Galveston, TX short-term rental registration
No Galveston rental takes guests until the city has registered it under a GVR number of its own. Treat that number as part of the listing itself, since no ad may run without it.[3]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified September 20, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Galveston?
Register before you list
What you apply for: Galveston Vacation Rental (GVR) registration
- Seasonal homes
- 5,711
- Housing units
- 35,776
- Residents
- 53,424
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City ruleRegistration required
- City fee$250
- Tax on each staySet locally
- Seasonal homes160 per 1,000
Galveston short-term rental registration
Galveston has required short-term rentals to register since Ordinance 15-012 passed in 2015. The system turns on a single identifier, the Galveston Vacation Rental number. Each property used as a short-term rental needs one, and each rentable unit needs its own. Registration costs $250 a year, collected by the city. The form asks for the property address or GCAD number, the number of bedrooms and the sleeping capacity. It also asks for the name and telephone number of a twenty-four-hour contact who lives within one hour of the property. Since Ordinance 21-021 the GVR number has to appear on any and all advertisements. Hotel occupancy tax reports are then due by the twentieth of the month after the reporting period. Properties generating under $500 of tax a month or $1,500 a quarter may report quarterly.[3]
What Galveston asks of you
Short-term rentals have had to register since 2015, when Ordinance 15-012 passed.[3]
Every property used as a short-term rental must hold a GVR number, and each rentable unit needs its own unique registration number.[3]
The annual registration fee is $250, collected by the city.[3]
Registration asks for the property address or GCAD number, the number of bedrooms and the sleeping capacity. It also asks for the name and telephone number of a twenty-four-hour contact who lives within one hour of the property.[3]
Ordinance 21-021 requires owners and property managers to display the GVR number on any and all advertisements.[3]
Hotel occupancy tax reports are due by the twentieth of the month after the reporting period, or quarterly for properties under $500 of tax a month or $1,500 a quarter.[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 Galveston
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 |
| Galveston local hotel occupancy tax[4] | Not published | The city |
Galveston collects its own local hotel occupancy tax rather than routing it through the state. That is why you file two returns: one with the Comptroller, one with the city, both due on the twentieth.[4]
What the census counts
How much of Galveston is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 5,711 of Galveston's 35,776 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 160 out of every 1,000. It ranks Galveston 7th of the 23 Texas cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 7th of 23
- Share of housing
- 160 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $326,000
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Galveston 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 rulesRockport, TX
Registration required
1,361 seasonal homes, 189 per 1,000 housing units.
Rockport short-term rental rulesAransas Pass, TX
Permit required
676 seasonal homes, 136 per 1,000 housing units.
Aransas Pass short-term rental rulesGranite Shoals, TX
Registration required
533 seasonal homes, 208 per 1,000 housing units.
Granite Shoals short-term rental rulesFAQ
Galveston short-term rental questions
What is a GVR number?
How much does it cost to register a short-term rental in Galveston?
Can I file Galveston hotel tax quarterly?
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 Rental Registration and Renewals, City of Galveston, read on September 20, 2026
- Hotel Occupancy Tax, City of Galveston, read on September 20, 2026
This page is not legal advice. It summarizes the official sources listed on this page as they read on September 20, 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's 15.5% single fee takes from a booking, and the nightly rate that keeps your payout after the split fee.
Airbnb income calculator
Nightly rate, occupancy, Airbnb fee, management, mortgage, taxes and depreciation. You get cash flow, cash-on-cash return and what is left after the IRS.
Airbnb house rules
Generate a complete PDF house rules document for your property: rules, schedule, amenities, emergency contacts.