Austin requires every short-term rental owner or operator to be licensed annually by the city, and a new operating license costs $736.60 including a notification fee. On single-family sites one person may run up to two units and more elsewhere when the sites are at least 1,000 feet apart; multi-family sites are limited to the greater of one unit or 10% of the units, and tenants may operate with their landlord's permission. The city hotel occupancy tax is 11% on top of the 6% state hotel tax, and booking platforms collect and remit the city tax.
Facts
| Field | Value | Stated by |
|---|---|---|
| Place | Austin | - |
| State | TX | - |
| Jurisdiction type | city | - |
| Permit required | Yes | Source 1 |
| Permit name | Short-Term Rental (STR) operating license | - |
| Permit fee (USD) | $736.60 | Source 1 |
| Fee notes | $736.60 for a new license = $642.00 license fee + $94.60 notification fee. | - |
| Renewal period | annual | Source 1 |
| Non-owner-occupied rental allowed | Yes | Source 1 |
| Caps and zoning limits | Single-family sites: an individual may operate up to two STR units on a site and additional STRs elsewhere if they are at least 1,000 feet apart. Multi-family residential sites: the greater of one unit or 10% of their units. Mixed-use sites (four or more residential units and at least one commercial use): the greater of one unit or 25% of their units. Tenants may operate with the landlord's permission. | Source 1 |
| Annual night cap | unknown | - |
| Local lodging tax | 11% | Source 2 |
| State lodging tax | 6% | Source 3 |
| Platform collects tax | Yes | Source 2 |
| Tax notes | City hotel occupancy tax is 11% (9% occupancy tax + 2% venue project tax). The state hotel occupancy tax is 6% and is remitted to the State. The city page says platforms that take bookings and payments collect and remit the city hotel occupancy tax. | - |
| Penalties | unknown | - |
| Fields not confirmed | Annual night cap; Penalties | - |
| Last checked | 2026-10-07 | - |
| Dataset row id | austin-tx | - |
"unknown" means the value was not found on the official pages read on the check date, not that no such rule exists. "Stated by" points to the numbered source below.
Sources
- City of Austin: Short-Term Rentals
- City of Austin: Hotel Occupancy Taxes. Published on www.austintexas.gov. Address: https://www.austintexas.gov/page/hotel-occupancy-taxes
- Texas Comptroller: Hotel Occupancy Tax. Published on comptroller.texas.gov. Address: https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/hotel/
At most one official page per place is linked; every other source is cited as text with its full address.
Sources last checked: 2026-10-07