Richardson, TX Hotels & Lodging: Transient Occupancy Tax (2026)
Key Facts
- City rate
- 7.00% of room consideration
- Combined rate
- 13% with the state's 6% tax
- Applies to
- Stays under 30 days, $2+/day rooms
- Payment due
- Monthly, by the 20th
- Late penalty
- 15% plus 1% monthly interest
- Criminal penalty
- Class C misdemeanor, up to $500/day
Summary
Richardson levies a 7 percent hotel occupancy tax on top of the state's 6 percent, reaching any room rented for $2 or more a night to a guest staying fewer than 30 days. Hotels collect the tax, file a monthly report by the 20th, and revenue is restricted to the uses the Tax Code allows for tourism and conventions.
Under provisions of V.T.C.A., Tax Code § 351.002, there is hereby levied a tax upon the cost of occupancy of any sleeping room furnished by any hotel, where the cost of occupancy is at the rate of $2.00 or more per day, such tax to be equal to percentage set forth in the Master Fee Schedule of the consideration paid by the occupant for such room to such hotel, exclusive of other occupancy taxes imposed by other governmental agencies.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 35 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
00 or more a day for a room. The definitions in Section 12-26 sweep in hotels, motels, tourist homes, lodging houses, inns, roominghouses and any other building renting sleeping rooms for consideration, but exclude hospitals, sanitariums and nursing homes; occupancy only counts if the stay runs less than 30 days. 00 percent of the room charge, on top of the state's 6 percent hotel tax, for a combined 13 percent. Every owner, operator or manager of a hotel must collect the tax under Section 12-28 and remit it monthly under Section 12-29, with payment due on the 20th of the month following collection along with a report of the consideration collected and the tax due.
The city manager or a designee can adopt collection rules and audit a hotel's books under Section 12-30. Section 12-31 restricts how the city can spend the revenue, limiting it to the categories authorized by Tax Code Chapter 351, Subchapter B, such as convention center operations, tourism advertising and the arts. A hotel that misses the deadline owes a 15 percent penalty on the unpaid tax plus 1 percent interest for every month it stays unpaid under Section 12-32.
Violations & Fines
Late payment under Section 12-32 carries a 15 percent penalty on the tax owed plus 1 percent interest per month until paid. Separately, Section 12-33 makes any violation of the hotel tax article a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $500 per offense, and treats each day the violation continues as a distinct offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Richardson's hotel occupancy tax rate?
Does the hotel tax apply to a short-term rental booked for a weekend?
When does a hotel have to pay the tax it collects?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Richardson
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Transient Occupancy Tax in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Dallas County handle transient occupancy tax.