the City of Austin breaks down short term rentals into three types, Type 1 (owner-occupant), Type 2 (investor-owned), Type 3 (multi-family)
STR Type 1 permits can be issued for single family homes where the owner has a homestead exemption on the subject property. These permits are used when you live in the home, and want to rent out the entire home from time to time, OR if you only want to rent out part of the home ie. a room or guest house on the property.
STR Type 2 permits are for non-owner occupant, full-time investment use short term rentals. A federal court ruling reversed the previous limitations of the City of Austin's ordinance which essentially prohibited Type 2 permits. As of August of 2023, the City of Austin is issuing Type 2 investor permits!
STR Type 3 permits are for units in multi-family properties. Apartments, condos, and fourplexes are all considered multi-family properties. There are caps on the number of STRs allowed in each multi-family building. If the building is located in a residentially zoned area the maximum number of units that can have a Type 3 permit is 3% of the total units in the building. For buildings located in commercially zoned areas, the max number of STR Type 3 permits available is 25% of the total units in the building.
Duplexes constructed after December 7th, 2023 and two-unit residential properties constructed after October 1st, 2015 are subject to the following restriction: only one unit may be used as a short term rental for more than 30 days in a calendar year.
Bee Cave:
no restrictions on STRs
Boerne:
Permit required for properties in the city limits and Boerne ETJ
Buda:
permit required
must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Director of Planning that the unit and property do not have any outstanding issues related to taxes or building, electrical, plumbing, fire, health, housing, police, planning, noise, or code enforcement provisions
must provide proof of insurance and payment of hotel occupancy tax annually
Full details on page 51 of Buda’s Unified Development Code
Cedar Park:
no restrictions on STRs
Dripping Springs:
no restrictions on STRs
Driftwood:
Driftwood is an unincorporated area, thus there are no restrictions on STRs
Fredericksburg:
permit required
STR's allowed in some zoning districts but not all, short term rental use is based on property zoning and type of STR i.e owner occupied, non-owner occupied, accessory building, etc. link to zoning map
Properties that received a STR Permit prior to April 1, 2022 are considered “Legal Non-Conforming” uses and allowed to operate conditioned upon conformity with Section 5.401 and Section 6.110, Continuance of a Nonconforming Use
Generally, permits may be transfered to new owners, a new owner must submit a transfer of permit application
Click here to view the UPDATED complete STR ordinance
Georgetown:
no restrictions on STRs
Horseshoe Bay:
No regulations yet, but a short term rental ordinance was discussed at the council meeting in November 2022
no restrictions on STRs within Horseshoe Bay Property Owners’ Association
some properties are in additional HOAs and those may restrict STR use
Johnson City:
permits required for properties located in the city limits or ETJ
Link to complete ordinance
Jonestown:
​STRs are only permitted in the STR Overlay District
events are not permitted on site
residence may not house more than 15 people at a time
Kyle:
no restrictions on STRs
Lago Vista:
must apply for an STR permit if the property is located in any of the following zoning districts: R-1, R-O, RR-A, R-2
link to zoning map
STRs must have two parking spots per dwelling, no street parking
Lakeway:
maximum of 25 single family homes can be used as STRs
currently, there is a 2 year waiting list to get a permit
there's no limit for permits for condos
Link to STR map
Leander:
According to city officials, vacation rentals are currently classified as hotels within the City of Leander. You will need to ensure that you have the correct zoning (General Commercial) before operating a vacation rental. Because these are considered a commercial business, the rental would be subject to commercial building standards and permits.
The City of Leander constitutes a short term rental as anything less than 6 months.
Leander is generally unfriendly towards STRs at the current moment; however Leander has no official STR rules currently
In May of 2023, they discussed creating rules and regulations, you can see the slides from the City of Leander Short Term Rental Briefing Workshop here
Lockhart:
STR registration required for all properties located in a residential zoning district
No more than 2 adults per bedroom permitted
Marble Falls:
In January of 2021, Marble Falls adopted a short term rental ordinance. This ordinance requires all STR operators to obtain a permit from the city in order to operate as a vacation rental. In order to obtain a permit, owners must demonstrate proof of liability insurance, document payment of hotel occupancy tax, and pass a life safety inspection among other requirements.
The complete rules can be found here
New Braunfels:
short term rentals are not allowed in any residential zoning districts
​a special use permit must be obtained for all properties located in non-residential zoning districts, except those located in the following zoning districts: C-4, C-4A, and C-4B
short-term rentals are not allowed in the floodway
annual life safety inspections are required
​maximum occupancy of two adults per sleeping area, plus an additional two occupants
​a minimum of one off-street parking space, not including the garage, must be provided per sleeping area
Pflugerville:
no regulations, but lots of HOAS with rules regarding STRs​
Point Venture:
STRS permitted in most sections except they're not allowed in Section 3-1
permit is required
owners must provide guests with important operation information such as emergency contacts, location of water shut off, parking requirements, trash collection, etc.
Rollingwood:
STRs prohibited
no rentals less than 30 days
Round Rock:
no restrictions on STRs
San Marcos:
Home Share Rental Registration required
​Proof that the premises is the primary residence of the applicant, including at least two of the following: motor vehicle registration, driver's license, Texas State Identification card, voter registration, tax documents, or utility bill
Only permits one STR/owner in city limits
Occupancy limits
Required safety features
Sunrise Beach:
not permitted
Sunset Valley:
permit required
no limitations based on owner-occupancy
Link to full Sunset Valley Short Term Rental Requirements
Spicewood:
no restrictions on STRs​
The Hills:
no restrictions on STRs​
There are extensive HOA rules you must follow. Link to more details.
Volente:
must apply for a short term rental conditional use permit
maximum number of guests is 2 people, over the age of 16, per bedroom +3
$150 permit fee, permit is non-transferable with a sale
Westlake Hills:
The following criteria pertains to properties zoned R-1, R-2, and R-3
​only a homestead owner may apply for a short-term rental special use permit, but may do so for the homestead or another property owned by the homestead owner
only one permit will be issued per homestead, regardless of whether the permit is for the homestead or another property owned by the homestead owner
essentially you must own a primary residence in Westlake in order to get an STR permit, but if you own two homes in Westlake, you can get a permit for the one you don't live in
a guesthouse can not be used as a short term rental
Link to more details and link to Westlake Hills STR map
Wimberly:
To obtain a permit to operate a bed & breakfast or vacation rental, an applicant must go through the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) process and receive an approved permit.
The CUP process includes:
complete Application
application Fee (non-refundable)
the city notifies those within 200’ of your application, publishes in the local newspaper and posts a sign on the subject tract
Planning & Zoning hearing for recommendation and City Council hearing for ultimate decision
Per state & local statute, if 20% of property owners within 200' oppose the application a super majority vote of the City Council (4 out of 5) is required for CUP approval.
​*****We do our best to provide accurate information; however, these rules and regulations are constantly evolving. Make sure to confirm current rules with the local governing bodies. This post was last updated on 2/15/2024
Sign in with your email address
Enter your email address
Please wait...
You’re being redirected to the page with listing data.
