Nueces County, Texas
Port Aransas, TX vacation rental requirements
Port Aransas allows short-term rentals only in R-2 and higher zones and requires a yearly registration that includes an inspection: $200 for a one-bedroom plus $100 for each extra bedroom. A 24/7 contact must resolve hotline complaints within 60 minutes. Stays owe 6% state plus 9% city hotel tax (15% total since January 2026), which owners file monthly; Airbnb doesn’t collect the city tax.
Checked against official sources November 8, 2026Download checklist (PDF)Free. A printable version of this guide to tick off, with the official sources.
Late hotel tax owes 10% a year interest after 60 days and a 15% penalty after 90 days. We couldn’t open the ordinance itself (No. 2022-02), so ask the city for the inspection checklist and any occupancy or parking limits.
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
Nueces County, Texas
Then pick your city
Texas counties can’t zone, so rental permits and the local hotel tax are set by each city. Pick your city, or the unincorporated page if you’re outside city limits.Source
City of Port Aransas, Texas
Check the zoning
Rentals by the day or week are allowed only in R-2 and higher zoning districts.Source
Register in MuniRevs
Create a MuniRevs account, get the activation code for your property, and register it. Decide with your property manager who registers and who pays the hotel tax; a manager who pays must be linked to the property.Source
Pay the fee and pass the inspection
The yearly fee is $200 for an efficiency or one-bedroom unit plus $100 for each additional bedroom, and it includes one inspection. Registrations expire December 31 and aren’t prorated.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. Port Aransas’s 9% hotel tax (raised to a 15% combined rate on January 1, 2026) isn’t collected by Airbnb. File monthly in MuniRevs by the 20th; you keep 1% for paying on time.Source
Fees
$200 for a one-bedroom, plus $100 for each extra bedroom, every year
| Annual registration, efficiency or 1 bedroomIncludes one inspection. | $200 |
|---|---|
| Each additional bedroom | $100 |
Fees are non-refundable. Source
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
- Hotel Motel Tax · City of Port Aransas Finance
- Short Term Rental Registration · City of Port Aransas Development Services
- 2025 Fee Schedule (Resolution 2025-R47, September 2025) · City of Port Aransas
- Texas beach towns Airbnb market data (active homes) · AirROI
- Port Aransas voters approve hotel tax increase to fund city improvements (November 5, 2025) · KRIS 6 News
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.