Carrollton, TX Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)

Section 97.25 of the Carrollton Code of Ordinances, adopted by Ordinance 4291 effective December 2, 2025, makes it unlawful to operate a STR or B&B without a lodging license. The application goes to the Designated City Official annually, and the city has 60 days to approve or deny it once complete. Beyond the general information required under section 97.03, an STR or B&B application must include a copy of the proposed host rules, a parking plan showing on-site spaces, a dimensioned floor plan identifying bedrooms, windows, other living areas, and emergency evacuation routes, with a window schedule noting height, width, base dimensions, and operability, proof of $1 million host protection or liability insurance on file with the DCO, the name and contact for any HOA covering the property, and the name and website of every platform used to advertise or book the rental.

Filing the application also counts as consent to inspection at reasonable times by code, building, sanitarian, and fire inspectors, and the DCO must physically inspect the interior, exterior, common grounds, and storage areas before approving the license, with annual-review inspections limited to between 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. The owner must also give every property within 200 feet, plus any HOA or neighborhood association, annual written notice by certified or registered mail identifying the owner or manager and a monitored phone number, with the mail receipts attached to the application as proof.

As of the ordinance's effective date, only renewal licenses are issued; no new STR or B&B that was not already operating lawfully before December 2, 2025 can be licensed.