El Paso does not restrict short-term rentals to a host's primary residence. Texas HB 1620 (2025) and Local Government Code Chapter 229 broadly preempt cities from banning non-owner-occupied STRs in residential zones outright.
El Paso Municipal Code Chapter 7, Section 7.10 regulates STRs through registration, taxation, and life-safety standards rather than residency status. Owners of investment properties, second homes, and out-of-state landlords may all operate STRs in El Paso so long as they register with the City Tax Office, collect Hotel Occupancy Tax, and meet building and fire code. State law passed in the 2025 session (HB 1620) further constrained any city move toward primary-residence-only rules, treating broad STR bans as impermissible regulation of residential property use.
Operating an unregistered STR is a Class C municipal offense subject to citation, escalating administrative fines per night, and potential suspension of the STR registration certificate by El Paso Tax Office.
El Paso, TX
El Paso requires short-term rental operators to register with the city, obtain a Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) permit, and comply with Chapter 3.20 and Chapter 2...
El Paso, TX
El Paso short-term rentals are subject to a 17.5% combined Hotel Occupancy Tax: 6% Texas state HOT, 9% El Paso city HOT, and 2% county venue tax.
See how El Paso's primary-residence-only rule rules stack up against other locations.
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