Where short-term rentals are allowed in Fort Worth, TX

What Fort Worth asks of you

• Since February 28, 2023, Article XIII of Chapter 7 has made it unlawful to rent or advertise an unregistered short-term rental.^[4]

• Short-term rentals are allowed in every mixed-use district, plus most form-based, commercial and industrial districts. The city lists nine residential districts, R1 and R2 among them, where they are not allowed.^[3]

• On May 28, 2026, the Second Court of Appeals ruled for the city in Modern Builders, LLC v. City of Fort Worth, No. 02-25-00275-CV.^[6]

• The court's summary holds that owners in single-family residential districts have no vested right to lease short term. It adds that the city's two ordinances serve legitimate government interests.^[6]

• The application includes a zoning confirmation showing a success message. A prohibited result means the property cannot be used as a short-term rental. The owner may still apply for a rezoning to a planned development, with no guarantee.^[3]

• The first registration costs $150 and each renewal $100. A registration expires on the last day of the month, one year after it was issued.^[4]

• A renewal can be filed from 30 days before expiration. One filed after the registration has lapsed is handled as a new application.^[4]

• The local responsible party, who may be the owner, must be reachable in person or by phone at all times while guests are there. That person must reach the property within one hour of a city call.^[4]

• No more than two people per bedroom plus two may stay, and never more than 12 including children. Only one group may rent at a time.^[4]

• Vehicles are limited to the property's off-street parking spaces. Every stay lasts at least one night. The property may not host or promote a special event such as a wedding.^[4]

• Guests receive a notice of host rules covering occupancy, parking and noise, among other city regulations. A copy of the registration is posted inside the front entrance.^[4]

• Every advertisement, on a hosting platform or anywhere else, must carry the current registration number. A registration cannot be transferred to another person.^[4]

• The city may revoke a registration after one or more citations within 12 months. A property whose registration is revoked waits a year before a new one is issued.^[5]

• Each violation is a misdemeanor, and each day it continues is a separate offense. Fines reach $500 in most cases. Certain fire safety, zoning or public health offenses carry up to $2,000.^[5]

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]