Rental Rules by City / Texas / Houston

Houston short-term rental rules & tax calculator

Harris County, Texas · Verified against official sources Oct 24, 2026

📋 The Basics

Can I rent my place short-term here?: Yes, with a permit
Do I need a permit?: Yes. Since 2026 every rental needs a yearly City registration.
What taxes do I pay?: Total about 15%. Check your Airbnb payout report to see which ones Airbnb collects; you pay the rest yourself.

Your 3 steps to be legal

Register each rental with the City ($275 + $33.10).
Put the registration number in every listing.
File hotel taxes for non-Airbnb bookings.

⚠️ Biggest risk: Platforms will delist unregistered rentals from 2027.

Words confusing? See the glossary. Details and official sources are below.

Tax calculator

Nightly rate ($) Nights Cleaning fee ($)

Rates used: Texas state hotel occupancy tax 6% + City of Houston HOT 7% + Harris County HOT (inside cities) 2% = 15%. Mandatory cleaning fees are included in the taxable total. 15% total. City HOT is filed through Houston First; Harris County rate inside municipalities is 2%.

What Airbnb collects: Per the City, Airbnb-only listings don't need HOT proof; for other channels file state, city and county HOT yourself.

This is the general rule for Houston. Does your address qualify?

The free info covers the city as a whole. Your property can still be different: zoning can change from one street to the next, and an HOA or condo ban can stop rentals even where the city allows them.

Your $49 Compliance Check looks at your exact property:

Whether your exact address and zone allow short-term rentals
A check of HOA / condo rental restrictions to look for
Which permits and tax accounts you personally need
What you're missing right now
A personal report with clear next steps and official sources, by email
A refund if we report a rule in error (refund policy)

🔎 How we check: official city, county and state sources, a last-verified date on every page, and nothing guessed. Learn more

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Rules don't change every week, but they do change, and nobody emails you when they do. We'll alert you when city rules, tourist taxes, HOA-related laws, or Airbnb/Vrbo policies change in Houston. Cancel anytime.

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Why use this instead of a web search?

Instead of scattered, sometimes outdated pages, you get the city, county and state rules on one page, with official sources linked, a last-checked date, and unconfirmed items marked "verify" instead of guessed. How we verify →

Advanced details (laws, fees, sources)

Rules

Registration	Since Jan 1, 2026 every dwelling rented for under 30 consecutive days needs its own annual City certificate of registration.
Fees	$275 plus a $33.10 administrative fee per registration (per ordinance).
Listings	Put your City registration number in every listing. From Jan 1, 2027 the City will ask platforms to remove unregistered listings.
HOT proof	Listings only on Airbnb don't need HOT proof; any other channel needs proof of HOT remittance or registration.

Items marked "Verify with the city" could not be confirmed from an official source; call the office listed before relying on them.

Sources

Free tools

Free "Is my rental legal?" checklist · Free tourist tax calculator

Rules can change

Houston's rules, its tax rates and platform policies can change through a council vote, a new state law or a court ruling, often with little notice to hosts. We re-check this page monthly; subscribers get notified. Stay Compliant for $4.99/mo.

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Not legal or tax advice. Last verified Oct 24, 2026. Rules and rates change: confirm with the official sources linked before you rent or file.