Guide · City vs city
Austin vs San Antonio: short-term rental rules.
Both Central Texas cities license investor-owned short-term rentals, but San Antonio rations them. Austin licenses non-owner-occupied rentals in every zoning district. San Antonio caps its non-owner-occupied (Type 2) permits at 12.5% of the homes on each block face and bars STRs from four zoning districts.
The short answer
Which city fits your plan
| Buying an investment house | Austin. Its license has no block-by-block cap. In San Antonio, check that the block face still has room for another Type 2 permit before you buy, and remember the permit won't transfer to you from the seller. |
|---|---|
| Hosting in your own home | Both work. San Antonio's Type 1 permit costs $450 plus the surcharge and lasts three years. Austin's license costs more up front but has no residency rule. |
| Downtown San Antonio | Check the zoning district first: STRs aren't allowed in C-3, L, I-1 or I-2. |
Side by side
The rules compared
Each answer comes from the sourced market page; follow the links for citations and detail.
| Rule | Austin | San Antonio |
|---|---|---|
| Investor (non-owner-occupied) rentals | Allowed in all zoning districts. Up to 2 STRs on a site with 3 or fewer units; other sites must be at least 1,000 feet apart. | Type 2 permit, limited to 12.5% of homes on a block face (rounded down), one per building of 5 to 7 units and 12.5% of units in buildings of 8 or more. We're still confirming the cap details. |
| Living in the home | Not required. Owners, or tenants with the owner's written authorization, can hold a license. | Type 1 permit for owner- or operator-occupied properties; the block-face cap applies to Type 2 |
| Where STRs are banned | Nowhere by zone | The C-3, L, I-1 and I-2 zoning districts |
| Permit cost | $836.30 new, then $385.30 to renew every 2 years | $450 (Type 1) or $1,000 (Type 2) plus an 8% surcharge, per three-year permit |
| Guest limit | No City guest cap | No fixed cap; occupancy follows the property maintenance code |
| Taxes | 17% hotel occupancy tax (6% Texas, 11% City) | 16.75% (6% Texas, 9% City, 1.75% Bexar County). Airbnb and Vrbo remit state and city tax, but operators pay the county tax themselves. |
| Other rules | License number in every ad and a local contact who responds within 2 hours | Permits don't transfer to a new owner. Fines of $200 to $500 a day per violation; the permit is revoked after three citations in three years. |
| Full rules and sources | Austin rules Verified September 26, 2026 | San Antonio rules Verified September 27, 2026 |
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Compares local rules for short-term rentals in each city's jurisdiction; it isn't investment advice and doesn't weigh prices, occupancy or returns. General information only, not legal or tax advice. HOA rules and deed restrictions can be stricter. See also cities that banned or restricted Airbnb.