13 verified short-term rentals rules for Houston, Texas, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Houston adopted STR regulations in April 2025 (Ord. 2025-322), effective January 1, 2026. All STRs require a Certificate of Registration ($275 fee plus $33.10 admin fee). As of April 2026, platforms must remove unregistered listings.
City of Houston, Proposed Short-Term Rental Regulations, Answers to Frequently Asked Questions, Section 28 - Article XXIII (April 25, 2025), Q7 (Application Requirements)
7. Is the application process lengthy? The application process can be completed quickly if the applicant gathers the following items and information in advance of going online to apply for the STR Certificate of Registration: a. The property address. b. Name(s) and contact information for the property owner(s). c. Emergency Contact...
STR guests must comply with Chapter 30 sound limits (58 dBA nighttime residential). Two or more noise citations within 12 months may result in the operator's Certificate of Registration being revoked under Ord. 2025-322.
City of Houston, Proposed Short-Term Rental Regulations, Answers to Frequently Asked Questions, Section 28 - Article XXIII (April 25, 2025), Q12 (General Requirements)
12. What are the general requirements for STR owners/operators/occupants? General requirements include posting/displaying specific information (see Question 13, below), compliance with the City's noise and sound regulations, building and neighborhood protection requirements, waste and litter requirements, fire code provisions, minimum stay requirements, and ...
Houston STR operators owe a combined 17% hotel occupancy tax: 6% state, 7% city, 2% Harris County, and 2% Harris County-Houston Sports Authority. Major platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo auto-collect both state and city portions.
Texas Tax Code Sec. 156.001(b), 156.052 (Hotel Occupancy Tax - Short-Term Rentals)
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. ... (b) For purposes of the imposition of a hotel occupancy tax under this chapter, Chapter 351 or 352,...
Houston's STR ordinance (Ord. 2025-322) does not impose specific off-street parking requirements for STRs beyond standard residential parking rules. Street parking is subject to the 24-hour limit under Chapter 26.
Tex. Transportation Code § 545.302
Sec. 545.302. STOPPING, STANDING, OR PARKING PROHIBITED IN CERTAIN PLACES. (a) An operator may not stop, stand, or park a vehicle:(1) on the roadway side of a vehicle stopped or parked at the edge or curb of a street;(2) on a sidewalk;(3) in an intersection;(4) on a crosswalk;(5) between a safety zone and the adjacent curb or within 30 feet of a place on the curb immediately opposite the ends o...
Houston's 2025 STR ordinance (Chapter 28, Art. XXIII) regulates short-term rentals citywide. The ordinance defines STRs as dwellings rented for less than 30 consecutive days and requires a certificate of registration. Specific occupancy caps are tied to the property's capacity as determined during registration.
Tex. Property Code § 92.010
Sec. 92.010. OCCUPANCY LIMITSGoReset Texas Constitution and Statutes chevron_right Texas Constitution chevron_right Agriculture Code chevron_right Alcoholic Beverage Code chevron_right Auxiliary Water Laws chevron_right Business & Commerce Code chevron_right Business Organizations Code chevron_right Civil Practice and Remedies Code chevron_right Code of Criminal Procedure chevron_right Educatio...
Houston's STR ordinance requires operators to maintain a $1 million liability insurance policy during any period the rental property is available for booking. This is one of the strictest insurance mandates for STRs among major US cities.
Houston's short-term rental ordinance (Chapter 28 Article XXIII, adopted by Ordinance 2025-322) sets a one-night minimum stay for every registered STR but does not impose a maximum cap on rental nights per year. Texas has no statewide STR night cap and Houston has no zoning code, so rental frequency is governed only by Article XXIII's operational standards.
Houston Ordinance 2025-322, codified at Code of Ordinances Chapter 28 Article XXIII, requires every short-term rental in city limits to obtain an annual certificate of registration from the Administration & Regulatory Affairs (ARA) Department. The ordinance was adopted April 16, 2025 and took effect January 1, 2026, with a $275 annual registration fee.
Houston's short-term rental framework, advanced by City Council in 2024 and limited in scope, does not require a host to remain on-site during a guest stay. Operators register and collect hotel occupancy tax, but no Chicago-style hosted-only rule applies; deed restrictions may still bar STRs.
Houston's 2024 short-term rental ordinance does not restrict STRs to operators' primary residences. Investor-owned whole-home rentals remain lawful citywide, subject to registration and hotel occupancy tax. Deed restrictions in many subdivisions independently prohibit transient rental use.
Houston has no formal STR three-strikes registration revocation matrix. Repeat nuisance complaints at a short-term rental are addressed through Chapter 28 building and nuisance enforcement, civil-suit deed-restriction actions, and police habitual-nuisance abatement under Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code Chapter 125.
Texas does not impose statutory liability on Airbnb, Vrbo, or similar platforms for unregistered host listings. Houston's 2024 STR ordinance regulates operators directly, not the marketplace. Platform tax-collection agreements remain voluntary, though all major platforms collect Texas state hotel occupancy tax.
Tex. Tax Code § 156.001
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 housing facil...
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Houston city rules.
Short-Term Rentals in Harris County →