Dallas County does not require short-term rentals to be primary residences. Texas counties lack the detailed residential-use zoning authority cities have, and no Texas statute imposes a statewide primary-residence STR rule. City-level rules in Dallas, Irving, and Plano vary; some are paused by litigation.
Primary-residence-only rules limit STRs to homes the operator actually lives in, banning whole-home investor STRs. Dallas County government has no such ordinance for unincorporated areas, which represent a small footprint within this densely incorporated county. TX Local Government Code Chapter 232 limits county authority to plat approval and certain subdivision standards, not residential-use zoning. The City of Dallas adopted Chapter 42B in 2023 with zoning that effectively pushed whole-home STRs toward primary residences; that ordinance was partly enjoined by a Dallas County district court in 2024. Cities like Plano and Grapevine have their own STR rules. The Texas Legislature has considered preemption bills limiting city STR authority, but none has fully passed.
Not applicable at the county level. Investor-owned STRs in unincorporated areas face no county primary-residence requirement. City violations are enforced by each municipality's code compliance staff under municipal STR ordinances.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Dallas County, TX
Outdoor burning is prohibited in unincorporated Dallas County unless a daily burn permit is issued by the Dallas County Fire Marshal. Burns must be at least ...
Dallas County, TX
Dallas County Fire Marshal enforces the International Fire Code Chapter 61 for propane and liquefied petroleum gas storage in unincorporated areas. Cylinders...
Dallas County, TX
Dallas County is inland — no Gulf coast, no Texas Open Beaches Act jurisdiction, and no GLO coastal-construction rules apply. The relevant inland program is ...
Dallas County, TX
Dallas County does not license or zone home daycares — child-care regulation is handled by Texas DFPS / HHSC under Tex. Human Resources Code Ch. 42. Care for...
Dallas County, TX
Drone flights near DFW International, Dallas Love Field, and Addison Airport require FAA authorization through LAANC or DroneZone. Controlled airspace covers...
Dallas County, TX
Dallas County Parks generally prohibit recreational drone takeoff and landing without authorization. The FAA preempts airspace regulation, but counties may r...
See how Dallas County's primary-residence-only rule rules stack up against other locations.
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