Dallas, TX short-term rental registration
Dallas's budget report as of September 30, 2025, says a court injunction halts its 2023 short-term rental registration program. The city has since cut it from the budget: the FY 2025-26 budget ordinance, passed September 17, 2025, discontinued its funding.[6]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 2, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Dallas?
Register before you list
What you apply for: Hotel occupancy tax registration
- Seasonal homes
- 2,595
- Housing units
- 590,237
- Residents
- 1,307,930
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City ruleRegistration required
- City feeNone published
- Tax on each stay15%
- Seasonal homes4 per 1,000
Dallas short-term rental rules
As of October 2, 2026, the city's own page says Dallas cannot enforce the two short-term rental ordinances it adopted in 2023. On June 14, 2023, the City Council enacted a zoning amendment and a registration ordinance in Chapter 42B. Enforcement was due to start on December 14, 2023. Operators sued on October 2, 2023, and the court entered a temporary injunction against both ordinances on December 6, 2023. The zoning amendment names districts such as multifamily, mixed use and central area. Single-family zones are not on that list. Until the injunction lifts, the city enforces its existing ordinances on minimum property standards, disturbing noises and private nuisances. The city's 9% hotel occupancy tax still applies, and each rental registers with the City Controller's Office before it files.[3]
What Dallas asks of you
On June 14, 2023, the City of Dallas enacted two ordinances regulating short-term rentals, with enforcement scheduled to begin on December 14, 2023.[3]
The first amended Chapters 51 and 51A of the city code to create a short-term rental lodging use. The second set up registration under Chapter 42B.[3]
A group representing operators sued on October 2, 2023. On December 6, 2023, the court entered a temporary injunction prohibiting enforcement of both ordinances.[3]
While the injunction stands, the city keeps enforcing the ordinances it already had on minimum property standards, disturbing noises and private nuisances.[3]
The FY 2025-26 budget ordinance, passed by City Council on September 17, 2025, discontinued funding for the short-term rental registration program.[6]
Every short-term rental needs a registration form on file with the City Controller's Office before it starts reporting and paying hotel occupancy tax.[4]
That tax registration is free. The HOT Team first issues the account number and activation code used on the city's online portal.[5]
After a sale or a change of manager, the new party submits a new registration form. A name change calls for an updated form.[4]
The city has no collection agreement with any platform, Airbnb or VRBO included. It falls to the owner, operator or manager to register the property, then pay the tax.[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 Dallas
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 |
| Dallas hotel occupancy tax[4] | 9% | The city |
| Total on a taxable stay | 15% |
Dallas reports are monthly, due by the 15th, and filed even when no tax is due. Since February 1, 2026, tax still unpaid three months after the due date adds a 15% penalty.[4]
Airbnb taxes for hostsWhat the census counts
How much of Dallas is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 2,595 of Dallas's 590,237 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 4 out of every 1,000. It ranks Dallas 22nd of the 23 Texas cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 22nd of 23
- Share of housing
- 4 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $320,700
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Dallas sits among its neighbors
Austin, TX
Permit required
In every zoning district, as an accessory to residential use. Each rental needs its own city license.
Austin short-term rental rulesCorpus Christi, TX
Registration required
3,322 seasonal homes, 24 per 1,000 housing units.
Corpus Christi short-term rental rulesLago Vista, TX
Permit required
252 seasonal homes, 51 per 1,000 housing units.
Lago Vista short-term rental rulesFort Worth, TX
Allowed by zone
1,368 seasonal homes, 4 per 1,000 housing units.
Fort Worth short-term rental rulesFAQ
Dallas short-term rental questions
Can Dallas enforce its short-term rental ban?
Do Dallas short-term rentals still have to register?
Does Airbnb collect Dallas hotel tax for hosts?
Is there a discount for paying Dallas hotel tax on time?
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
- Short-Term Rentals, Code Compliance Services, City of Dallas, read on October 2, 2026
- Short-Term Rentals (Hotel Occupancy Tax), City Controller's Office, City of Dallas, read on October 2, 2026
- Short-Term Rentals, Financial Transparency, City of Dallas, read on October 2, 2026
- Budget Accountability Report FY 2024-25, as of September 30, 2025, City of Dallas, read on October 2, 2026
This page is not legal advice. It summarizes the official sources listed on this page as they read on October 2, 2026. Rules can change after that date, so check with the issuing office before you apply or publish a listing.
Before you list
Free tools for new hosts
Short-term rental agreement generator
Parties, dates, rent, deposit checked against your state's cap, and the house rules clauses you enforce. A signed-ready PDF for direct and Vrbo bookings.
Airbnb host fee calculator
What Airbnb takes on a booking under the 15.5% host-only fee or the old split fee, what the guest pays on top, and the payout that reaches you.
Airbnb house rules
Generate a complete PDF house rules document for your property: rules, schedule, amenities, emergency contacts.
Check-in instructions
The message a guest reads before getting in: access, keys, WiFi, parking, contact. English or bilingual output.