​Short term rentals in San Antonio require a permit and certain types are subject to density restrictions as well as other requirements, including parking and safety. Confirm your eligibility to obtain permits for your property first.

STRs in Texas are subject to both state and local hotel occupancy taxes for stays of less than 30 consecutive days, generally mirroring the taxes applied to traditional hotels.

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Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT), is a tax imposed on the cost of renting a room (sleeping, meeting, or banquet) at hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, and short-term rentals. It is primarily paid by the guest (tourists, business travelers) and collected and remitted by the hotel owner, operator, or manager, or via third-party booking platforms.

Owners must collect a 6% state tax, along with local municipal (up to 7%–9%) and county taxes, and report them, often, monthly. 

In San Antonio, Airbnb and VRBO collect and remit State and city HOT for you. You only need to report your income each month, and collect and remit Bexar County tax, 1.75%
 

1. Read the 2024 San Antonio STR Ordinance and the Summary of Changes since the 2018 Ordinance. 
    

2. Confirm whether you need a Type 1 (owner occupied) or Type 2 (non-owner occupied) permit​​.
    

3. Understand ADU Rules.
    

4. Get familiar with the process on Development Services' website. 

Read the presentation How to Get A Permit.

The STR ordinance has density limitations for Type 2 (non-owner-occupied) STRs: no more than 12.5% of the addresses on a block face may be permitted, not including buildings zoned as multifamily. Before you apply for a permit, find out if your street already has too many STRs. Learn how to use the zoning map here. You can and should also verify this information with the city, see next step.

Download the Permit Quick Reference Guide.
 

Use the city’s permitting system: BuildSA
 

Keep the city permit staff contact email handy: dsdshorttermrentals@sanantonio.gov
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When you receive your permit by email, there will be information about your hotel occupancy tax account, and instructions about reporting income monthly as well as remitting Bexar County HOT

1. Short-term rentals (STRs) in Texas are subject to both state and local Hotel Occupancy Taxes (HOT) for stays of less than 30 consecutive days, generally mirroring the taxes applied to traditional hotels. Owners must collect a 6% state tax, along with local municipal (up to 7%–9%) and county taxes, and report them, often, monthly.
    

2. In San Antonio, some STR platforms such as Airbnb and VRBO collect state and San Antonio city HOT for you; you only report your income each month; at the same time you must collect and remit Bexar County tax as you report.
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3. Review STRASA’s presentation on HOT collection & remittance.
    

4. Set up your booking platform and PMS to collect HOT only on stays up to 29 days long. Guests staying 30 days or longer do not owe tax, and these bookings should be reported as $0, as they are exempt. Note: Airbnb and VRBO will collect and remit State of Texas and City of San Antonio HOT for you. You must collect and remit Bexar County HOT yourself. 
    

5. The latest STR/HOT information from the Finance Department is here.
    

6. Here is a link to Neumo (formerly Avenu) for monthly reporting of HOT. Neumo is the city's HOT collection vendor.