LicensedRental

Caldwell County, Texas

Lockhart, TX vacation rental requirements

Lockhart requires a one-year short-term rental permit ($50), with smoke and CO alarms, fire extinguishers, a local emergency contact, and occupancy and parking approved by the city. Stays owe 6% state plus 7% city hotel tax, and Airbnb collects both.

Checked against official sources November 8, 2026

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Market
About 85 Airbnb listings
City permit
Required, $50 a year
Safety
Smoke and CO alarms, extinguishers
Hotel taxes
6% state + 7% city
Airbnb collects both.Source

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

Caldwell 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. Caldwell County doesn’t report a county hotel tax to the Comptroller. Cities that levy a hotel tax collect it themselves; Airbnb doesn’t collect local tax anywhere in Caldwell County.Source

City of Lockhart

  1. Apply for a permit

    Apply to the city with your contact and a local emergency contact. Planning and Zoning sets your maximum occupancy and approves your parking. The permit lasts one year.Source

    Lockhart STR page →

  2. Install the safety items

    Working smoke alarms, a working carbon monoxide alarm, and working fire extinguishers.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. Airbnb collects Lockhart’s 7%. On direct and Vrbo bookings, file it with the city yourself.Source

Fees

Registration (one year)$50

Source

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.