Galveston, TX short-term rental registration
Galveston has been registering short-term rentals longer than most Texas cities, since Ordinance 15-012 in 2015, and the system is built around a single identifier. Every property used as a short-term rental needs a Galveston Vacation Rental number, and every rentable unit needs its own. Registration costs $250 a year. The city asks for a twenty-four-hour contact who lives within an hour of the property, and since Ordinance 21-021 the GVR number has to appear on any and all advertisements. Hotel occupancy tax reports follow on the twentieth of each month.[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, and the system turns on a single identifier: every property used as a short-term rental needs a Galveston Vacation Rental number, and every 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, the sleeping capacity, and 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, or quarterly for properties generating under $500 of tax a month or $1,500 a quarter.[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, the sleeping capacity and 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 licence. The statewide obligation is the hotel occupancy tax, and the Comptroller applies it to houses, condominiums and apartments as well as hotels.[1]
The state rate is 6 percent on a room costing $15 or more each day. Local hotel taxes reach further down, to sleeping rooms costing $2 or more each day, and the local taxing authority collects them itself.[1]
A guest who stays thirty or more consecutive days without interruption becomes a permanent resident and is exempt. Written notice of that intention makes the exemption run from the notice date; 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, which is why you file two returns: one with the Comptroller, one with the city, both due on the twentieth.[4]
How short-term rental taxes work for US hostsWhat 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 — 160 out of every 1,000. That ranks Galveston 5th of the 13 Texas cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 5th of 13
- 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
Rockport, TX
Registration required
1,361 seasonal homes, 189 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in RockportPort Isabel, TX
Registration required
316 seasonal homes, 119 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in Port IsabelGranite Shoals, TX
Registration required
533 seasonal homes, 208 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in Granite ShoalsPort Aransas, TX
Registration required
1,957 seasonal homes, 364 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in Port AransasFAQ
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
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