Short-term rental rules · Fort Worth, Texas

Short-term rentals in Fort Worth, explained properly.

Fort Worth bans short-term rentals in all residential zoning districts, including single-family neighborhoods; they are allowed by right only in commercial, industrial, mixed-use and most form-based districts. The ban dates from 2018, and in May 2026 a state appeals court upheld it; the owners have asked the Texas Supreme Court to review that ruling, but nothing stops enforcement meanwhile. Where zoning allows them, short-term rentals must be registered with the City before listing ($150, then $100 a year), with a local contact who can reach the property within an hour, a limit of 2 guests per bedroom plus 2 (12 at most) and no events. Stays are taxed 11% by the City plus Texas's 6% state hotel tax.

20 rule fields14 cited sources

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At a glance

What you need to know before you buy or list

Question	Answer
Are STRs allowed in residential zoning districts?	No: banned in every residential district (A-2.5A to A-5, AR, B, R1, R2, CR, C, D, UR and MH)[1][2][3][4]Clause Clause Clause Clause Clause Clause Clause
Where are STRs allowed?	By right in the commercial and industrial districts (ER, E, FR, F, G, H, I, J, K), the MU-1 and MU-2 mixed-use districts and most form-based districts[5][6][3]Clause Clause Clause Clause Clause Clause Clause Clause
Court challenge to the residential ban	Ban upheld on appeal (May 28, 2026); the owners' petition to the Texas Supreme Court (No. 26-0703) is pending[4][7][8]Clause Clause Clause Clause Clause Clause Clause Clause
City STR registration required?	Yes: register every short-term rental with the City (online via LocalGov) before listing or renting it[9][3]Clause Clause Clause Clause Clause Clause Clause
Registration fees	$150 first registration; $100 each yearly renewal[9][3]Clause Clause Clause
Registration renewal	Yearly: a registration expires at the end of the month one year after issue; renew up to 30 days before[9][3]Clause Clause Clause Clause Clause
Local responsible party	Required: reachable at all times while guests are there, and on site within one hour if the City calls[9]Clause Clause
Guest limits	2 per bedroom plus 2, never more than 12 people (children included), one group at a time[9]Clause Clause Clause
Parking	Guest vehicles limited to the available off-street spaces[9]Clause Clause
Minimum stay	One night[9]Clause
Events and parties	Banned: no weddings, parties, concerts or other special events[9]Clause
Registration number, posting and house rules	Registration number in every ad; registration posted inside the front entrance; written house rules for guests[9]Clause Clause Clause
Can a registration be transferred?	No: a new owner must register again[9][3]Clause Clause
City hotel occupancy tax	11%: 9% city hotel tax plus a 2% venue tax for the Fort Worth Convention Center (since August 1, 2024)[10][11][9][3]Clause Clause Clause Clause Clause Clause Clause
City hotel tax returns	Monthly through LocalGov, due by the 25th; file even with no bookings[10][11][3]Clause Clause Clause Clause Clause Clause

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Detailed rules

The full picture, section by section

Enforcement

Revocation of a registration	Possible after one citation in 12 months; then no new registration at that address for a year[9][3]Clause Clause Clause Clause Clause The City may revoke a registration if the holder received one or more citations under the STR article or any other City Code provision in the previous 12 months, made a false statement, failed to report a material change, or failed to comply with the hotel tax rules (§ 7-471(a)). After a revocation that is not overturned on appeal, no new registration is issued for the property for one year (§ 7-471(d)). The Code Compliance Department investigates complaints and issues warnings or citations. Failing to collect, report or pay City hotel tax is a misdemeanor (§ 7-460).

Revocation of a registration

Possible after one citation in 12 months; then no new registration at that address for a year[9][3]Clause Clause Clause Clause Clause

The City may revoke a registration if the holder received one or more citations under the STR article or any other City Code provision in the previous 12 months, made a false statement, failed to report a material change, or failed to comply with the hotel tax rules (§ 7-471(a)). After a revocation that is not overturned on appeal, no new registration is issued for the property for one year (§ 7-471(d)). The Code Compliance Department investigates complaints and issues warnings or citations. Failing to collect, report or pay City hotel tax is a misdemeanor (§ 7-460).

State law that also applies

State hotel occupancy tax	6%[12]Clause Clause Clause Texas Tax Code § 156.052 sets the state hotel occupancy tax at 6% of the price paid for a room, and § 156.051(a) applies it to rooms or spaces costing $15 or more a day. Section 156.001(b) makes a short-term rental (renting all or part of a residential property to someone who is not a permanent resident) a "hotel" for state and local hotel occupancy taxes. Stays of at least 30 consecutive days, with no interruption of payment, are not taxed (§ 156.101). Local hotel taxes are added on top and vary by city and county.
State hotel tax registration required?	Yes — Form AP-102 to the Comptroller, unless a booking platform collects for you[13][12]Clause Clause Clause Clause Whoever owns, operates, manages or controls a hotel must collect the state tax (Tax Code § 156.053), and the Comptroller's office treats short-term rentals the same way. The Comptroller does not issue printed hotel tax permits; a business that reports the tax sends Form AP-102 (Hotel Occupancy Tax Questionnaire) to the Comptroller. A short-term rental platform that has agreed with the owner to collect and remit state hotel tax files Form AP-102 itself, and an owner who rents only through such a platform does not collect and remit the state tax. An owner who takes bookings directly or through a platform that does not collect must collect and remit the state tax. Local hotel taxes are handled separately by the city and county.
State hotel tax returns	Monthly by the 20th; quarterly if you owe under $500 a month or $1,500 a quarter[12][14]Clause Clause Clause Each calendar month is a reporting period, with the return and tax due to the Comptroller by the 20th of the following month (Tax Code § 156.151(b)). A taxpayer who owes less than $500 for a month or $1,500 for a quarter files quarterly, due the 20th day after the quarter ends (§ 156.151(c)). The Comptroller allows a 1% discount when the return is filed and paid on time.
Local hotel taxes	Set by each city (and some counties and districts); paid to the local government[13][14]Clause Clause Clause Cities, some counties and special purpose districts may levy their own hotel taxes, generally up to 7%, and sports or community venue projects may add up to 2% (Dallas County up to 3%). Local hotel taxes apply to sleeping rooms costing $2 or more a day. The Comptroller collects only the 6% state tax; cities and counties collect their own local hotel taxes, so hosts should check with the city and county where the rental is.

