Corpus Christi cannot limit short-term rentals to operator primary residences. Texas HB 1620 preempts city ordinances that would ban non-owner-occupied vacation rentals, protecting the Padre Island and Mustang Island whole-home rental economy.
Texas HB 1620, enacted 2025, broadly preempts municipal short-term rental ordinances that prohibit, regulate the duration of, or restrict an STR based on whether the property is the owner's primary residence. Corpus Christi accordingly registers second homes, investment properties, and dedicated vacation rentals on equal footing with owner-occupied units. Coastal-area whole-home rentals dominate the local STR inventory, and the city's program collects 9% local hotel occupancy tax plus the 6% state tax on stays under 30 days. Neighborhood-impact concerns are channeled through nuisance, parking, and noise enforcement rather than through residency status.
There are no penalties tied to non-primary-residence operation. Standard registration, tax, and nuisance enforcement still applies regardless of whether the host lives there.
Corpus Christi, TX
Corpus Christi STR operators must collect and remit 9% city hotel occupancy tax plus 6% state HOT (15% combined). The city tax is due by the 20th of each fol...
Corpus Christi, TX
Corpus Christi does not require owners or hosts to live on-site during short-term rental stays. Whole-home rentals on Padre Island, Mustang Island, and mainl...
See how Corpus Christi's primary-residence-only rule rules stack up against other locations.
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