Short-term rentals in Gulfport and Biloxi

The Mississippi Gulf Coast mixes casino resorts, a long man-made beach along Highway 90, fishing charters and Southern small-town charm. Biloxi's casinos and concert venues run year round; Gulfport adds the Mississippi Aquarium, the Island View resort and ferries to Ship Island, and nearby Keesler Air Force Base and the Naval Construction Battalion Center bring military families and trainees. Summer, spring break, Cruisin' the Coast in October and the holiday season are the high points; winter snowbirds from the Midwest fill longer stays. Beach-view condos, raised cottages and houses in older neighborhoods south of the railroad make up most of the rental stock.

Two neighbors, two approaches

Gulfport changed course in 2023. Ordinance No. 3273, adopted on July 5, 2023, removed nightly and weekly rentals from the zoning definition of a hotel, so the city now neither prohibits nor specifically regulates short-term rentals. A residential rental is treated as an ordinary dwelling; noise, property maintenance and parking rules still apply, and the city can confirm by letter that an address permits the use.

Biloxi kept a structured system. An annual short-term rental certificate of occupancy is required, with a fire inspection and a local contact who can respond quickly. Rentals are allowed by right in commercial, downtown and waterfront districts, may be approved as conditional uses in multifamily zones up to a citywide cap, and are excluded from single-family residential districts. Operators must keep a guest register and declare the booking platforms they use at renewal. There is no owner-residency requirement.

Taxes

Mississippi's 7% sales tax applies to lodging, and Harrison County adds tourism levies that fund the coliseum and convention center and the regional visitors bureau. All are reported to the Department of Revenue, and a free state sales tax permit is required before you take direct bookings.

The city line is the rule

On this coast the boundary between two neighbours changes the obligations completely. A Gulfport address has been treated as an ordinary dwelling since the 2023 ordinance; a Biloxi address needs an annual certificate of occupancy, a fire inspection and a contact who can respond quickly. A listing headed “Gulfport-Biloxi” is naming a market, not a jurisdiction. Have the municipality confirmed for the exact parcel — Gulfport will confirm the permitted use by letter — before you assume which of the two regimes you are buying into.

Our advice

In Biloxi, the zoning map decides everything: a house on a single-family street is off the table, a condo in a waterfront or downtown district is not. In Gulfport, freedom from city rules makes covenants and insurance the real filters. Price wind and flood cover early, since coastal premiums can change the numbers more than nightly rates do, and favor elevated homes. We study every request and tell you honestly whether and how we can help.