Lubbock, TX Short-Term Rentals: Repeat Violator Strikes (2026)

Under UDC Section 39.07.029(f), the Director of Planning may deny or revoke a Short-Term Rental Permit for two categories of cause. The first is a defective application: incomplete, inaccurate, misleading, or false statements. The second targets repeat offenders directly: an applicant who "has had a history of noncompliance" with the short-term rental use-specific standards in Section 39.02.018c.6, even where a single incident alone might not have justified denial. Those underlying standards require the owner, operator, or agent to hold a valid Short-Term Rental Permit, collect and remit the municipal hotel occupancy tax under Chapter 351 of the Texas Tax Code and Article 18.03 of the City Code, and confine the rental to a legal accessory dwelling unit or a room within the primary residence.

Separately, Section 39.07.029(f)(2) allows revocation whenever the permit holder fails to comply with permit requirements, the UDC generally, or any applicable federal, state, or local law, giving the City a second, broader revocation trigger beyond the STR-specific standards. Every denial or revocation must come with written notice from the Director of Planning stating the reason, and the notice must inform the applicant of the right to appeal to the Permit and License Appeals Board under Article 2.03 of the City of Lubbock Code of Ordinances.

Because the permit is non-transferable and does not run with the property on sale, a revoked permit cannot simply pass to a new owner or manager to restart the clock; a fresh application and a new $100 annual fee under Section 1.03.004 are required, and the applicant's own compliance history follows the property through Planning Department records.