Houston real estate investments

Houston Short-Term Rental Rules and Registration 2026

Houston Airbnb rules in 2026 are not one form. Inside the city, a stay under 30 days can need a certificate of registration and can owe hotel tax a lease does not. Outside the city, another city or the county has its own stack. An HOA can close the stay even when the city would allow it. This is the checklist of what is required and what is not. It is general information for a purchase. It is not legal advice and it is not tax advice. The sourced walkthrough of the tax is a nightly stay and hotel tax. The overview is the Houston Airbnb and STR investment guide 2026.

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What is required inside the City of Houston

For a rental of less than 30 consecutive days, inside the Houston city limits:

A city certificate of registration. City Council adopted the ordinance on April 16, 2025. It took effect January 1, 2026. The text is Article XXIII of Chapter 28. The city note is the April 17, 2025 announcement.
The annual fee on that announcement is $275 per property, plus an administrative fee on the city fee schedule. That cash belongs with cash before the first rent.
Operating without the certificate can draw a fine of $100 to $500 for each day.
On January 1, 2027, the City of Houston says it will begin notifying platforms to remove a listing that lacks a certificate of registration. After that notice, the ordinance gives the platform ten business days.
Texas hotel occupancy tax of 6% of the price paid for the room. The Comptroller applies that rate to houses, not only to hotels. The statute is Tax Code chapter 156.
City hotel occupancy tax of 7% of the room price when that price is $2 or more a day. The levy is section 44-102.
Harris County hotel tax on stays under 30 consecutive days. On a room inside the City of Houston, state law caps that county rate at 2%. The county describes the cap in its hotel-tax note.

The county tax office also collects a sports-venue hotel tax. I am not adding the state, the city, the county, and the sports-venue piece into one total. Some booking platforms collect part of this tax. Confirm which pieces a platform sends in before you treat the tax as paid.

What is not required, or is not true

A city certificate does not override an HOA or the deed. The strictest rule wins. If nightly stays are banned, the certificate does not create the use.
A house outside the Houston city limits does not use this city registration. It follows that place. Unincorporated is not the same word as unregulated.
A lease of 30 or more consecutive days is not this registration. The Comptroller treats a guest who stays 30 or more consecutive days, with no break in payment, as a permanent resident for the state hotel tax. A guest who does not give written notice pays the state tax for the first 30 days. Houston city hotel tax is written for a stay of less than 30 days. Property tax still applies.
There is no single Houston STR tax rate to memorize. The pieces stay separate.
A past Airbnb listing is not permission. A builder saying rentals are fine is not the recorded restriction.
Registration and hotel tax do not replace the restriction review. They are costs for a use the rules still have to allow.

Where this sits in the purchase

Count the registration and the tax before a nightly rate is treated as income. The income work is the rental income analysis. On a resale, find the use during the option period. The rules can change after you buy. Rates, forms, and fees change. The bill for one address can include pieces this page keeps separate. If nightly stays are closed, that use stays off the resale and exit strategies.

The HOA version of a dead deal is Houston HOA and deed restrictions for Airbnb.

Questions people ask

Do I need to register a Houston Airbnb in 2026?

Inside the Houston city limits, a rental of less than 30 consecutive days needs a city certificate of registration. The ordinance took effect January 1, 2026. A house outside the city limits follows that place’s rules. A city certificate does not override an HOA ban.

What is the Houston short-term rental registration fee?

The City of Houston set the annual fee at $275 per property, plus an administrative fee on the city fee schedule. Operating without the certificate can draw a fine of $100 to $500 for each day. Confirm the current fee schedule before you treat $275 as the whole bill.

What hotel tax does a Houston short-term rental owe?

A stay under 30 days can owe the Texas hotel occupancy tax of 6%. Inside Houston, the city hotel tax is 7% when the room price is $2 or more a day. On a room inside Houston, Harris County’s hotel tax is capped at 2%. A sports-venue hotel tax can also apply. These pieces are not added into one total on this page.

Does Houston registration make an Airbnb legal in an HOA?

No. The strictest rule is the one that counts. A city that allows a short stay does not override deed restrictions or an HOA that wants a long lease. If the section forbids nightly stays, the registration is a cost for a use you do not have.

Does a 30-day stay still owe Houston hotel tax?

A stay of 30 or more consecutive days can step out of hotel tax. The state treats a guest who stays 30 or more consecutive days, with no break in payment, as a permanent resident for the state hotel tax. Houston’s city hotel tax is written for a stay of less than 30 days. Property tax still applies. A lease of 30 days or more is a different product, and it still has to be allowed.

Check the rules before the rate

Let’s talk while this is still an idea. I will walk you through which of these apply to the kind of Houston house you want. The next page is Houston homes for an Airbnb or short-term rental. Text or call (346) 683-4100.