Houston, TX Short-Term Rentals: Repeat Violator Strikes (2026)
Key Facts
- Strike threshold
- 3+ revoked certificates, same owner
- Look-back window
- Any 24 consecutive months
- Effect
- All remaining certificates face revocation
- Appeal path
- Hearing under section 28-735
- Reapply bar
- 1 year for that property
Summary
Houston can revoke every short-term rental certificate an owner or operator holds citywide if three or more of their individual certificates are revoked within any 24-month period.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, if three (3) or more certificates of registration issued to the same owner or operator are revoked within any consecutive twenty-four (24) month period pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, the Director may initiate proceedings to revoke all remaining certificates of registration held by that property owner or operator. Such revocations shall be subject to the notice and hearing procedures established in section 28-735 of this Code.
Full Breakdown
Under Houston Code of Ordinances section 28-733, the Administration and Regulatory Affairs Department can revoke an individual short-term rental certificate for reasons like repeat nuisance abatements, two or more chapter 30 convictions, or certain criminal convictions at the property. Subsection (b) adds a citywide strike rule: once the same owner or operator has three or more certificates revoked within any rolling 24-month window, the director may initiate proceedings to revoke every other certificate that owner or operator still holds, following the same notice-and-hearing process in section 28-735. A revoked registrant is barred from reapplying for that property for one year.
Violations & Fines
Violating short-term rental rules risks certificate revocation under section 28-733(a); three or more owner/operator revocations within 24 months trigger citywide revocation proceedings under section 28-733(b), on top of the article's base fine of $100 to $500 per day under section 28-723.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a revoked certificate on one property affect my other rentals?
Can I appeal a citywide revocation under this rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Houston
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Houston to another location·View the Texas short-term rentals overview
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Repeat Violator Strikes in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Harris County handle repeat violator strikes.