Fort Bend County, TX Short-Term Rentals: Permit Requirements (2026)

Fort Bend County has not adopted any ordinance requiring registration, permitting, or zoning approval of short-term rentals (rentals under 30 days). The county's published list of regulations (Flood Damage Prevention, Subdivisions, Food Establishments, Game Rooms, Boarding Homes, Outdoor Lighting, Swimming Pools, Fire Code, OSSF, Manufactured Home Rental Communities) does not include any STR regulation. Texas counties have only the police-power tools the Legislature grants them; HB 2127 (Texas Regulatory Consistency Act, effective September 1, 2023) further constrains local regulation, although a Travis County district court ruled the act unconstitutional on August 30, 2023 and the appellate process is ongoing. STR operators in unincorporated Fort Bend County are nonetheless subject to taxes: (1) State Hotel Occupancy Tax of 6% on rooms costing $15 or more per day under Texas Tax Code §156.051, paid to the Texas Comptroller; and (2) Fort Bend County Hotel Occupancy Tax adopted by Commissioners Court effective October 1, 2024 — 7% outside municipal city limits and 2% inside — under Texas Tax Code Chapter 352. The county waived retroactive enforcement and penalties through April 30, 2025; full enforcement and collection began with the May 2025 tax period. Returns are filed monthly to Avenu Insights at HotelTaxOnline.com by the 15th of the following month. Late penalties: 5% on the first day late, an additional 5% on the 31st day, and 10% annual interest after 60 days (Tax Code §352.004). Inside city limits, additional municipal HOT and any city STR ordinance also apply — for example, Sugar Land restricts STRs to designated districts and imposes fines up to $2,000 per day for unpermitted operation.