LicensedRental

Bell County, Texas

Harker Heights, TX vacation rental requirements

Harker Heights requires short-term rentals to register with the city after fire marshal and building walk-throughs. You submit a site plan showing parking (one space per bedroom) and post exit routes in every bedroom. Stays owe 6% state, 7% city, and 2% county hotel tax, which you file yourself.

Checked against official sources November 8, 2026

Download checklist (PDF)Free. A printable version of this guide to tick off, with the official sources.

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Market
About 55 Airbnb listings
City registration
Required
Notarized form; fee per the city fee schedule.Source
Drawings
Site plan + posted exit routes
Parking site plan with the application; exit routes in common areas and bedrooms.Source
Parking
1 off-street space per bedroom
Hotel taxes
6% state + 7% city + 2% county

Your licensing checklist

In order: the state, the county, then the town.

State of Texas

  1. Know who pays the hotel tax

    Airbnb collects and pays the 6% state hotel tax on its bookings. If guests pay you directly or through a site that doesn’t collect, register with the Comptroller and file the state tax yourself.Source

    Texas hotel occupancy tax →

  2. Register for local hotel tax

    Your city (and in some places your county) charges its own hotel tax, filed with that city or county, not the state. Airbnb pays it only in the places on its list; everywhere else you register and file it yourself, even for Airbnb bookings.Source

  3. Check your city’s rules

    Many Texas cities require a short-term rental permit or registration, and some require an inspection, a local contact, or posted rules. Outside city limits there’s usually no permit, but deed restrictions and HOA rules often limit rentals. Pick your area for the local rules.Source

Bell County, Texas

  1. Then your city

    Texas counties can’t zone, so rental rules come from the city your home is in. Outside city limits there’s usually no permit, but deed restrictions and HOA rules may limit rentals. Pick your city.Source

  2. Hotel taxes on each stay

    Stays of 29 nights or less owe the 6% state hotel tax, which Airbnb collects on its bookings. If guests pay you directly, file it with the Texas Comptroller. Bell County reports a 2% hotel tax; Airbnb doesn’t collect it. Around Lake Belton and Stillhouse Hollow outside city limits, ask the county how to file.Source

City of Harker Heights

  1. Fill out the registration form

    Complete the notarized form with ownership proof, business papers, a 24-hour local contact, bedrooms, and occupancy. Send a site plan showing one off-street parking space per bedroom.Source

    Harker Heights STR form →

  2. Schedule both walk-throughs

    Call the Fire Marshal (254-699-2688) and the Building Official (254-953-5600). They check interconnected smoke alarms, CO detectors on each floor, exit ladders in upstairs bedrooms, extinguishers, a first aid kit, and posted exit routes.Source

  3. Hotel taxes on each stay

    Stays of 29 nights or less owe the 6% state hotel tax, which Airbnb collects on its bookings. If guests pay you directly, file it with the Texas Comptroller. Harker Heights’s 7% hotel tax isn’t on Airbnb’s collection list, so register with the city and file it yourself, Airbnb bookings included.Source

Inspection checklist

What the inspector looks for, from City of Harker Heights’s published checklist.

  • Exit routes and site plan posted in common areas and bedrooms
  • Interconnected smoke alarms
  • CO detector on each floor
  • Exit ladder in each upstairs bedroom
  • 5 lb extinguisher on each floor; Class K or stovetop product in the kitchen
  • First aid kit

Sources

A plain-language summary to help you prepare, not legal advice. Rules and fees change; confirm with the office before you apply. Spot something out of date? Email hello@licensedrental.com.