Short Term Rental Information

The City of Ocean Springs has been regulating short-term rentals within the city limits since 2015.

Short-Term Rentals (STR's) FAQ's

  1. There are two different types of permits for short-term rental, Residential Short-Term Rental permits and Commercial Short-Term Rental permit.
  2. There is a City GIS map where you can look up what short-term rental zone you are located in https://atlas.geoportalmaps.com/os
  3.  There are three zones for the city-wide zone, Short-Term Rental Density zone and the Downtown Overlay District zone.
  4.  There is a cap on all residential short-term rental permits of 115. There is no cap on commercial short-term rentals.
  5. The permits are renewed annually. PLEASE NOTE: Your permit must be renewed BEFORE its expiration date, or you may have your short-term rental permit revoked.
  6. You can be placed on a waiting list, but Staff cannot predict when a spot will come up.  
  7. The permit MUST be displayed in the unit to be compliant with the current ordinance.
  8. If this is a new permit:  The permit must be taken to the Tax Counter to request a privilege license. 
  9.  If the permit is a renewal or a new permit, you will be required to secure or renew your privilege or business license. The privilege license should be displayed on site. The Tax Department can be contacted at 228-875-4236.
  10. Sales Tax, 1 of 2 scenarios
    1.  Some of the common platforms to rent is AIRBNB and VRBO
    2. Other renting methods will require registration with the State Department of Review to receive a Tax License
    3. The applications for both the commercial and residential permit are located 
  11. Please do not call for an inspection if you are not ready for an inspection. If you fail, your inspection you will be charged a reinspection fee. 
  12. Please turn in your application and fee of $501.00 per permit, with the following attachments. All inspections are scheduled for M-F at 10:00 AM.
  13. Residential new short-term rental permits require Planning Commission and Board of Alderman approval, renewals do not require a public hearing. 
  14. Your property will be posted with a sign from the Planning Commission and notices will be sent out to the adjacent neighbors. Please do not remove the sign, or you will be charged. You will be charged .65 per letter for the mailout. 
  15. Someone will need to be at the Planning Commission and Board of Alderman to answer any questions. The application is not approved until the Board of Alderman has voted on it. 

Ordinances:

The Planning Department can be reached by calling 228-875-4415