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No zoning-class STR ban. Mobile Business License covers all parcels. Historic district overlays apply to exterior renovations but not STR use. HOA covenants in newer suburbs (West Mobile, Tillmans Corner) are the most common operational restriction. The neighboring Daphne, Fairhope, Spanish Fort (Baldwin County, Eastern Shore) are SEPARATE jurisdictions with their own STR rules; Fairhope in particular has tightened recently.
Operators must hold a short-term rental permit before listing. See the official permit portal.
Mobile Revenue Department + Code Enforcement administer. Annual Business License renewal. AL Department of Revenue cross-references platform data for back-tax collection. Operating without a Business License or state Lodgings Tax registration: back-tax assessment + administrative penalties. Code Enforcement is complaint-driven (noise, parking) under general municipal ordinances. Mardi Gras enforcement intensifies — parking and crowd-management ordinances applied alongside STR Business License checks during peak season.
Combined short-term lodging tax in Mobile is approximately 15.000% of gross nightly revenue (state sales + state TRT + local TRT + applicable resort/city options).
AL State sales tax 4% + AL State Lodgings Tax 5% + Mobile County local option 1% + Mobile city lodgings tax 5% — combined ~15.0% on transient lodging
Verify the current combined rate via the Utah State Tax Commission before remitting — rates drift quarterly.
STR regulations vary by jurisdiction. Compare Mobile against nearby markets.