South Padre Island, TX short-term rental registration
On South Padre Island, each unit you advertise for short stays has to be registered with the city. The registration follows the advertising, so a single bedroom you list counts as much as a whole house. The registration steps also point you to two tax accounts, a local one and a Texas taxpayer ID for the state.[3]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 1, 2026.
Can you rent short term in South Padre Island?
Register before you list
What you apply for: Short-term rental registration
- Seasonal homes
- 3,704
- Housing units
- 5,534
- Residents
- 2,891
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City ruleRegistration required
- City fee$50
- Tax on each stay17%
- Seasonal homes669 per 1,000
South Padre Island short-term rental registration
South Padre Island requires every owner advertising a residential unit for rent on a short-term basis to register it with the city. Short-term means less than thirty consecutive days at one time. The registration covers houses, condos, apartments and single bedrooms alike. Owners with more than one property take out a permit number for each unit actively advertised. That number has to be displayed in all advertisements under Article VII of the city code. A twenty-four-hour contact number with a one-hour response time is required. Registration costs $50 per unit, waived for properties already remitting hotel occupancy tax properly. The city's guide says permits expire after one year and are renewed annually. The tax side is unusually transparent for Texas. The city publishes both accounts you need. One is for the 11% city and county hotel occupancy tax, the other a Texas taxpayer ID for the state's 6%. That makes seventeen percent in all. The monthly hotel occupancy tax collection report is filed even in months when the unit was not rented. A violation can be fined up to $500 for each offense, each day counting separately.[3]
What South Padre Island asks of you
Every owner advertising a residential unit for rent on a short-term basis, meaning less than thirty consecutive days at one time, has to register it with the city.[3]
The registration covers houses, condos, apartments and single bedrooms alike.[3]
Owners with more than one property take out a permit number for each unit actively advertised. The number has to be displayed in all advertisements under Article VII of the city code.[4]
A twenty-four-hour contact number is required, with a one-hour response time.[4]
The registration fee is $50 per rental unit. It is waived for properties that have been properly remitting hotel occupancy tax.[4]
The city's registration guide says permits expire one year from the date of initial registration, and an annual renewal keeps the unit compliant.[3]
The owner or operator files a monthly hotel occupancy tax collection report even in months when the unit was not rented.[4]
A violation of the article can be fined up to $500 for each offense, and each day it continues counts as a separate offense.[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 South Padre Island
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 |
| City and county hotel occupancy tax[3] | 11% | The city |
| Total on a taxable stay | 17% |
The city registration steps name both accounts you need. One is a taxpayer account to pay the 11% city and county hotel occupancy tax, the other a Texas taxpayer ID for the state's 6%. Seventeen percent in all.[3]
What the census counts
How much of South Padre Island is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 3,704 of South Padre Island's 5,534 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 669 out of every 1,000. It ranks South Padre Island 1st of the 23 Texas cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 1st of 23
- Share of housing
- 669 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $516,900
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where South Padre Island 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 rulesPort Isabel, TX
Registration required
316 seasonal homes, 119 per 1,000 housing units.
Port Isabel short-term rental rulesPort Aransas, TX
Registration required
1,957 seasonal homes, 364 per 1,000 housing units.
Port Aransas short-term rental rulesHorseshoe Bay, TX
Permit required
1,060 seasonal homes, 275 per 1,000 housing units.
Horseshoe Bay short-term rental rulesFAQ
South Padre Island short-term rental questions
How much does it cost to register a rental on South Padre Island?
How much tax does a guest pay on South Padre Island?
Do I file a report in a month with no bookings?
What is the fine for renting without registering?
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
- Hotel Occupancy Tax and short-term rentals: steps to register, City of South Padre Island, read on October 1, 2026
- Code of Ordinances, Article VII, Sec. 11-220, Short term rentals, City of South Padre Island, read on October 1, 2026
This page is not legal advice. It summarizes the official sources listed on this page as they read on October 1, 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.