An often-overlooked element of owning a vacation rental is navigating government bureaucracy—especially at the state and local level. The Walton County Short-Term Vacation Rental Ordinance is an example of this. The rules are many and the process is tedious and time-consuming. And compliance? It’s absolutely necessary. Failure to comply can result in daily fines of $500 per day imposed by the County.

Can anything be done to make it easier and eliminate your risk? Absolutely. You can partner with a local, full-service vacation rental management company that will do the work for you. And this is what our homeowners have in 360 Blue and Callista by 360 Blue. We take the work, and the guesswork, out of compliance.

Many vacation rental companies simply don’t offer an STVR compliance service. This places the responsibility of certification on the homeowner, potentially leaving them legally exposed and vulnerable to fines. It also places the burden of getting it done on their homeowners.

360 Blue has taken a very different approach. From the beginning, we partnered with Walton County officials to ensure that our homes get certified. We also set aside the resources necessary to educate our Property Management team so that they understand the process from beginning to end. By making this effort, we’ve ensured it’s done right the first time. Our people handle as much of the work as possible while keeping our homeowners informed each step of the way. The result? No headaches, no nasty surprises for our partners.

Walton County enacted the STVR Ordinance in 2023. It’s a piece of legislation that affects all owners of vacation home rentals in the County. What does it require? That all short-term vacation rentals within its purview register and comply with a slate of life-safety standards—from smoke detection to emergency lighting to swimming pool alarms and fire extinguisher location maps. Homes must also comply with specific occupancy, parking, and neighborhood compatibility rules.

There are only a handful of tasks that our 360 Blue and Callista homeowners must handle themselves. Fortunately, they’re simple and very straightforward:

1.  Provide proof of ownership of their property
2.  Fill out and notarize an affidavit of Compliance and, if necessary, an Agent Affidavit

And we take it from there.

Pretty much everything else. To begin, we handle the in-home signage and external signage requirements, along with the safety requirements. We handle the lighting, alarm, fire extinguisher, and building code requirements. Each home must have hardwired emergency lighting with a battery backup and smoke detectors installed. If the home has a swimming pool, spa or hot tub, it must comply with current standards and statutes. The home must also have the required fire extinguishers and appropriate location markings.

Once the process is complete, a Certificate of Compliance is awarded, and the home may enter the Walton County short-term rental market. Finally, we ensure that, going forward, the homeowner’s annual renewal for the Certificate of Compliance is made.

Whenever a homeowner switches vacation rental management companies, they must reapply for the Certificate of Compliance. Why? The County requires a “company of record” for each home they manage, and that company is required to submit its business license in the application process. In short, it is the vacation rental company’s responsibility to validate that everything required for certification has been done properly all over again. This reapplication process also requires a modification fee to maintain the Certificate of Compliance.

Specifics on the STVR ordinance can be found on the Walton County Vacation Rental Registration Program website.