STRWATCH.AI 50/50 MARKETS · UPDATED 2026-07-18 · ALL CITIES
STRWATCH.AI / TX / San Antonio

Is a short-term rental legal in San Antonio, TX?

REGULATED

San Antonio requires a Short Term Rental (STR) permit for any dwelling unit rented for less than 30 consecutive days, under City Code Chapter 16, Article XXII (adopted Nov.

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Verified2026-07-18against official sources

Two permit tiers exist: Type 1 requires the unit to be the owner's/operator's primary residence (no density limit; ADUs qualify if the owner lives on-site). Type 2 covers non-owner/operator-occupied units, including whole-home unhosted rentals, but is capped at roughly 12.5% of units per block face/building by right, with a Board of Adjustment special exception available above the cap. Type 2 STRs may not operate in ADUs. Maximum occupancy is set per-unit under the San Antonio Property Maintenance Code / approved floor plan rather than a fixed citywide number. STR rules apply only to stays under 30 consecutive days; longer stays are unregulated as STRs.

What you need to operate

Short Term Rental Permit - Type 1 (Owner/Operator-Occupied) $300 (one-time fee, valid 3 years)
City of San Antonio, Development Services Department
Renewal: Every 3 years; renewal fee is also $300
Required when the STR is the owner's or operator's primary residence (documented via homestead exemption, vehicle registration, or similar), including qualifying accessory dwelling units. No citywide density limit. Permits issue within 5 business days of a complete application. City Code Ch. 16, Art. XXII, Secs. 16-1103 to 16-1107, as amended by Ord. 2024-06-13-0433 (fee increase effective June 14, 2024).
official source
Short Term Rental Permit - Type 2 (Non-Owner/Operator-Occupied) $450 (one-time fee, valid 3 years)
City of San Antonio, Development Services Department
Renewal: Every 3 years; renewal fee is also $450
Required when the unit is not the owner's/operator's primary residence. Allowed by right up to ~12.5% of dwelling units per block face (single-family) or per multi-family building of 8+ units (buildings of 5-7 units: 1 Type 2 by right); every block face/building is guaranteed at least one Type 2 by right regardless of density math. May not rent less than the entire dwelling unit and may not operate in an ADU. City Code Ch. 16, Art. XXII, Secs. 16-1103 & 16-1107, as amended by Ord. 2024-06-13-0433.
official source
Board of Adjustment Special Exception (density cap exceedance) $400 (property with homestead exemption) or $600 (all other properties)
City of San Antonio Board of Adjustment
Renewal: One-time, tied to the underlying permit
Only required for a Type 2 STR application that would exceed the block-face/building density limit. Applicant has 45 days after notice to submit the special-exception application or the STR permit record is denied. Submitted via the BuildSA online portal. Director-level permit denials/revocations are also appealable to the BOA within 20 calendar days under UDC Sec. 35-481 (Ord. 2024-06-13-0433, Sec. 16-1112).
official source
Personal Injury Liability Insurance Cost not verified
City of San Antonio (City Code Ch. 16, Sec. 16-1108(c))
Renewal: Maintained continuously; self-certified with each application/renewal
Ordinance requires, at minimum, 'an insurance policy sufficient for personal injury liability of guests.' No specific coverage dollar amount is set in the code.
official source
Annual Fire Extinguisher Inspection & Life-Safety Standards Cost not verified
City of San Antonio Development Services Department / Fire Code
Renewal: Annual (fire extinguisher inspection); self-certified at each permit application/renewal
A 2A:10B:C (5-lb) fire extinguisher must be mounted within 75 feet of all portions of the STR on each floor and independently inspected annually; smoke/CO detectors, emergency escape openings, and a posted evacuation plan are also required (Ord. 2024-06-13-0433, Secs. 16-1104(a)(6), 16-1108(d)).
official source
Hotel Occupancy Tax Account Registration & Monthly Reporting Cost not verified
City of San Antonio Finance Department (administered by Avenu Insights & Analytics)
Renewal: Monthly report required indefinitely, even if $0 due or a platform remitted tax on the operator's behalf
Every STR operator in Bexar County (inside or outside San Antonio city limits) must hold a HOT account and file monthly reports through Avenu covering City and County HOT, regardless of whether a booking platform remits tax directly to the City.
official source

