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/STAY · LOCAL RULES · HOUSTON, TX

Houston short-term rental rules

Since Jan 1 2026, every rental of less than 30 days in the City of Houston needs a city certificate of registration. Here is what that takes, what to post inside, and which hotel taxes apply.

Checked on Nov 11 2026 against the official pages below

The three things to know

PERMIT

A certificate of registration for each unit, $275 a year, applied for online at str.houstontx.gov. Good for one year; renew up to 90 days early. Every listing must show the registration number and your maximum occupancy.

DOOR NOTICE

Post a copy of the certificate inside the front entrance, and post the names and phone numbers of your emergency contacts where guests will see them. The contact must answer the phone at all times and respond within one hour.

TAX

6% Texas state hotel tax (Comptroller) plus 7% City of Houston hotel tax, and Harris County taxes on top. The city says Airbnb pays the city tax for hosts; other platforms need proof you registered.

Print the door notice

Houston asks for two things on the wall: the city certificate inside the front entrance, and your emergency contacts. This prints the emergency contact notice with your registration number on it. Tape the city's certificate right next to it.

Type what you know. Anything left empty prints as a line to write on, so it works as a blank form too. What you type stays on this phone.

CITY OF HOUSTON SHORT-TERM RENTAL

Emergency contacts

Posted as required by Houston City Code sec. 28-741. For a fire, a crime or a medical emergency, call 911 first.

    Houston City Code ch. 28, art. XXIII, sec. 28-741(b)(5)-(6). Notice made free at headedin.com/stay/rules/houston/

    Prints one letter page. Post it inside the front entrance, with a copy of your city certificate of registration beside it.

    What the rules say

    Who needs the certificate

    Anyone who rents out, or advertises, a house or unit for less than 30 days in a row inside the City of Houston. Hotels and bed and breakfasts are left out. One certificate per unit, good only at that address.

    "unlawful for any person to operate, rent, lease, or advertise a short-term rental... without a valid certificate of registration"Sec. 28-722, Ordinance 2025-322
    • Fee: $275 a year, not refundable (sec. 28-731(a)). The city's FAQ also lists a small city admin fee.
    • Apply: str.houstontx.gov. The city says the form has no save button: finish within an hour or start over.
    • Renew: good for one year from the day it's issued; you can renew up to 90 days before it runs out (sec. 28-731(e)).
    • Changes: tell the city within 15 days. If the house is sold, the new owner applies fresh (secs. 28-731(c), 28-736).
    • Penalty: $100 to $500 per violation, and each day counts again (sec. 28-723).
    • Listings: from Jan 1 2027 the city says it will ask platforms to take down listings with no certificate.
    What has to be posted, and where
    "A copy of the approved certificate of registration shall be posted at a conspicuous location inside the front entrance to the short-term rental."Sec. 28-741(b)(6)
    "post in a conspicuous location of the short-term rental the names and telephone numbers of one or more emergency contact persons"Sec. 28-741(b)(5)

    That is all Houston asks to be posted. The city does not set a guest limit (its FAQ says there are no maximum occupancy limits), but your listings must state the most guests you allow.

    The emergency contact's job
    • Answers the phone at all times while guests are there.
    • Responds within one hour after police, fire or the city calls.
    • Can make decisions about the house. The city's guide says a call center is allowed.

    From sec. 28-741(b)(5) and the city's Emergency Contact Guide.

    Other things the ordinance requires
    • Every ad shows the registration number and your maximum occupancy (sec. 28-741(b)(4)).
    • No stays shorter than one night (sec. 28-741(b)(1)).
    • No special events such as weddings or bachelor parties advertised or allowed (sec. 28-741(b)(3)).
    • Yearly human trafficking training for the owner or operator, kept to show the city on request (sec. 28-731(b)(8); Director Rules ARA-RP-003).
    • Noise, nuisance, trash and fire codes apply. Two nuisance abatements, or two noise convictions in 12 months, can cost the certificate (sec. 28-733).
    • The city's FAQ says no insurance is required for the certificate.
    Hotel taxes
    • Texas, 6%: state hotel occupancy tax covers houses rented for less than 30 days. If your platform doesn't collect it, you register (Form AP-102) and file yourself. Comptroller
    • City of Houston, 7%: the city's tax page says Airbnb pays it for hosts. Hosts on other platforms show proof of payment or registration when they apply. City HOT page
    • Harris County: the Comptroller's FAQ lists 2% Harris County and 2% Harris County-Houston Sports Authority on top, collected by the county tax office.

    House rules go in your listing

    For bookings made from Nov 20 2026, Airbnb wants every house rule in the listing itself; signs in the house can only repeat them. This notice only carries what Houston requires, so it adds no new rules. Put quiet hours, parking and the rest in your listing first.

    Official sources, read Nov 11 2026

    Plain-words summary, not legal advice. Rules and fees change, and the official page always wins. Checked Nov 11 2026.

    Help us get it right

    Host in Houston? If a rule, fee or form here has changed, or we missed something, tell us. We check every note against the official source before we change a page, and we put the new checked date on it.

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