Bandera, TX short-term rental certificate
Bandera classes a short-term rental as a commercial enterprise. The rental therefore needs a certificate of occupancy, the document the building code requires before any building is used or occupied.[3]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 1, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Bandera?
Get the certificate first
What you apply for: Certificate of Occupancy
- Seasonal homes
- 40
- Housing units
- 367
- Residents
- 655
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City ruleCertificate required
- City feeNone published
- Tax on each staySet locally
- Seasonal homes109 per 1,000
Bandera TX short-term rental rules
Bandera requires a certificate of occupancy for a short-term rental, because the city considers short-term rentals a commercial enterprise. The city quotes Section 111 A of the 2018 International Building Code as the basis. Administrative approval costs $50. It covers a building that already has a certificate, where only the occupant or the business classification changes. That route skips the inspection. A building with no certificate yet must be inspected, and the city's certificate page prices that at $125. The fee is due when you apply. Before anything is processed, you submit a current floor plan showing every room with its measurements. A hand-drawn plan is accepted. A valid Texas Sales Tax Permit is required up front as well. Incomplete applications are not accepted.[3]
What Bandera asks of you
Short-term rentals are considered a commercial enterprise in Bandera, which brings them under the certificate of occupancy requirement.[3]
The application form updated August 3, 2026 charges $50 for administrative approval. It prices an initial or remodel inspection at $125.[4]
The 2026-2027 Comprehensive Fee Schedule, in effect from October 1, 2026, sets a certificate requiring inspection at $175. Administrative approval stays at $50.[5]
The form asks for the square footage of the space and its intended use. Owner and tenant contact details come next.[4]
Completed applications reach the city by mail, by hand or by email to permitting@banderatx.gov.[4]
What Texas asks wherever you host
These rules apply at this address whatever the city decides.
Texas issues no state short-term rental license. What the state does impose is its hotel occupancy tax. The Comptroller applies it to houses, condominiums and apartments, not only to hotels.[1]
A room priced at $15 or more a day owes the state 6 percent. Local hotel taxes start lower, at $2 a day for a sleeping room. The local taxing authority collects those itself.[1]
After thirty consecutive days without interruption, a guest becomes a permanent resident, exempt from the tax. A guest who announces that plan in writing is exempt from the date of the notice. Any interruption voids it.[2]
What a guest pays on top of your nightly rate in Bandera
Each layer is set by a different authority, and not all of them are collected by the platform.
| Layer | Rate | Remitted to |
|---|---|---|
| Texas state hotel occupancy tax[1] | 6% | The state revenue department |
| Bandera County hotel occupancy tax[7] | 6% | The county |
| City of Bandera hotel occupancy tax[6] | Not published | The city |
Bandera County's form applies to any hotel in the county as the state tax code defines it. A report is owed for every period, even when nothing is due, and the county expects it within a month after the period closes.[7]
Airbnb taxes for hostsWhat the census counts
How much of Bandera is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 40 of Bandera's 367 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 109 out of every 1,000. It ranks Bandera 11th of the 23 Texas cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 11th of 23
- Share of housing
- 109 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $238,800
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Bandera sits among its neighbors
Houston, TX
Permit required
Each rental inside city limits needs a certificate of registration. Operating or advertising without one is unlawful.
Houston short-term rental rulesGun Barrel City, TX
Permit required
254 seasonal homes, 76 per 1,000 housing units.
Gun Barrel City short-term rental rulesPort Isabel, TX
Registration required
316 seasonal homes, 119 per 1,000 housing units.
Port Isabel short-term rental rulesMarble Falls, TX
Permit required
179 seasonal homes, 51 per 1,000 housing units.
Marble Falls short-term rental rulesFAQ
Bandera short-term rental questions
What does the Bandera fee schedule charge for a certificate?
Is there a county hotel tax in Bandera?
Does the City of Bandera levy its own hotel tax?
Sources
- Hotel Occupancy Tax, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, read on September 20, 2026
- Hotel Occupancy Tax Exemptions (publication 96-224), Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, read on September 20, 2026
- Certificate of Occupancy Application Form, City of Bandera, read on October 1, 2026
- Certificate of Occupancy Application, updated August 3, 2026, City of Bandera, read on October 1, 2026
- 2026-2027 Comprehensive Fee Schedule, effective October 1, 2026, City of Bandera, read on October 1, 2026
- City of Bandera Hotel Occupancy Tax Funds Grant Policy, City of Bandera, read on October 1, 2026
- Bandera County Hotel Occupancy Tax Report, Bandera County Tax Assessor-Collector, read on October 1, 2026
This page is not legal advice. It summarizes the official sources listed on this page as they read on October 1, 2026. Rules can change after that date, so check with the issuing office before you apply or publish a listing.
Before you list
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