Is Airbnb Legal in Fort Worth? 2026 Rules, Permits & Taxes

Registration required

Yes

Taxes on a stay

17%

Fine for hosting without a permit

Up to $2,000

Listings showing a permit number

0%

Latest rule change

Aug 3, 2026

Listing figures: AirROI, 12 months to October 2026. A number on a listing doesn't prove the permit or license is valid, and a missing one doesn't prove there is none.

The rules in brief

Who needs it

Every owner who rents a dwelling, accessory dwelling or part of one for 1 to 29 nights, before using or advertising it; the home must be in a zoning district that allows short-term rentals.^1,6,7,9

Issued by

City of Fort Worth, applied for and renewed online through the Localgov portal

Valid for

Expires on the last day of the month one year after issue; it is tied to one address and cannot be transferred.

On listings

The number must appear on every listing

Platform checks

The registration article puts the duty on the host: every advertisement must carry the current registration number, and the article sets no verification duty for hosting platforms.

Fees

Who qualifies

• The property must be in a district where zoning allows short-term rentals: all mixed-use and most form-based, commercial and industrial districts
• A zoning confirmation from the city's online Permit Assist Zoning tool, uploaded with the application
• A local responsible party who can reach the property within one hour; the owner may serve
• Owner occupancy is not required

How to apply

1. 1 Check the address in the city's Permit Assist Zoning tool and save the PDF showing a success message.
2. 2 Create an account on the Localgov portal (tax.localgov.org) and add the property.
3. 3 Submit the Hotel Occupancy Tax Registration for short-term rentals with the zoning PDF and the owner and local responsible party details, and pay the $150 fee.
4. 4 Download the approved registration, post a copy inside the front entrance and put the registration number in every listing.
5. 5 Renew each year for $100, starting 30 days before expiry, and file the monthly hotel tax return even when the amount is $0.

Permit rules

Zoning confirmation comes first

Before registering, the owner runs the address through the city's Permit Assist Zoning tool and uploads the PDF with a success message to the registration application; a result of "prohibited at this location" means the property cannot be a short-term rental.^6,7,9

Registration before you rent or advertise

An owner needs a valid, active registration from the city before using, allowing the use of or advertising a property as a short-term rental, and renting or advertising without one is unlawful.¹ In force since February 28, 2023

$150 to register, $100 a year to renew

The first application costs $150 and each annual renewal $100; both are paid when the application is filed on Localgov.^1,6,7 In force since February 28, 2023

One-year registration, renewal from 30 days out

A registration expires on the last day of the month one year after it is issued; a renewal may be filed from 30 days before expiry, and a renewal filed after expiry is treated as a new registration at the $150 fee.¹ In force since February 28, 2023

Registration cannot be transferred

A registration belongs to one owner and address, so a buyer must apply for a new one, and trying to transfer or borrow a registration can lead to revocation.¹ In force since February 28, 2023

Registration number in every advertisement

Every advertisement, on Airbnb, Vrbo, a personal website or in print, must include the current registration number assigned by the city, and using another property's number is unlawful.¹ In force since February 28, 2023

Post the registration inside the front entrance

A copy of the approved registration, the first page of the approved application PDF from Localgov, must be posted in a conspicuous place inside the front entrance.^1,9 In force since February 28, 2023

Registration and tax filing run through Localgov

Since January 5, 2024, hotel owners and short-term rental hosts register their property and file and pay hotel occupancy tax on the Localgov portal; short-term rentals renew the registration form every year.⁷ In force since January 5, 2024

Airbnb collects the 6% state hotel tax

Airbnb adds the 6% Texas hotel occupancy tax to every booking of 29 nights or less, including the cleaning fee, so a host who rents only through Airbnb files no state return.^13,16

The host files the city hotel tax

Airbnb's Texas tax page lists no Fort Worth collection, so the host collects the 9% city tax and 2% venue tax from guests and files and pays on Localgov every month by the 25th, even when the amount is $0.^2,7,16

Not allowed in residential districts

Short-term rentals are allowed in all mixed-use and most form-based, commercial and industrial districts and are not allowed in the residential districts A-#, AR, B, R1, R2, CR, C, D and UR. The city has treated stays under 30 days as a commercial use since its 2018 zoning amendment, and the 2023 registration ordinance did not change that.^6,10

Rezoning is the only route for a residential lot

An owner in a residential district who wants to rent for under 30 days can apply for a zoning change to Planned Development (PD), which goes through a public hearing and is not guaranteed.^6,10 Applies to: Residential districts

No owner-occupancy requirement

The registration article does not require the owner to live at the property; the owner names a local responsible party, who may be the owner or another individual.¹ In force since February 28, 2023

HOA rules and deed restrictions still apply

Texas law leaves homeowners' associations and other private parties free to enforce their own rules and deed restrictions, so a subdivision's covenants can limit rentals even where the city allows them.⁴ In force since June 12, 2025

Covers stays of 1 to 29 nights

The registration rules apply to rentals of at least one night and at most 29 consecutive days; the article sets no annual cap on nights, and an ongoing month-to-month tenancy is outside the definition.¹ In force since February 28, 2023

Local contact on site within one hour

The local responsible party must be reachable in person or by phone whenever guests are on the premises, must be able to decide matters for the property and must be at the premises within one hour of a call from the city.¹ In force since February 28, 2023

