Bexar County, TX Short-Term Rentals: Host Platform Liability (2026)
Key Facts
- Platform liability
- Not imposed locally
- Preempting law
- TX HB 1620
- Voluntary tax collection
- State HOT 6%
- Enforcement target
- Individual host
Summary
Bexar County does not impose liability on Airbnb, Vrbo, or other booking platforms for unincorporated host violations. Texas HB 1620 (2025) restricts local rules that hold platforms responsible for individual property compliance.
Hotel owners, operators or managers must collect state hotel occupancy tax from their guests who rent a room or space in a hotel costing $15 or more each day. The tax applies not only to hotels and motels, but also to bed and breakfasts, condominiums, apartments and houses. Local hotel taxes apply to sleeping rooms costing $2 or more each day. With the numerous sporting and entertainment events around the state, many homeowners rent their homes or rooms in their house to people attending these events. Persons leasing their houses must collect hotel occupancy tax from their customers in the same way a hotel or motel collects the tax from its guests. Property management companies, online travel companies and other third-party rental companies may also be responsible for collecting the tax.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
Some jurisdictions outside Texas require booking platforms to verify host permits, collect fines, or remove non-compliant listings. Texas HB 1620 sharply limits these obligations, treating platforms as conduits rather than co-regulators. Bexar County has no ordinance imposing platform liability for unincorporated STRs. Platforms still voluntarily collect Texas state hotel occupancy tax (6%) and certain local hotel occupancy taxes through agreements with the Comptroller, and may remove listings that violate their own terms of service, but the county cannot legally compel them to enforce code-compliance checks at the listing level.
Violations & Fines
None against platforms at the county level. Hosts remain individually liable for septic, nuisance, and tax-collection violations regardless of which platform listed the property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Bexar County force Airbnb to take down a problem listing?
Does Airbnb collect Bexar County hotel tax automatically?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bexar County
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Bexar County to another location·View the Texas short-term rentals overview
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