-08-08. Average night was $279, occupancy was 31.5 percent, and year over year moved down 4.5 percent -- treat this as a small-sample market and don't blend it with Vermilion's $29,012 or Crystal Beach's $44,416.

Can I average Vermilion into this year?

No. Vermilion published $29,012 from 78 listings, a separate Lake Erie desk that doesn't cancel into Bay St. Louis's Gulf Coast year. Cite the $25,594 figure from Bay St. Louis's 340 listings only.

Which months are strongest in Bay St. Louis?

The three strongest months are June, October, and May, with June the busiest. January is the slowest, and occupancy for the full year sits at 31.5 percent on a typical $25,594 year from 340 listings.

Where do guests come from?

New Orleans is the top origin, followed by Baton Rouge. Typical stay is 3.8 nights, booked about 60 days ahead, with a superhost share of 62.4 percent -- serve the guest who's actually searching for Bay St. Louis.

Does a low-regulation label mean there is no local permit?

No -- that label is just a listing-site scrape. Bay St. Louis requires a city short-term rental permit through Planning (228-466-5516), published as a $100 form; confirm the current live fee directly at the desk rather than trusting AirROI's regulation label.

Is a 30-night minimum the same as occupancy?

No. 28.8 percent of Bay St. Louis listings, 98 of 340, set a 30-night minimum, but actual typical stay is 3.8 nights -- that's a platform filter, not booked occupancy.

What should a buyer packet carry?

Cite the $25,594 typical year from 340 listings, the June-October-May strong months, January as the slowest, New Orleans as the top guest origin, a 3.8-night stay, a 60-day lead, and Planning's number, 228-466-5516. Label Vermilion's $29,012 and Crystal Beach's $44,416 separately.

Is Crystal Beach the same market as Bay St. Louis?

No. Crystal Beach published $44,416 from 131 listings, a materially different Gulf Coast market -- keep that figure on its own line. Bay St. Louis is $25,594 from 340 listings, with January as its slowest month; confirm Bay St. Louis's own permit desk, 228-466-5516, before advertising another town's property as if it were this one.

Work with Crest & Cove Creative

Starting a Bay St. Louis short-term rental means confirming the city's actual permit desk first -- a listing-site scrape isn't the same as Planning's $100 permit form.

Crest & Cove prices and positions Bay St. Louis listings around the real town-desk requirements, not a guess.

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