Rockport, TX short-term rental registration
Rockport expects every short-term rental to be on its register before the first guest arrives. The ordinance covers both registration and use. The city publishes no limit on nights.[3]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified September 20, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Rockport?
Register before you list
What you apply for: Short-term rental registration, Ordinance 1928
- Seasonal homes
- 1,361
- Housing units
- 7,197
- Residents
- 10,683
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City ruleRegistration required
- City feeNone published
- Tax on each stay13%
- Seasonal homes189 per 1,000
Rockport short-term rental registration
Rockport requires short-term rentals to be registered with the city under Ordinance 1928. That ordinance established the regulations for the registration and use of privately owned dwellings as short-term rentals. Properties already operating had to be registered by December 1, 2024, and a new short-term rental must register before it starts operating. Registration is made through the city's online short-term rental portal, hosted by an outside provider, and the Building Department administers it. On the tax side, the city's hotel occupancy tax is 7% of the consideration paid for the use of a hotel room. The ordinance is explicit that short-term rentals booked through an agency, VRBO, Airbnb or other organizations fall inside that definition. The money raised is restricted. The city states that hotel occupancy tax funds are used on activities that directly enhance and promote tourism. They are not used on general governmental expenses unrelated to increasing tourism.[3]
What Rockport asks of you
Ordinance 1928 established regulations for the registration and use of privately owned dwellings as short-term rentals.[3]
Properties already operating had to be registered by December 1, 2024, and a new short-term rental must register before it starts operating.[3]
Registration is made through the city's online short-term rental portal, hosted by an outside provider, and administered by the Building Department.[3]
The city's hotel occupancy tax is 7% of the consideration paid for the use of a hotel room. The ordinance names short-term rentals booked through an agency, VRBO, Airbnb and other organizations inside that definition.[4]
Revenue from the tax is restricted to activities that directly enhance and promote tourism, and may not fund general governmental expenses unrelated to increasing tourism.[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 Rockport
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 |
| Rockport hotel occupancy tax[4] | 7% | The city |
| Total on a taxable stay | 13% |
Thirteen percent in all. The city spells out the 7% in the ordinance itself rather than leaving hosts to infer it. It applies to rentals booked through an agency, VRBO or Airbnb exactly as to a hotel room.[4]
What the census counts
How much of Rockport is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 1,361 of Rockport's 7,197 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 189 out of every 1,000. It ranks Rockport 6th of the 23 Texas cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 6th of 23
- Share of housing
- 189 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $320,500
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Rockport sits among its neighbors
San Antonio, TX
Permit required
Type 1 if the owner or operator lives on site, Type 2 if not. Type 2 rentals are capped at 12.5% of a block face.
San Antonio short-term rental rulesGranite Shoals, TX
Registration required
533 seasonal homes, 208 per 1,000 housing units.
Granite Shoals short-term rental rulesGalveston, TX
Registration required
5,711 seasonal homes, 160 per 1,000 housing units.
Galveston short-term rental rulesSurfside Beach, TX
Registration required
287 seasonal homes, 238 per 1,000 housing units.
Surfside Beach short-term rental rulesFAQ
Rockport short-term rental questions
When did Rockport start registering short-term rentals?
Does Airbnb income carry the Rockport hotel tax?
What is the tax spent on?
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 Rentals, Ordinance 1928 and registration portal, City of Rockport, read on September 20, 2026
- Hotel Motel Tax, City of Rockport, 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 house rules
Generate a complete PDF house rules document for your property: rules, schedule, amenities, emergency contacts.
Check-in instructions
The message a guest reads before getting in: access, keys, WiFi, parking, contact. English or bilingual output.