Fort Bend County, TX Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)

Fort Bend County has not adopted a short-term rental ordinance for unincorporated areas. The county does not issue STR permits, zoning approvals, or Certificates of Occupancy and has no county-set guest cap for vacation rentals. Texas counties operate under limited zoning authority outside city ETJs (Local Gov't Code Ch. 233), so they cannot impose municipal-style occupancy caps such as '2 per bedroom + 2.' Practical occupancy is governed by (1) the International Residential Code provisions adopted through the Fort Bend County Fire Marshal/floodplain administration, including bedroom egress windows and minimum bedroom area; (2) on-site sewage facility (OSSF) capacity for properties on septic, where 30 TAC §285.91 sizing tables tie usage to bedroom count; and (3) any subdivision deed restrictions or HOA covenants that may cap rentals or guest counts. Inside municipal limits (Sugar Land, Missouri City, Richmond, Rosenberg, Stafford, Katy, Fulshear, Meadows Place), the city ordinance controls — Sugar Land, for example, restricts STRs to specified zones with a Conditional Use Permit. Effective October 1, 2024, Fort Bend County imposes a county Hotel Occupancy Tax of 7% on stays under 30 days outside city limits and 2% inside city limits, on top of the 6% state HOT (Tex. Tax Code Ch. 156); collection enforcement began May 1, 2025.