Administration & Regulatory Affairs

Business Licensing - Short Term Rentals

On April 16, 2025, Houston City Council adopted an ordinance creating regulations for short-term rental (STR) properties operating within the Houston city limits. A short-term rental, as defined by the ordinance, is a dwelling unit or any portion of a dwelling unit that is rented out or offered to be rented out for a period of less than 30 consecutive days.

STR registration will be accessible from this webpage October 1, 2025. The original go-live date was August 1, 2025 but due to unexpected technical challenges and to allow sufficient time for testing and feedback, we are delaying go-live to October 1, 2025. We are working diligently to minimize the impact of the delay and thank you for your patience and collaboration. Applicants will have 90 days from the time the website goes live until the time registration enforcement begins on January 1, 2026.

As an STR owner and/or operator, we recommend that you begin to gather the information below in advance of applying for your Certificate(s) of Registration.

Applications for an STR Certificate of Registration will require the following information:

• Property address
• Names(s) and contact information for the property owner(s)
• If the owner is not an individual, must provide a copy of filed documents with the Texas Secretary of State establishing the entity and proof of good standing as an entity with the State of Texas
• Name and phone number for the 24/7 emergency contact individual(s)
• Names and website addresses of all platforms that have advertised bookings for the property
• Signed Property Owner Authorization & Acknowledgement (.pdf)
• Proof of payment or evidence of registration to pay hotel occupancy taxes (HOT)
• Non-refundable application fee of $275 plus administrative fee $33.10 per application
• Acknowledgement of completion of human trafficking awareness training Approved Training Programs (.pdf)

• Short-Term Rental Ordinance (Adopted 04.16.2025 / Effective 01.01.2026)
• STR Press Release -- April 17, 2025
• STR Ordinance Overview
• Answers to FAQs (.pdf revised 04.25.2025)