Short-Term Rentals in Baytown, TX (2026)
8 verified short-term rentals rules for Baytown, Texas, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Short-Term Rental Permits
Baytown has not adopted a dedicated short-term rental ordinance or permit requirement. Texas state law (HB 2127, effective September 2023) preempts cities from regulating short-term rentals more restrictively than state law allows. Properties used for short-term rental through Airbnb, VRBO, or similar platforms must comply with general property maintenance codes and hotel occupancy tax requirements.
Baytown Short-Term Rental Requirements
Few RestrictionsTex. Tax Code Sec. 351.0025 (Municipal Hotel Occupancy Tax - ETJ Application to STRs)
Sec. 351.0025. EXTRATERRITORIAL JURISDICTION. (a) A municipality with a population of less than 35,000 by ordinance may impose the tax authorized under Section 351.002 in the municipality's extraterritorial jurisdiction.(b) The municipality may not impose a tax under this section if as a result of the adoption the combined rate of state, county, and municipal hotel occupancy taxes in the ex...
Noise Rules
Baytown does not have noise rules specific to short-term rentals. STR properties are subject to the same general nuisance and noise ordinance provisions in Chapter 34 that apply to all residential properties. Excessive noise, parties, and disturbances at rental properties are enforced through standard noise complaint response by Baytown PD.
Baytown Short-Term Rental Noise Rules
Light RestrictionsTex. Penal Code Sec. 42.01 (Disorderly Conduct - includes Unreasonable Noise)
Sec. 42.01. DISORDERLY CONDUCT. (a) A person commits an offense if he intentionally or knowingly:(1) uses abusive, indecent, profane, or vulgar language in a public place, and the language by its very utterance tends to incite an immediate breach of the peace;(2) makes an offensive gesture or display in a public place, and the gesture or display tends to incite an immediate breach of the p...
Taxes & Fees
Short-term rental operators in Baytown must collect and remit hotel occupancy taxes. The City of Baytown levies a 7% local hotel occupancy tax in addition to the 6% Texas state hotel occupancy tax, for a combined 13% on short-term lodging. Operators must register with the Texas Comptroller and the City of Baytown Finance Department.
Baytown Short-Term Rental Taxes & Fees
Light RestrictionsTex. Tax Code Sec. 156.001 (Hotel Occupancy Tax - Short-Term Rentals Defined as Hotels)
Sec. 156.001. DEFINITIONS. (a) In this chapter, "hotel" means a building in which members of the public obtain sleeping accommodations for consideration. The term includes a hotel, motel, tourist home, tourist house, tourist court, lodging house, inn, rooming house, or bed and breakfast. The term does not include:(1) a hospital, sanitarium, or nursing home;(2) a dormitory or other housin...
Short-Term Rental Parking Rules
Baytown requires every short-term rental to provide one off-street parking space for each bedroom listed for rent, plus one additional space, under the ULDC's residential-character standards, and the owner must supply evidence of that parking as part of the permit conditions.
Baytown STR Parking Space Requirements
Some RestrictionsBaytown, TX Unified Land Development Code Subsec. 2.33-3(G)(7)(a)
a. Parking: the owner must provide evidence of one parking space per bedroom listed for rent plus one additional parking space.
Occupancy Limits
Baytown caps short-term rental occupancy at two people per bedroom plus two additional guests, with a hard ceiling of ten occupants at any one time, under the ULDC's residential-character standards for permitted short-term rentals.
Baytown STR Maximum Occupancy Limit
Some RestrictionsBaytown, TX Unified Land Development Code Subsec. 2.33-3(G)(7)(b)
b. Number of occupants: two persons per bedroom is allowed plus two additional persons. The total number of occupants shall not exceed ten persons at any given time.
Insurance Requirements
Baytown does not require short-term rental hosts to carry liability insurance under city ordinance. Coverage is governed by host-platform contracts and standard Texas Department of Insurance guidance rather than a Baytown municipal mandate.
short-term-rentals/insurance-requirements
Few RestrictionsTex. Property Code Sec. 92.010 (Occupancy Limits)
Sec. 92.010. OCCUPANCY LIMITS. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), the maximum number of adults that a landlord may allow to occupy a dwelling is three times the number of bedrooms in the dwelling.(b) A landlord may allow an occupancy rate of more than three adult tenants per bedroom:(1) to the extent that the landlord is required by a state or federal fair housing law to allow a hig...
Host Presence Rule
Every Baytown short-term rental must designate a 24-hour local contact person, based within 50 miles of the property, who must be available at all times and physically present on-site within one hour if the Police or Fire Department requests it.
Baytown STR 24-Hour Contact Person Rule
Some RestrictionsBaytown, TX Unified Land Development Code Subsec. 2.33-3(G)(7)(f)
f. A twenty-four (24) hour local contact person shall be designated to respond to emergencies or neighborhood complaints. The contact person shall be available at all times and, if requested by the Police or Fire Department, shall be present on-site within one (1) hour of notification.
Repeat Violator Strikes
Baytown can revoke a short-term rental permit after three violations occur in any rolling 12-month period, or after an owner fails to correct a violation within the deadline the City sets, and a revoked owner cannot reapply on that property for a full year.
Baytown STR Permit Revocation After 3 Violations
Significant RestrictionsBaytown, TX Unified Land Development Code Subsec. 2.33-3(G)(8)(c)
c. Revocation Due to Violation: The Director of Planning and Development Services is authorized to revoke a short-term rental permit after three (3) violations have occurred in any consecutive 12-month period or when a property owner fails to correct a violation within the specified time period. For the purposes of this section, a violation shall be defined as any violation of the requirements ...
Looking for Harris County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Baytown city rules.
Short-Term Rentals in Harris County →