Horseshoe Bay, TX short-term rental permit

What Horseshoe Bay asks of you

• An actively advertised short-term rental needs the permit even when its calendar shows no open dates.^[4]

• Listings limited to stays of at least 30 consecutive days need no permit.^[4]

• The application comes from the owner of the dwelling or from a representative of that owner.^[4]

• The city's FAQ charges $600 per address to apply. A permit expires one year after issuance, and renewing it costs another $600.^[4]

• The fee section of the city's permit page lists $1,200 instead. It calls that registration fee annual, due with the application and not transferable.^[3]

• No in-person inspection is scheduled. The applicant certifies under penalty of perjury that a type A fire extinguisher and smoke detectors work.^[4]

• The city can still inspect when it has reason to doubt compliance with fire, building or zoning requirements.^[4]

• Hosts leave guests contact information along with instructions on city services.^[4]

• Only the residential dwelling can be rented, never a camper, an RV or a trailer on the lot. One rental contract at a time is allowed.^[4]

• The city caps neither the number of rentals in town nor the number one owner holds. Each rental takes a separate permit.^[4]

• The city may revoke a permit when the rental harms public health, safety or welfare nearby. The same ground lets it turn down a new application.^[4]

• Renting without a permit can cost up to $200 a day for a first violation. A second runs up to $400 a day, a third up to $650.^[4]

• Neighbors report a short-term rental through the city's citizen portal or at 830-563-4551.^[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]