Baytown, TX Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Occupancy formula
- 2 per bedroom plus 2
- Hard cap
- 10 occupants maximum
- Governing section
- ULDC Subsec. 2.33-3(G)(7)(b)
- Verified against
- Bedroom count on permit application
Summary
Baytown caps short-term rental occupancy at two people per bedroom plus two additional guests, with a hard ceiling of ten occupants at any one time, under the ULDC's residential-character standards for permitted short-term rentals.
b. Number of occupants: two persons per bedroom is allowed plus two additional persons. The total number of occupants shall not exceed ten persons at any given time.
Full Breakdown
Subsec. 33-3(G)(7)(b) of the Unified Land Development Code sets the numeric occupancy formula for short-term rentals: 'two persons per bedroom is allowed plus two additional persons,' and then adds an absolute cap, 'the total number of occupants shall not exceed ten persons at any given time,' regardless of how many bedrooms the formula would otherwise allow. A four-bedroom STR, which the formula alone would put at ten occupants, sits right at the ceiling, while a five-bedroom or larger STR is still capped at ten. The bedroom count used for the formula is the same number the owner declares on the permit application under Subsec.
33-3(G)(4)(b) and that the Fire Marshal verifies during the initial inspection required by Subsec. 33-3(G)(5)(a), so an owner cannot claim more sleeping capacity at a booking site than what the City permit reflects without triggering a mismatch at inspection. The occupancy cap sits inside the same 'Residential Character' list of conditions as the parking and contact-person rules, all aimed at Subsec. '
Violations & Fines
Booking or hosting more than two guests per bedroom plus two, or more than ten occupants total, violates Subsec. 2.33-3(G)(7)(b); like the parking and contact-person conditions, an occupancy overage counts as a violation toward the three-violations-in-12-months threshold in Subsec. 2.33-3(G)(8)(c) that lets the Director of Planning and Development Services revoke the STR permit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the maximum number of guests allowed at a Baytown STR?
How is STR occupancy calculated in Baytown?
Does exceeding the occupancy limit affect my STR permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Baytown
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Baytown to another location·View the Texas short-term rentals overview
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Occupancy Limits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Harris County handle occupancy limits.