Two guests per bedroom plus two, maximum 12

No more than two persons per bedroom plus two additional persons may stay, never more than 12 including children, and only one group at a time may rent the property.^1,9 In force since February 28, 2023

No events or parties

Advertising, promoting or allowing a special event such as a wedding, reunion, bachelor or bachelorette party or concert at the property is unlawful.¹ In force since February 28, 2023

Parking limited to off-street spaces

The number of vehicles at the rental is limited to the available off-street parking spaces, and parking on unapproved surfaces or on public streets in breach of city rules is unlawful.¹ In force since February 28, 2023

City noise and trash rules apply

The owner and guests must follow the city noise ordinance, and garbage, rubbish and recyclables must be placed out under the city's solid waste rules.¹ In force since February 28, 2023

Written host rules for guests

The host gives guests a notice of the city rules that cover occupancy, parking, trash pickup, special events, noise and curfew times.¹ In force since February 28, 2023

Revocation and a one-year wait

The city can revoke a registration after one or more citations in the previous 12 months, a false statement on the application, an unreported material change or a hotel tax failure; after a revoked registration no new one is issued for the premises for one year.¹ In force since February 28, 2023

Median nightly rate, booked nights

$170

Taxes on that night (17%)

$29

Guest pays, before Airbnb and cleaning fees

$199

What the host still handles

• The City of Fort Worth short-term rental registration and hotel occupancy tax account on the Localgov portal, renewed every year
• A monthly hotel occupancy tax return on Localgov, due by the 25th of the following month, filed even when no tax is owed
• The Texas Comptroller, only for bookings taken outside a platform that collects the state tax, such as a personal website^{2,3,9,12,14,16}

• Violating the short-term rental article is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500, or up to $2,000 where the charge alleges a culpable mental state and the offense governs fire safety, zoning or public health and sanitation; each day is a separate offense.¹
• The city can revoke a registration, and a host whose registration is revoked cannot register the same premises for one year.¹
• Hotel tax returns or payments not made by the 25th of the following month carry a 15% late penalty and interest of 10% per year, and failing to collect, report or remit the tax is a misdemeanor.^2,7

1. August 3, 2026
   Petition for review filed in the Supreme Court of Texas

   The court's docket shows a petition for review of the Modern Builders decision filed on August 3, 2026; the residential-district rule stays in force while it is pending.¹¹

2. May 28, 2026
   Court of Appeals upholds the 2018 and 2023 ordinances

   The Second Court of Appeals in Fort Worth affirmed the trial court's judgment for the city in Modern Builders, LLC v. City of Fort Worth, holding that the owners have no vested right to short-term rentals in single-family districts and that the ordinances rationally serve a legitimate interest.^10,11

3. August 1, 2024
   2% venue hotel tax added

   After voters approved a convention center venue project on May 4, 2024, a 2% venue hotel occupancy tax applies to every occupancy on or after August 1, 2024, bringing the city rate to 11%.³

4. January 5, 2024
   Localgov becomes mandatory

   From January 5, 2024 hosts must register and file and pay hotel occupancy tax online through Localgov; paper filings and mailed checks are no longer accepted.^7,9

5. February 28, 2023
   Registration article takes effect

   The code lists the short-term rental registration article as effective on February 28, 2023.¹

6. February 14, 2023
   City Council adopts the short-term rental registration ordinance

   Ordinance 26005-02-2023 added Article XIII, Short-Term Rental Registration, to Chapter 7 of the city code, with the $150 and $100 fees, occupancy and conduct rules and penalties; it did not change the ban in residential districts.^1,8,10

Estimate what a Fort Worth home could earn

1. 1. Fort Worth Code of Ordinances, Chapter 7, Article XIII: Short-Term Rental Registration · City of Fort Worth (American Legal Publishing)
2. 2. Fort Worth Code of Ordinances, Chapter 32, Article II: Hotel Occupancy Tax · City of Fort Worth
3. 3. Fort Worth Code of Ordinances, Section 32-31: Venue Hotel Occupancy Tax · City of Fort Worth (American Legal Publishing)
4. 4. H.B. 2464, 89th Legislature (enrolled): authority of a municipality to regulate a home-based business · Texas Legislature
5. 5. Texas Local Government Code, Chapter 54, Section 54.001 · Texas Legislature
6. 6. Short-Term Rentals (STR) · City of Fort Worth
7. 7. Localgov is now live: Hotel Occupancy Tax Registration & Remittance Requirements · City of Fort Worth
8. 8. Ordinance No. 26005-02-2023 (short-term rental registration, adopted February 14, 2023) · City of Fort Worth
9. 9. Localgov Taxpayer Training: Short-Term Rentals · City of Fort Worth
10. 10. Modern Builders, LLC v. City of Fort Worth, No. 02-25-00275-CV (opinion, May 28, 2026) · Second Court of Appeals of Texas, Fort Worth
11. 11. Case 02-25-00275-CV, Modern Builders, LLC v. City of Fort Worth (docket) · Texas Judicial Branch
12. 12. Hotel Occupancy Tax · Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
13. 13. Hotel Occupancy Tax FAQs · Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
14. 14. Local Hotel Occupancy Tax Overview · Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
15. 15. Tarr v. Timberwood Park Owners Association, Inc., No. 16-1005 · Supreme Court of Texas
16. 16. Occupancy tax collection and remittance by Airbnb in Texas · Airbnb Help Center