Last verified:
No zoning-class STR ban. Orange Beach Business License covers all parcels. Beach-condominium HOAs (Turquoise Place, Phoenix series, Caribe, San Carlos, Romar Tower, etc.) broadly authorize STR. Ono Island HOA covenants permit STR but with stricter occupancy + guest-vehicle limits. The neighboring Gulf Shores is a SEPARATE jurisdiction (substantially identical rules). Fort Morgan peninsula (unincorporated Baldwin County, west of Gulf Shores) is separate.
Operators must hold a short-term rental permit before listing. See the official permit portal.
Orange Beach Revenue Department + Code Enforcement administer. Annual Business License renewal. AL Department of Revenue cross-references platform data against state Lodgings Tax registry. Baldwin County's 2% local lodgings tax is collected via the same state portal. Operating without registration: back-tax assessment + administrative penalties + business-license-application denial in future years. Enforcement is tax-compliance focused rather than zoning-based.
Combined short-term lodging tax in Orange Beach is approximately 13.000% of gross nightly revenue (state sales + state TRT + local TRT + applicable resort/city options).
AL State sales tax 4% + AL State Lodgings Tax 5% + Baldwin County local option 2% + Orange Beach city lodgings tax 2% — combined ~13.0% 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 Orange Beach against nearby markets.