10 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 4 cities in Hidalgo County, Texas.
Verified from official government sources
Hidalgo County issues no short-term rental permit for unincorporated areas. Texas counties lack general zoning authority, so no county STR license, application, or approval exists. Permits are a city matter inside McAllen, Edinburg, Mission, and Pharr.
Hidalgo County has no short-term rental noise ordinance, but Texas Penal Code disorderly conduct still bars unreasonable noise countywide. Detailed decibel and quiet-hour limits apply only inside cities such as McAllen, Edinburg, Mission, and Pharr.
Short-term stays under 30 days owe Texas state hotel occupancy tax, and Texas Tax Code Chapter 352 lets an eligible county levy a county hotel occupancy tax of up to seven percent. Cities may add their own municipal HOT within their limits.
Tex. Tax Code §352.003(a)
the tax authorized by this chapter may be imposed at any rate not to exceed seven percent of the price paid for a room in a hotel.
No Hidalgo County short-term rental parking rule exists for unincorporated areas, since the county cannot zone STRs. Off-street or guest-parking requirements are set only by city ordinances within McAllen, Edinburg, Mission, and Pharr.
Tex. Transp. Code Sec. 545.302 (Stopping, Standing, or Parking Prohibited in Certain Places)
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 th...
Hidalgo County sets no short-term rental occupancy cap in unincorporated areas because it cannot zone or license STRs. Any guest or maximum-occupancy limit comes from a city ordinance inside McAllen, Edinburg, Mission, or Pharr.
Tex. Prop. 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...
Hidalgo County requires no short-term rental insurance in unincorporated areas, since it cannot license STRs. Any liability-coverage requirement would come only from a city ordinance; hosts should still carry adequate private coverage.
Hidalgo County sets no annual night cap or booking limit on short-term rentals in unincorporated areas, because it cannot zone or license STRs. Any cap on rental nights or days per year would come only from a city ordinance.
There is no Hidalgo County short-term rental registration for unincorporated areas because the county has no zoning power. Registration duties are city-imposed inside municipal limits and, statewide, through Texas Comptroller hotel occupancy tax enrollment.
No Hidalgo County rule requires a host or local contact to be present at a short-term rental in unincorporated areas, since the county cannot license STRs. On-site or local-contact requirements exist only in city ordinances.
Hidalgo County imposes no primary-residence requirement on short-term rentals in unincorporated areas, because it cannot zone or license STRs. Any owner-occupancy or homestead restriction would come only from a city ordinance.
4 cities in Hidalgo County have their own short-term rentals rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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