Baytown, TX Rental Property Rules: Rental Registration (2026)

Section 18-681 defines a multi-family dwelling complex as three or more dwelling units under common ownership or management on the same or adjoining lots, excluding jails, hospitals, nursing homes, hotels, motels, owner-occupied units and licensed assisted living facilities. Every such complex must be registered annually with the chief building official by December 31 under section 18-701(a); a newly built complex instead registers within 30 days of receiving its certificate of occupancy and annually after that, and a change of ownership restarts the clock with a new registration due within 30 days.

The sworn registration form must list the trade name and address, the owner, landlord, property manager and any mortgagee, the entity type and a responsible officer or agent, 24-hour emergency contacts, a site plan with building and unit counts by bedroom size, and landlord certifications that fire hydrants, sprinklers and alarms were inspected within the last 12 months, that gates and surveillance devices work, that the complex owes the city no back taxes or utility debt, that the property was treated for pests within six months, and that every unit has a working smoke detector.

Registration fees are set under section 2-595 and are billed again, with a late fee, for registrations filed after December 31 or more than 30 days after an ownership change, per section 18-702. Section 18-700 separately requires a certificate of occupancy before any multi-family complex may be used or occupied, with a full inspection required again on a change of ownership. A current registration certificate must be posted where the public can see it under section 18-726.