Burnet County, Texas
Horseshoe Bay, TX vacation rental requirements
Horseshoe Bay requires a yearly short-term rental permit, and you or your agent must answer complaints within an hour. The city’s page lists the fee as both $600 and $1,200 a year, so confirm it. Unregistered rentals can be fined up to $200 a day.
Checked against official sources November 8, 2026Download checklist (PDF)Free. A printable version of this guide to tick off, with the official sources.
Horseshoe Bay straddles Burnet and Llano counties; the same city rules apply on both sides. Check your property owners’ association rules too.
Your licensing checklist
In order: the state, the county, then the town.
State of Texas
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
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
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
Burnet County, Texas
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
City of Horseshoe Bay
Register online
Apply and renew every year through the city’s rental portal and pay the annual fee with the application.Source
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. Horseshoe Bay doesn’t report a city hotel tax rate to the Comptroller; ask the city whether one applies.Source
Fees
$600 or $1,200 a year (the city page lists both)
| Annual registrationThe page’s intro says $600 | $1,200 |
|---|---|
| Operating unregistered | Up to $200 a day |
Sources
- Hotel Occupancy Tax FAQs: Airbnb · Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
- Occupancy tax collection and remittance by Airbnb in Texas · Airbnb
- County zoning authority (Local Government Code ch. 231) · Texas Legislature
- Short Term Rentals · City of Horseshoe Bay Development Services
- Local Hotel Occupancy Tax Reporting 2025 · Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts (data.texas.gov)
- Texas Airbnb market data (active listings) · AirROI
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.