Austin short-term rental rules
Austin allows a short-term rental in any legal home, in every zoning district, with a City license. The City cannot prohibit it by zoning. Since October 1, 2025 the City no longer treats owner-occupied and whole-home rentals differently.
The limits fall on the operator. On a site of 1 to 3 homes only a person (or a trust or LLC made up of people) can operate, 2 rentals per site at most, and one person's rental sites must be 1,000 ft apart. In a building of 4 or more homes each operator can rent the greater of 1 home or 10% of the homes they own there (25% if the site has a commercial use).
Zoning matters in one case. In office, commercial, industrial, public and unzoned land, a rental is allowed only as part of a legal home that already stands on the site. Office, commercial and unzoned districts allow new homes only through Texas SB 840 or the -MU district.
Who can operate
- On a site of 1 to 3 homes: a person, or a trust or LLC made up of people. The limit is 2 rentals per site, and one person's rental sites must be 1,000 ft apart.
- In a building of 4 or more homes: each operator can rent the greater of 1 home or 10% of the homes they own there, or 25% if the site has a commercial use.
- A tenant can operate with the landlord's permission.
- A license covers one home, is good for 2 years, does not transfer to a buyer and must appear on every listing.
- An HOA or a deed restriction can ban rentals on its own, whatever the zoning says.
Which zoning allows it
The table runs one district from each zoning category through the same rule function the MapLedger map and its MCP tool use. The City counts 555 zoning strings across 22,138 zoning areas.
| Zoning category | Short-term rental | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and large lot, Single-family | Allowed with a City license | Allowed with a license. On a site of 1 to 3 homes only a person (or a trust or LLC made up of people) can operate, 2 rentals per site at most, and one person's rental sites must be 1,000 ft apart. |
| Townhouse and condo, Multifamily, Mixed use, Downtown, Planned unit development | Allowed with a City license | Allowed with a license. On a site of 1 to 3 homes only a person (or a trust or LLC made up of people) can operate, 2 rentals per site at most, and one person's rental sites must be 1,000 ft apart. In a building of 4 or more homes each operator can rent the greater of 1 home or 10% of the homes they own there (25% if the site has a commercial use). |
| Office, Commercial, Unzoned | Allowed only as part of a legal home on the site | Only as part of a legal home on the site. This zoning allows new homes only through Texas SB 840 or the -MU district. |
| Industrial, Public | Allowed only as part of a legal home on the site | Only where a legal home already exists on the site. |
| Outside the full and limited purpose areas | No City license in the ETJ | Austin allows short-term rentals in its full and limited purpose jurisdictions, and a license is required in both. This spot is outside both. In the extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) the City requires no license and charges no local Hotel Occupancy Tax. |
A lot in an office, commercial, industrial, public or unzoned district with no home on it cannot host a rental today. The City's land use inventory settles this for a single lot, and the address check applies it.
The limited purpose jurisdiction needs a license too, but it does not pay the City's Hotel Occupancy Tax. The extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) needs no license and pays no local Hotel Occupancy Tax.
The license and where to apply
Every operator needs a City license before listing. Licenses do not transfer to a buyer, and every listing must show its license number. A new license costs $736.60.
Apply online through Austin Finance Online, in person by appointment at the Permitting and Development Center, or by mail. The City asks for the operator's ID, an information packet in a common area and Hotel Occupancy Tax collection (the limited purpose area is exempt). An operator who lives outside the Austin Metro Area (Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop and Caldwell counties) must name a local contact who can respond within two hours. The City sends a notice to every property within 100 feet, paid for by the $94.60 notification fee inside the license cost.
City of Austin: short-term rentals and how to apply for a license
Check one address
Type an Austin street address. The map looks up its zoning and shows the rental answer for that lot.
After you check an address, the lot panel offers the Lot File where it is on sale: a cited research file on that one lot, $29. Open the Austin map.
Questions
Can I run an Airbnb in Austin?
Yes, with a City license, in a legal home in any zoning district. Austin treats a short-term rental as an accessory use to any residential use in every zoning district and cannot prohibit it by zoning. The limits fall on the operator: On a site of 1 to 3 homes only a person (or a trust or LLC made up of people) can operate, 2 rentals per site at most, and one person's rental sites must be 1,000 ft apart.
Does Austin treat owner-occupied short-term rentals differently?
No. Since October 1, 2025 the City no longer separates owner-occupied rentals from whole-home rentals. One license covers one home, whoever lives there.
How do I get an Austin short-term rental license?
Apply with the City of Austin through Austin Finance Online, in person by appointment at the Permitting and Development Center, or by mail. Licenses do not transfer to a buyer, and every listing must show its license number. A new license costs $736.60. https://www.austintexas.gov/development-services/short-term-rentals
Does Austin require a license in the limited purpose jurisdiction or the ETJ?
A license is required in the full purpose jurisdiction and in the limited purpose jurisdiction. The limited purpose area does not pay the City's Hotel Occupancy Tax. In the extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) the City requires no license and charges no local Hotel Occupancy Tax.
Sources
- City of Austin: short-term rentals and how to apply for a license
https://www.austintexas.gov/development-services/short-term-rentals - City Code Chapter 4-23, short-term rentals (Municode)
https://library.municode.com/tx/austin/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT4BUREPERE_CH4-23SHRMRE - Austin Land Development Code (Municode)
https://library.municode.com/tx/austin/codes/land_development_code - City of Austin zoning (small map scale)
https://services.arcgis.com/0L95CJ0VTaxqcmED/arcgis/rest/services/PLANNINGCADASTRE_zoning_small_map_scale/FeatureServer/0
Counts and rules as of September 27, 2026. The city pages above were read on October 8, 2026. MapLedger is not affiliated with or approved by the City. This page is not a zoning letter, and an HOA or a deed restriction can add limits the zoning does not.