Willis, TX Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Dedicated STR Cap
- None in city code
- Indirect Limit
- 2024 IBC/IPMC overcrowding
- City HOT Rate
- 7% (Ch. 351 max)
- State HOT
- 6% (Tax Code Ch. 156)
- Permit Office
- (936) 856-4611
- Confirm With
- City Secretary 936-856-4611 x118
Summary
Willis has not adopted a dedicated short-term rental ordinance setting per-bedroom guest caps, even though it sits in a heavy Lake Conroe vacation-rental market. Occupancy is governed indirectly by the city-adopted 2024 International Code Council family of codes and general single-household zoning rules.
Sec. 92.010. OCCUPANCY LIMITS. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), the maximum number of adults that a landlord may allow to occupy a dwelling is three times the number of bedrooms in the dwelling.(b) A landlord may allow an occupancy rate of more than three adult tenants per bedroom:(1) to the extent that the landlord is required by a state or federal fair housing law to allow a higher occupancy rate; or(2) if an adult whose occupancy causes a violation of Subsection (a) is seeking temporary sanctuary from family violence, as defined by Section 71.004, Family Code, for a period that does not exceed one month.(c) An individual who owns or leases a dwelling within 3,000 feet of a dwelling as to which a landlord has violated thi
Full Breakdown
The City of Willis Code of Ordinances (American Legal Publishing) does not contain a stand-alone short-term rental chapter that imposes a numerical guests-per-bedroom limit. The Building Department has adopted the 2024 International Code Council family of codes (including the International Building Code, International Residential Code, and International Property Maintenance Code) and the 2023 National Electrical Code with no amendments, per the Willis municipal FAQ. These adopted codes contain minimum room-area-per-occupant standards used for overcrowding enforcement. Texas has no statewide STR licensing or occupancy preemption, and Texas Local Government Code Chapter 250 limits how home-rule cities may restrict residential property use. Willis does levy the local Hotel Occupancy Tax under Tex. Tax Code Chapter 351 (city HOT 7%, state HOT 6% under Ch. 156), but the tax chapter does not set occupancy density. Confirm any specific guest-count threshold with the Willis Permit Office at (936) 856-4611.
Violations & Fines
Because Willis has no dedicated STR per-bedroom cap, enforcement relies on adopted IBC/IPMC overcrowding standards. Violations may result in code-enforcement notices and Class C municipal court fines up to $500 per offense per day under Texas Local Government Code Section 54.001.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Willis cap how many guests can stay in a Lake Conroe Airbnb?
Is the rental still taxable as a hotel in Willis?
Who can clarify Willis STR guest limits?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Willis
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Willis to another location·View the Texas short-term rentals overview
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Occupancy Limits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Montgomery County handle occupancy limits.