Short-term rental permit rules in Bell County, TX — also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration — list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Bell County has no zoning power, so it issues no STR permits. Inside Killeen you need an annual STR permit (first year $200, including inspection). Temple bans rentals under 30 days in residential zones. Unincorporated areas have no STR permit at all.
Texas counties cannot zone or license short-term rentals, so there is no Bell County STR permit. The city where the property sits governs. Killeen adopted an STR program (Code of Ordinances Sec. 31-953) requiring every operator inside city limits to register annually and pass an inspection before a permit issues; the first-year fee is $200 (includes the initial inspection) and renewals are $100. Temple's Unified Development Code treats residential dwellings as requiring leases longer than 30 days, effectively barring STRs in residential districts. In unincorporated Bell County there is no STR permit requirement at all; only the county hotel occupancy tax applies.
Killeen: operating without a permit triggers citations and fines; news reports cite up to $2,000 per day for failing to register.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Bell County, TX
Texas has no specific 'hoarding' statute, but keeping animals without adequate food, water, care, or shelter, or cruelly confining them, is animal cruelty, a...
Bell County, TX
Bell County has no ordinance banning the feeding of wildlife, and Texas has no general statewide ban either. Feeding game such as deer is legal but discourag...
Bell County, TX
Bell County has no composting ordinance. Home composting is unrestricted on unincorporated land. Texas law bars HOAs from prohibiting composting, though citi...
Bell County, TX
Bell County has no zoning and does not regulate artificial turf. On unincorporated land it is unrestricted. Cities may limit synthetic turf in front yards th...
Bell County, TX
Bell County has no landscaping ordinance and cannot require or forbid native plants. Texas law protects drought-resistant and water-conserving landscaping fr...
Bell County, TX
Rainwater harvesting is legal statewide and encouraged in Texas. Bell County sets no restriction. State law bars a homeowners' association from prohibiting r...
See how Bell County's permit requirements rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.