Bexar County Short-Term Rentals: Night Caps Rules (2026)

Texas has no statewide STR preemption law; the Legislature has considered but not passed bills that would bar cities from regulating STRs. Bexar County itself does not cap the number of nights a property can be rented short-term in unincorporated areas. The City of San Antonio takes a density-based approach rather than a night-cap approach. Under Chapter 15 of the Code of Ordinances, STRs are classified as Type 1 (owner-occupied, where the operator lives on the property and rents rooms or the whole unit while present or temporarily absent) or Type 2 (non-owner-occupied, typically whole-home rentals where no one lives on site permanently). Type 1 STRs are not capped in number. Type 2 STRs are limited to 12.5 percent of the units on any block face in residential zoning districts, meaning only 1 in 8 homes on a typical block can operate as a non-owner STR. Applications beyond the density cap are denied or waitlisted. Permits are valid for 3 years and renewable. Several Bexar suburbs including Alamo Heights prohibit STRs outright in single-family zones, and Windcrest and Shavano Park impose tighter density rules. Texas HB 2665 from the 2023 session did not pass.