- Home
- Departments
- Neighborhood & Community Planning
- Planning Services
- Short Term Rentals
Short Term Rentals
Short term rentals are one- or two-family dwellings that are rented for overnight lodging for less than 30 days at a time. Hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, resort properties, apartment unit rentals, or dwellings that are rented for a period longer than 30 days are not considered short-term rentals. Permits and annual life safety inspections are required for all short-term rental units within the city limits. Any one- or two family dwelling advertised as a short-term rental on home sharing websites such as AirBnB, VRBO, HomeAway, etc. must be permitted before the advertisement is posted.
AM I ALLOWED TO TURN MY PROPERTY INTO A SHORT TERM RENTAL?
You can only use your property as a Short Term Rental if your property has the right zoning.
Check out the Short Term / Vacation Rental Guide to see the process behind Short Term Renting your property!
Quick Links
-
Short Term Rental Permit Application
To register your property for a Short Term Rental, please submit a Short Term Rental application through our online permit portal.
-
Short Term Rental Map
Use this interactive online map to view where short term rentals are authorized or not authorized by zoning, or authorized with special permitting.
-
Short Term Rental Ordinance
Read the City of New Braunfels Short Term Rental ordinance (Sec. 144-5.17) in its entirety to see all rules, regulations, and requirements.
-
Short Term Rental Complaint Form
If you suspect a short-term rental is unregistered, or have issues with an existing rental property, report it using this online complaint form.
Additional Resources
Short Term Rental Regulations
Requirements
The following requirements apply to all short-term rental units within the City Limits:
- Short-term rentals are not allowed in any residential zoning districts.
- A special use permit must be obtained in all non-residential zoning districts, excluding C-4, C-4A, and C-4B.
- Short-term rentals are not allowed in the floodway (not the floodplain.)
- Hotel occupancy taxes are required to be paid on a monthly basis.
- Annual life safety inspections are required from the Fire Marshal’s Office.
- Maximum occupancy of two (2) adults per sleeping area, plus an additional two (2) adults.
- A minimum of one off-street parking space, not including the garage, must be provided per sleeping area.
- A decal with emergency contact information must be visible at the entry of the short-term rental.
Please Note: This is not a comprehensive list. Please review the City of New Braunfels Short Term Rental ordinance (Sec. 144-5.17) to see complete information on the rules, regulations, and requirements for short term rentals. To check if a property is located in the floodway, you can use the City’s Interactive Flood Zone Map.
Registering a Short Term Rental Unit
Registration
If you are operating a short-term rental, you must first apply for a permit to be registered. To register your short-term rental, please visit the online permit portal.
What You'll Need to Register:
- Proof of ownership (typically a Deed)
- Emergency Contact
- Letter of Authorization (applicable if there will be a property manager or if the unit is within a building that you do not own.)
- Property Site Plan
- Floor Plan
- Commercial general liability insurance coverage of a minimum of $500,000.00 per occurrence of coverage
- Tenant Notification Sheet
- Utility Rate Information
- $206 Fee for the permit and Annual Fire Inspection
Pay HOT Tax (Hotel Occupancy Tax)
About
The City of New Braunfels levies a tax of 7% of gross receipts collected, upon the occupant of any room or space furnished by a hotel or short-term rental per the definitions below, where such costs of occupancy is at the rate of $2.00 or more per day.
The City’s tax is in addition to the 6% rate imposed by the State of Texas, which must be remitted separately to the State. For information on the State Hotel Occupancy Tax, please visit the State of Texas Comptroller’s website or call 1-800-252-1385.
Hotel tax filings and payments are due on the 20th day of each month for the prior month’s collections, i.e., August collections are due September 20th. A tax filing report must be filed every month, even if no revenue was collected.
Starting February 1, 2026, the City is transitioning hotel occupancy tax (HOTax) payment processing to Rentalscape, the City’s new online tax payment portal. Rentalscape will be your centralized portal for managing monthly HOTax payments across short-term rentals, hotels, resorts, and other commercial lodging properties.
Create your account with RentalScape and begin remitting hotel occupancy tax online.
Payments can be made via credit card or ACH (electronic check). Please note that there is no fee if paying by ACH, however there will be a 2.75% merchant service fee if paying by credit card.
Failure to File/Remit Late Fees & Penalties
The penalty structure for late filings is as follows:
- 1st day late - $50 fee
- 31st day late - $75 fee
- 61st day late - $100 fee
- 91st day late - 15% of the assessed Hotel Occupancy Tax, plus separate misdemeanor charges for failure to file and pay.
Properties are required to file $0.00 returns if they experience no rental activity. State statute provides the City with the authority to inspect the financial records of any property operating as a short-term rental. Please keep copies of all exemption forms and revenues/bookings in case an audit is conducted on your property. The City must provide 30 days written notice before inspecting any records.
Additional Questions
Inspections
Annual life-safety inspections are required to renew your short-term rental permit. To schedule a life safety inspection, you will first need to pay the $128 renewal fee on the Online Permit Portal. Once you have paid the renewal fee, you can schedule an inspection with the Fire Marshal’s Office.