Where short-term rentals are allowed in Kerrville, TX
Before anything else in Kerrville, find your zoning district, because only four of them allow a short-term rental. The permit is counted by unit rather than by property, and the rental need not be your primary residence.[3]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified September 20, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Kerrville?
Your zoning decides
What you apply for: Short-term rental unit permit
- Seasonal homes
- 104
- Housing units
- 11,650
- Residents
- 24,755
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City ruleAllowed by zone
- City fee$100
- Tax on each staySet locally
- Seasonal homes9 per 1,000
Kerrville short-term rental permit
Kerrville requires all short-term rentals to hold a permit and to follow every code the city has adopted. Where they may operate is fixed by ordinance 2022-28, which the city council adopted to regulate where short-term rentals are allowed inside the city limits. Two of the four districts are R-1A, the single-family residential district with an accessory dwelling unit, and R-3, the multifamily residential district. The other two are RT, the residential transition district, and DAC, the downtown arts and cultural district. No other zoning district permits the use. The city administers registration and permitting through an outside portal, MyGovernmentOnline. Initial registration costs $100 and the permit is valid for one year. One permit is needed per individual unit, and the renewal fee is $50. The owner or operator is responsible for paying the hotel occupancy tax to the city's finance department every month. The state's own 6% goes to the Comptroller on a separate return.[3]
What Kerrville asks of you
All short-term rentals are required to have a permit and to follow all codes adopted by the City of Kerrville.[3]
Ordinance 2022-28 regulates where short-term rentals are allowed inside the city limits, and permits them in R-1A, R-3, RT and DAC only.[3]
Registration and permitting run through MyGovernmentOnline, the portal the city adopted for the purpose.[3]
Initial registration costs $100 and the permit is valid for one year. One permit is needed per individual unit, and renewal costs $50.[3]
The owner or operator pays the hotel occupancy tax to the city's finance department every month.[3]
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 Kerrville
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 |
| Kerrville hotel occupancy tax[3] | Not published | The city |
The city takes its hotel occupancy tax monthly through Finance, and the state's 6% goes to the Comptroller on its own return: two filings, two recipients, same stay.[3]
What the census counts
How much of Kerrville is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 104 of Kerrville's 11,650 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 9 out of every 1,000. It ranks Kerrville 20th of the 23 Texas cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 20th of 23
- Share of housing
- 9 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $303,400
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Kerrville sits among its neighbors
Houston, TX
Permit required
Each rental inside city limits needs a certificate of registration. Operating or advertising without one is unlawful.
Houston short-term rental rulesWimberley, TX
Allowed by zone
20 seasonal homes, 14 per 1,000 housing units.
Wimberley short-term rental rulesGranbury, TX
Allowed by zone
98 seasonal homes, 16 per 1,000 housing units.
Granbury short-term rental rulesEl Paso, TX
No city ordinance
1,974 seasonal homes, 7 per 1,000 housing units.
El Paso short-term rental rulesFAQ
Kerrville short-term rental questions
Which Kerrville districts allow short-term rentals?
What does a Kerrville permit cost?
Who collects the hotel tax in Kerrville?
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 Units, ordinance 2022-28, City of Kerrville, 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 cleaning checklist generator
Build a printable turnover checklist by room, with restock, photos to take and a place for the cleaner to sign. Free PDF, no sign-up.