Stafford, TX Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)

Although Stafford does not have an STR-specific occupancy ordinance, several converging rules establish a real-world cap. Stafford has adopted the International Building Code and International Property Maintenance Code through Article III of Chapter 14 (Sections 14-59 through 14-85) of the Code of Ordinances. 5 ('Overcrowding') provides a square-footage standard: every bedroom must contain at least 70 square feet for the first occupant and an additional 50 square feet for each additional occupant, and habitable rooms (other than kitchens) must provide a minimum of 70 square feet per occupant.

The IPMC also caps the number of persons sleeping in a bedroom based on these floor-area figures and requires every sleeping room to have at least one operable emergency-escape window or door (IBC §1030 / IRC §R310). These standards apply equally whether a dwelling is owner-occupied, leased long-term, or rented short-term, and they are enforced by Code Compliance under the Chapter 14 rental-registration inspection program. 010 as a ceiling rather than a license to crowd. Stafford's Chapter 102 zoning code defines 'family' and 'dwelling, single-family' to mean one housekeeping unit; clusters of unrelated guests beyond a small number can transform a single-family use into a 'rooming house,' 'boarding house,' or 'tourist home' use that is not permitted by-right in standard single-family districts and would require a Specific Use Permit.

Practical occupancy limits for Stafford STR hosts: list a guest count that fits the bedroom square-footage standards above, do not advertise sleeping arrangements in living rooms or garages (which violates IPMC and IBC means-of-egress rules), do not host events with more attendees than the off-street parking and the building can accommodate, and verify your subdivision's deed restrictions, which often contain their own caps on guest counts and special events. Hosts holding bachelor parties, family reunions, or small weddings should expect calls to Code Compliance and the Stafford Police, and should treat any event with amplified sound as requiring a Sound Permit through the city.