Baytown has no dedicated short-term rental registration or permit program. Operators must, however, register with the City to collect the 7% local hotel occupancy tax under Chapter 90, Article III of the Code, plus the 6% state HOT.
Baytown has not adopted a short-term rental permit, license, or registration program, so hosts do not file a separate STR application with Development Services. The City does require any operator providing sleeping accommodations for consideration of $2 or more per day to register and remit the local Hotel Occupancy Tax under Chapter 90, Article III, including Section 90-56 definitions, at a rate of 7%, on top of the 6% Texas state HOT collected by the Comptroller. Registration is handled through the Avenu Insights HOT portal, with quarterly reports due the last day of the month following each quarter. Operators must also obtain a Texas state hotel tax permit and comply with the ULDC.
Failure to register and remit the 7% local HOT under Chapter 90, Article III can lead to delinquent-tax penalties, interest, and City recovery action, plus Comptroller penalties for missing the state hotel tax permit. ULDC zoning enforcement may also apply.
See how other cities in Harris County handle registration rules.
See how Baytown's registration rules rules stack up against other locations.
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