The full picture

San Antonio requires a Short Term Rental (STR) permit for any dwelling unit rented for less than 30 consecutive days, under City Code Chapter 16, Article XXII (adopted Nov. 1, 2018; amended by Ordinance 2024-06-13-0433). Type 1 permits ($300 per 3-year term) cover units that are the owner's or operator's primary residence and carry no density cap. Type 2 permits ($450 per 3-year term) cover non-owner/operator-occupied units and are capped by right at roughly 12.5% of dwelling units per block face (single-family) or per multi-family building of 8+ units, with every block face/building guaranteed at least one Type 2 by right; exceeding the cap requires a Board of Adjustment special exception ($400 with homestead exemption, $600 otherwise). Hosts must self-certify liability insurance and annual fire-extinguisher inspection, post quiet-hours notices (10pm-6am Sun-Thu, 11pm-6am Fri-Sat) if there are outdoor amenities, and include the permit number on every listing; the City can direct platforms to pull non-compliant listings. Operators owe three layers of Hotel Occupancy Tax totaling 16.75% of rent: 6% state, 9% city (7% general + 2% Convention Center expansion), and 1.75% Bexar County (collected by the City on the County's behalf) - all reportable monthly through Avenu, with platforms remitting state HOT (e.g. Airbnb, Vrbo) also required since Sept. 12, 2024 to remit City/County HOT directly. Violations run $100-$500 per day (Class C misdemeanor) or $200-$500 per day administratively; three accepted citations on a property within a rolling 3-year period triggers permit revocation and a 12-month reapplication bar.

Taxes on guests & hosts

TaxRateApplies toPlatform collectsOfficial source
Texas State Hotel Occupancy Tax 6% Receipts from sleeping rooms/space rented for less than 30 days where the cost is $15 or more per day Yes source
City of San Antonio Hotel Occupancy Tax 9% (7% general occupancy tax + 2% Convention Center expansion) Same STR stays under 30 days, properties within San Antonio city limits Yes source
Bexar County Hotel Occupancy Tax 1.75% Same STR stays under 30 days, anywhere in Bexar County; collected by the City of San Antonio on the County's behalf Yes source

Enforcement

PenaltiesOperating without a valid permit, or violating any permit term, is a Class C misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $100-$500 upon conviction (each day is a separate violation); administrative/civil violations of permit terms carry a $200-$500 fine per occurrence, with each day of a violating occupancy a separate offense. Permits are revoked if a property accrues three or more citations accepted by Municipal Court (issued to the operator or any occupant) within a rolling 3-year period; a revoked property cannot reapply for a permit for 12 months. Failure to timely pay Hotel Occupancy Tax is a separate violation and results in permit revocation if the arrearage is not paid within 90 days of a delinquency notice. City Code Ch. 16, Art. XXII, Secs. 16-1110 & 16-1111, as amended by Ord. 2024-06-13-0433 (source: https://docsonline.sanantonio.gov/DSDUploads/2024-06-13-0433STROrdinance.pdf).
Platform liabilityAll platforms displaying San Antonio STR listings must require owners to include a valid permit number in the listing. The City notifies a platform to remove any listing lacking a valid, non-expired, non-revoked permit number (identifying the listing by URL and reason), and the platform must remove it within 10 business days (Ord. 2024-06-13-0433, Sec. 16-1103(c)). Separately, since September 12, 2024, any platform that collects Texas state Hotel Occupancy Tax on San Antonio bookings (e.g., Airbnb, Vrbo) must also collect and remit City and Bexar County HOT directly to the City monthly (Sec. 16-1104.01).
NotesComplaint-driven enforcement: a 311 report is forwarded to Code Enforcement, which inspects within 3 days; a violation triggers a 14-day compliance notice, a re-inspection, and - if still non-compliant - a City email to the platform requesting listing removal. Properties generating habitual complaints can be required to meet with the DSD Director on a compliance plan or face administrative revocation as a 'problem property' (Ord. 2024-06-13-0433, Sec. 16-1110(j)).

What we could not verify (1)

  • The precise UDC (City Code Chapter 35) section number that codifies the Type 2 block-face density-limit calculation (~12.5% of units) could not be confirmed against the primary code text this session: library.municode.com (the City's own code portal) returned only an empty JavaScript shell to curl/WebFetch, and no Chrome-extension or headless-browser fallback was available to render it. The 12.5% figure and calculation method are nonetheless independently confirmed across three official City of San Antonio Development Services Department documents (Ord. 2024-06-13-0433 Sec. 16-1103(b); the 'Density Limits' DSD Academy training slide; and the 2026-05-14 Application/Permits/Enforcement fact sheet), so the substantive rule is verified even though its exact UDC citation is not.

Sources

A markdown mirror of this page lives at /san-antonio-tx.md for AI tools and researchers.

STRWatch publishes educational information about short-term rental regulation, verified against the official sources linked above as of the date shown. It is not legal advice, and rules change — a city can move between our verification passes. For decisions with money at stake, confirm with the authority linked above or a local attorney.