Rental Rules by City / Texas / San Antonio
San Antonio short-term rental rules & tax calculator
📋 The Basics
- Can I rent my place short-term here?
- Yes, with a license or tax registration
- Do I need a permit?
- Yes. You need a city STR permit (Type 1 if you live there, Type 2 if not).
- What taxes do I pay?
- Total about 17%. Check your Airbnb payout report to see which ones Airbnb collects; you pay the rest yourself.
Your 3 steps to be legal
- Pick Type 1 or Type 2.
- Apply for the city permit.
- Pay hotel tax by the end of the next month.
⚠️ Biggest risk: Late hotel tax: penalties and interest.
Words confusing? See the glossary. Details and official sources are below.
Tax calculator
Rates used: Texas state hotel occupancy tax 6% + City of San Antonio HOT 9% + Bexar County HOT (collected by city) 2% = 17%. Mandatory cleaning fees are included in the taxable total. City page: 9% city (7% general + 2% Convention Center) and 2% for Bexar County, plus 6% state. Monthly online filing even with zero receipts.
What Airbnb collects: What Airbnb collects here: verify on Airbnb's local tax help pages and in your payout reports; you remain responsible for any tax it does not collect.
Advanced details (laws, fees, sources)
Rules
| Permit | A City STR permit is required: Type 1 (owner/operator-occupied, incl. ADUs) or Type 2 (not owner-occupied). |
|---|---|
| Fees | Permits last 3 years: $450 for Type 1 and $1,000 for Type 2, each plus an 8% fee surcharge (city DSD fact sheet). One permit per unit; the permit number must be on every listing. |
| HOT filing | Report and pay HOT by the last day of the following month; 5% penalties at months 2 and 3 plus 10%/yr interest. |
| Exemption | Guests staying 30+ consecutive days are exempt from city/county HOT. |
| Density limit | Type 1 has no density limit. Type 2 is allowed by right up to 12.5% of units on a blockface (or of units in a multifamily property), with at least one Type 2 allowed per blockface; beyond that you need a Board of Adjustment special exception. |
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
San Antonio'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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Stay Compliant: $4.99/month
Rules, tax rates and Airbnb/Vrbo policies can change without warning, and hosts who miss a change can be fined. Get alerts when your city, county or state changes, deadline reminders, a pending-bill watch list and a monthly host brief (even in quiet months: "we checked on [date]; no changes"). Compare plans.
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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.