McLennan County, Texas
Waco, TX vacation rental requirements
Waco licenses every short-term rental for two years ($500, then $250 to renew), after a life safety inspection. You submit a site plan showing off-street parking and post an evacuation plan in every bedroom. Homes you don’t live in can’t be rented in most single-family zones. Stays owe 15% hotel tax (6% state, 7% city, 2% county); Airbnb collects only the state share.
Checked against official sources November 8, 2026Download checklist (PDF)Free. A printable version of this guide to tick off, with the official sources.
The fee amounts come from the city’s 2022 planning fee schedule; confirm current fees when you apply.
A license doesn’t pass to a new owner if the rules have changed since it was issued.
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
McLennan 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
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. McLennan County reports a 2% county hotel tax (a venue tax). Airbnb doesn’t collect it; inside Waco it’s filed with the city’s tax collector, Avenu.Source
City of Waco
Find your license type and zone
Type I: you or an operator live on site. Type II: a house or duplex you don’t live in. Type III: a unit in a building of three or more. Check your zoning; some types need a special permit from the Plan Commission and City Council (60 to 90 days, $500), and Type II rentals are 500 feet apart in single-family and R-2 zones.Source
Draw your site plan
Apply on the city’s Citizen Self Service portal with a site plan showing the property, every required parking space with its size, and how cars get in. You need one off-street space per rented bedroom (Type I: two plus one per room); guests can’t park on the street.Source
Pass the life safety inspection
After you pay the invoice, schedule the inspection at 254-750-5612. Post an evacuation plan in every sleeping area; the city has a sample map.Source
Post the sign and list your number
Display the city’s sign in a common area with your contact, license number, occupancy, and parking limits. Every listing must show the license number and occupancy limit. If you live outside McLennan County, name a designated operator who lives in the county.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. Waco’s 7% and McLennan County’s 2% are both filed with Avenu, which collects for the city and county. Airbnb doesn’t collect them, and you need city and county tax records to renew.Source
Fees
$575 for the first two years, then $250
| STR license (two years) | $500 |
|---|---|
| License inspection | $75 |
| Renewal | $250 |
| Special permit, if your zone needs one | $500 |
| Non-compliance fee | $500 |
In effect since October 1, 2022. Source
Inspection checklist
What the inspector looks for, from City of Waco’s published checklist.
House rules for guests
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
- Local Hotel Occupancy Tax Reporting 2025 · Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts (data.texas.gov)
- Planning: Short Term Rentals · City of Waco Planning Services
- Texas Airbnb market data (active listings) · AirROI
- Planning fee schedule (FY 2022-23) · City of Waco Planning Services
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.