10 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Nueces County, Texas.
Verified from official government sources
Texas counties cannot zone or license short-term rentals in unincorporated areas. Inside a city, the city code governs. Corpus Christi and Port Aransas both require an STR permit before you rent or even advertise a home for stays under 30 days.
Port Aransas City Code § 12-252(a)
Prior to using a dwelling unit as a Short Term Rental or advertising in any manner the availability of the dwelling unit for Short Term Rental, the Operator must submit the following information on a form and in the manner prescribed by the Administrator.
Nueces County has no STR noise ordinance. Port Aransas requires noise and lighting restrictions on the tenant information sheet and mandates a one-hour local-contact response to complaints. City noise codes and Texas disorderly-conduct law (Penal Code 42.01) set the actual limits.
Port Aransas City Code § 12-213(a)(5)-(6)
Noise and lighting restrictions; Trash collection information to include proper timing and placement of receptacles.
Short-term rentals owe hotel occupancy tax. Corpus Christi charges a 9% city HOT on rentals under 30 days, on top of the 6% Texas state HOT. Counties may levy their own venue/HOT under Texas Tax Code Ch. 352. City permit fees also apply.
City of Corpus Christi Hotel Occupancy Tax
The tax is 9% of taxable revenue. ... The tax does not apply if the guest stay is for thirty (30) continuous days or more.
The county sets no STR parking rule. Port Aransas requires the tenant information sheet to show the location of off-street parking and adjacent no-parking fire lanes, and warns that violating parking rules is a City code violation subject to citation.
Port Aransas City Code § 12-213(a)(3)-(4)
Location of off-street parking, other available parking and location of any adjacent no-parking fire lanes; Notice that failure to conform to the occupancy and parking requirements is a violation of City code and may subject occupants to citation.
Nueces County sets no STR occupancy cap. Port Aransas limits occupancy to two adults per sleeping room plus four more, unless the Building Official approves otherwise. Children under 12 are not counted. Corpus Christi sets each home's maximum on the permitted floor plan.
Port Aransas City Code § 12-252(a)(6)
Maximum occupancy is two (2) adults per sleeping room plus four (4) unless otherwise allowed by Building official. Children shall not be counted in the occupancy calculation. For purposes of this section an adult is an individual twelve (12) years or older at the time of rental.
Nueces County sets no STR insurance rule. Corpus Christi's STR application requires a sworn self-certification that the owner maintains insurance coverage and complies with annual inspection and safety standards. Port Aransas focuses on fire-extinguisher and building-code safety rather than an explicit insurance mandate.
City of Corpus Christi STR Registration (UDC)
A sworn, self-certification that the owner of the STR has met and will continue to comply with the standards and other requirements including but not limited to: maintenance of insurance coverage and annual inspections.
Nueces County and its cities set no limit on how many nights per year a home can be rented short-term. An STR is simply defined by stays under 30 consecutive days. There is no rented-nights ceiling, though the 30-day threshold separates STR use from long-term tenancy.
Nueces County keeps no STR registry. Port Aransas registration is valid 24 months, then renews on an annual calendar-year basis. Corpus Christi registration is annual and renewed each January through MuniRevs. Each permitted unit gets a unique registration number that must appear in every ad.
Port Aransas City Code § 12-252(e)(2)
The initial registration of the Short Term Rental is valid for twenty-four (24) months from the date the completed registration is filed with the City and payment of the registration fee has been made... Subsequent renewal of a Short Term Rental will be on an annual calendar year basis.
STR hosts need not be present, but Port Aransas requires a designated local contact available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, who responds in person within one hour to complaints. Corpus Christi similarly requires a 24-hour contact number on the permit application.
Port Aransas City Code § 12-252(a)(3)
The local contact person is the Operator or person designated by the Operator who shall be available twenty-four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days per week for the purpose of: responding in person within one (1) hour to complaints regarding the condition, operation, or conduct of occupants of the Short Term Rental unit; and taking immediate remedial action to resolve any such complaints.
Neither Nueces County nor its cities require an STR to be the operator's primary residence. Whole-home beach rentals are the norm in Port Aransas and Corpus Christi. The main location limit is that Corpus Christi bars STRs in single-family zoning on Padre and Mustang Island.
1 cities in Nueces County have their own short-term rentals rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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