10 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Travis County, Texas.
Verified from official government sources
Texas Local Government Code §214.902 preempts all local rent control in Texas — counties and cities cannot cap residential rents except during a declared disaster with governor approval. Travis County has no rent stabilization, rent board, or rent-related ordinance. Market rates prevail across Austin metro despite severe affordability pressures.
Travis County follows Texas Property Code Chapter 24 for evictions. Texas is a landlord-friendly state with no just-cause requirement. Landlords may terminate month-to-month tenancies with 30 days written notice for any non-discriminatory reason.
Tex. Prop. Code Sec. 24.005
Sec. 24.005. NOTICE REQUIRED BEFORE FILING CERTAIN EVICTION SUITS. (a) If the occupant is a tenant under a written lease or oral rental agreement, the landlord must give a tenant who defaults or holds over beyond the end of the rental term or renewal period at least three days' written notice to vacate the premises before the landlord files a forcible detainer suit, unless the parties have cont...
Travis County has no rental registration program for unincorporated areas. County authority over rental housing is limited under Texas law. The City of Austin operates a separate Repeat Offender Program for rental properties within city limits.
Travis County does not require landlords to pay tenant relocation assistance for no-fault evictions, demolitions, or substantial renovations. Texas Property Code provides no statewide relocation right, and county authority over rentals is narrow.
Tex. Prop. Code Sec. 92.055 (Closing the Rental Premises - Moving Expenses)
Sec. 92.055. CLOSING THE RENTAL PREMISES. (a) A landlord may close a rental unit at any time by giving written notice by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the tenant and to the local health officer and local building inspector, if any, stating that:(1) the landlord is terminating the tenancy as soon as legally possible; and(2) after the tenant moves out the landlord will either...
Texas Property Code 92.103 requires landlords to return tenant security deposits, with itemized deductions, within 30 days of move-out. Travis County follows state rules; willful retention exposes landlords to triple-damages liability.
Tex. Prop. Code Sec. 92.103-92.109
Sec. 92.103. OBLIGATION TO REFUND. (a) Except as provided by Section 92.107, the landlord shall refund a security deposit to the tenant on or before the 30th day after the date the tenant surrenders the premises. Sec. 92.104. RETENTION OF SECURITY DEPOSIT; ACCOUNTING. (a) Before returning a security deposit, the landlord may deduct from the deposit damages and charges for which the tenant is le...
Travis County and Texas law impose no rules on cash-for-keys agreements. Landlords and tenants may negotiate any sum for voluntary surrender of possession, subject only to ordinary contract law and notarized written agreements.
Tex. Prop. Code Sec. 24.002
Sec. 24.002. FORCIBLE DETAINER. (a) A person who refuses to surrender possession of real property on demand commits a forcible detainer if the person: (1) is a tenant or a subtenant wilfully and without force holding over after the termination of the tenant's right of possession; (2) is a tenant at will or by sufferance, including an occupant at the time of foreclosure of a lien superior to the...
Travis County allows no-fault, end-of-lease non-renewal under Texas Property Code Chapter 24. Landlords need only provide proper notice; no just-cause requirement applies, and county authority over evictions is preempted by state law.
Tex. Prop. Code Sec. 91.001
Sec. 91.001. NOTICE FOR TERMINATING CERTAIN TENANCIES. (a) A monthly tenancy or a tenancy from month to month may be terminated by the tenant or the landlord giving notice of termination to the other. (b) If a notice of termination is given under Subsection (a) and if the rent-paying period is at least one month, the tenancy terminates on whichever of the following days is the later: (1) the da...
Travis County has no dedicated tenant anti-harassment ordinance. Tenants rely on Texas Property Code retaliation protections, federal Fair Housing Act anti-harassment rules, and common-law tort remedies for landlord misconduct.
Tex. Prop. Code Sec. 92.331
Sec. 92.331. RETALIATION BY LANDLORD. (a) A landlord may not retaliate against a tenant by taking an action described by Subsection (b) because the tenant: (1) in good faith exercises or attempts to exercise against a landlord a right or remedy granted to the tenant by lease, municipal ordinance, or federal or state statute; (2) gives a landlord a notice to repair or exercise a remedy under thi...
Texas Local Government Code 250.007 prohibits cities and counties from requiring landlords to accept Section 8 housing vouchers. Travis County therefore cannot enforce source-of-income protections, and refusing voucher tenants is lawful.
Tex. Loc. Gov't Code Sec. 250.007
Sec. 250.007. REGULATION OF RENTAL OR LEASING OF HOUSING ACCOMMODATIONS. (a) Except as provided by this section, a municipality or county may not adopt or enforce an ordinance or regulation that prohibits an owner, lessee, sublessee, assignee, managing agent, or other person having the right to lease, sublease, or rent a housing accommodation from refusing to lease or rent the housing accommoda...
The Housing Authority of Travis County administers federal Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers in unincorporated areas. Acceptance is voluntary for landlords under Texas law, but participating units must pass HQS inspection and rent-reasonableness review.
1 cities in Travis County have their own rental property rules rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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