Arlington does not require the property owner or operator to be physically present during a short-term rental stay, allowing fully unhosted whole-home rentals so long as the local STR permit, occupancy caps, and 24-hour responsible-party contact requirements are satisfied.
Arlington Ordinance 17-072 governs short-term rentals citywide and does not impose a host-presence or owner-occupancy requirement. Whole-home rentals are permitted in most zoning districts when registered. Operators must designate a responsible party reachable 24/7 within 60 minutes to respond to complaints, but that contact need not stay onsite. Texas HB 1620 (2025) further constrains cities from banning unhosted STRs outright. Many Cowboys and Rangers gameday rentals near AT&T Stadium operate as absentee whole-home listings under this framework.
Operating without a designated 24-hour responsible contact, or failure to respond to neighbor complaints within 60 minutes, can trigger permit suspension or fines up to 500 dollars per occurrence under city enforcement.
Arlington, TX
Arlington does not restrict short-term rentals to a hosts primary residence. Investors may operate non-owner-occupied STRs citywide, and Texas HB 1620 reinfo...
Arlington, TX
Arlington requires STR permits through ArlingtonPermits.com with a $500 non-refundable annual fee. STRs are restricted to a designated STR Zone near the ente...
See how other cities in Tarrant County handle host presence rule.
See how Arlington's host presence rule rules stack up against other locations.
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