Bexar County, TX Short-Term Rentals: Insurance Requirements (2026)

Texas state law does not mandate short-term rental liability insurance, and Bexar County itself has no insurance ordinance for unincorporated STRs. The City of San Antonio, however, requires every permitted STR operator to carry commercial general liability insurance with minimum coverage of 500,000 dollars per occurrence under Chapter 15, Section 15-38 of the Code of Ordinances. Applicants must submit a certificate of insurance naming the City as an additional insured before permit issuance, and coverage must be maintained continuously throughout the permit term. Standard homeowners policies exclude commercial activity; operators must purchase a dedicated STR policy, a commercial landlord policy, or rely on platform-provided coverage such as AirCover by Airbnb (1 million dollars host damage protection and 1 million dollars host liability) or Vrbo Liability Insurance (1 million dollars). Platform coverage is secondary to the host policy in many cases and does not satisfy the San Antonio requirement on its own without a separate certificate. Mortgage lenders frequently require proof of commercial coverage before approving STR use of a financed property. Some suburban cities including Windcrest and Alamo Heights are evaluating similar insurance requirements in revised STR rules.