New Braunfels, TX Short-Term Rentals: Repeat Violator Strikes (2026)
Key Facts
- Repeat offense trigger
- 2+ violations in 12 months
- Alternate trigger
- Repeated violations in 24 months
- Renewal effect
- Can block permit renewal
- Revocation trigger
- 3 citations in 6 months
- Reapplication bar
- 12 months after revocation
Summary
New Braunfels treats a short-term rental as a repeat offender if the permittee, operator or owner fails to comply with any part of the STR ordinance more than twice in 12 months, or if the property racked up repeated health or safety violations in the prior 24 months. Sec. 144-5.17-7(i) ties that finding directly to permit renewal and revocation.
(i)Repeat offenses. It shall be deemed a repeat offense:(1)If the permittee, operator, owner or person in control of the property fails to comply with any of the provisions of this section (144-5.17) more than twice in a 12-month period, and/or(2)If the property is the subject of repeated health or safety violations of city code or state law during a 24-month period prior to applying for a permit or renewing a permit to operate a short term rental.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 36).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 17, more than twice within a 12-month period; second, if the property was the subject of repeated health or safety violations of city code or state law during the 24 months before an owner applies for or renews a short-term rental permit. That finding is not just a label: Sec. 17-5(d)(6) makes it a ground to deny an annual permit renewal outright, on top of the separate renewal conditions covering fire inspection, insurance and hotel occupancy tax payment. The repeat-offense standard sits alongside the section's other escalation ladder in Sec.
17-7(a), where three separate citations issued to different occupants or guests under separate rental agreements within a six-month period can trigger revocation of both the short-term rental permit and any special use permit through the Sec. 17-8 process. A revoked permit locks the property out for at least 12 months under Sec. 17-8(c), and Sec. 17-5(d)(7) requires the city to deny any renewal application submitted before that 12-month window has passed. The city council makes the final revocation decision after a public hearing, with 30-day written notice to the owner/operator and 15-day notice to property owners within 200 feet.
Violations & Fines
A property found to be a repeat offender under Sec. 144-5.17-7(i), meaning more than two compliance failures in 12 months or repeated health/safety violations in the prior 24 months, can have its annual permit renewal denied under Sec. 144-5.17-5(d)(6). Separately, three citations to occupants or guests within six months can lead to outright revocation of the permit and special use permit under Sec. 144-5.17-7(a) and 144-5.17-8, after which the owner may not reapply for that property for 12 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a repeat offense for a New Braunfels STR?
Can a repeat offense stop my STR permit from renewing?
How long do I have to wait to reapply after a revocation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in New Braunfels
Texas rules heatmap·Compare New Braunfels to another location·View the Texas short-term rentals overview
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