Changes

Recent and pending changes

We read Fort Worth City Code Chapter 7 Article XIII (short-term rental registration), the zoning ordinance use tables and definitions (§§ 4.603, 4.803, 4.1203, 9.101) and Chapter 32 Articles II and III (hotel occupancy taxes) on American Legal Publishing (current through Ordinance 28600-06-2026), the City's short-term rental page, the Second Court of Appeals opinion and docket in case 02-25-00275-CV, the Texas Supreme Court docket for case 26-0703, City Council items on Legistar through June 2026 and City Council and committee agendas from June 23 to October 13, 2026. No short-term rental ordinance was on an agenda as of October 8, 2026. We will update this page when the Texas Supreme Court acts on the petition.

Aug 3, 2026

Owners ask the Texas Supreme Court to review the ruling (No. 26-0703)Pending[8]Clause Clause Clause

The owners filed a petition for review on August 3, 2026. The court requested a response, which the City filed on September 28, 2026; the owners' reply is due October 28, 2026. The court has not decided whether to take the case, and nothing blocks enforcement of the ban meanwhile.

May 28, 2026

Court of appeals upholds the residential banEnacted[4][7]Clause Clause

The Second Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court's judgment for the City in Modern Builders, LLC v. City of Fort Worth, holding that owners have no vested right to rent short-term in single-family districts and that the 2018 and 2023 ordinances are rationally related to preserving residential neighborhoods.

Jun 11, 2024

2% venue hotel occupancy tax addedEnacted[11]Clause Clause

Ordinance 26960-06-2024 added a 2% venue hotel occupancy tax for the Fort Worth Convention Center project approved by voters on May 4, 2024, on stays from August 1, 2024, bringing the City's hotel tax to 11%.

Feb 14, 2023

Short-term rental registration ordinanceEnacted[9][4]Clause Clause

Ordinance 26005-02-2023 added Chapter 7 Article XIII, requiring registration, a local responsible party, guest limits, a one-night minimum, an event ban and registration numbers in ads for short-term rentals where zoning allows them. Effective February 28, 2023.

Feb 6, 2018

Zoning ordinance defines short term home rental and bars it from residential districtsEnacted[1][4]Clause Clause

Ordinance 23110-02-2018 added the short term home rental use to the zoning ordinance, not allowed in residential districts and allowed in other districts as a commercial use.

Sources

Every rule above links to one of these

Fort Worth Zoning Ordinance §§ 4.600–4.603 — Residential District Use Table
City of Fort Worth (American Legal Publishing) · page updated May 22, 2026
Fort Worth Zoning Ordinance Chapter 9, § 9.101 Definitions (short term home rental; bed and breakfast home; transient or short term resident)
City of Fort Worth (American Legal Publishing)
City of Fort Worth — Short-Term Rentals (STR) page (registration, zoning, hotel occupancy tax)
City of Fort Worth
Modern Builders, LLC et al. v. City of Fort Worth, No. 02-25-00275-CV (Tex. App.—Fort Worth May 28, 2026), opinion
Second Court of Appeals of Texas · page updated May 28, 2026
Fort Worth Zoning Ordinance §§ 4.800–4.803 — Nonresidential District Use Table
City of Fort Worth (American Legal Publishing)
Fort Worth Zoning Ordinance §§ 4.1200–4.1203 — Form-Based Code District Use Table
City of Fort Worth (American Legal Publishing)
Modern Builders, LLC et al. v. City of Fort Worth, No. 02-25-00275-CV (case detail)
Second Court of Appeals of Texas (TAMES)
Modern Builders, LLC et al. v. City of Fort Worth, No. 26-0703 (Supreme Court of Texas, petition for review; case detail)
Supreme Court of Texas (TAMES)
Fort Worth City Code Chapter 7, Article XIII — Short-Term Rental Registration (§§ 7-450 to 7-471; Ord. 26005-02-2023)
City of Fort Worth (American Legal Publishing) · page updated February 28, 2023
Fort Worth City Code Chapter 32, Article II — Hotel Occupancy Tax (§§ 32-16 to 32-21.2)
City of Fort Worth (American Legal Publishing)
Fort Worth City Code Chapter 32, Article III — Venue Hotel Occupancy Tax (§§ 32-30 to 32-37; Ord. 26960-06-2024)
City of Fort Worth (American Legal Publishing) · page updated August 1, 2024
Texas Tax Code Chapter 156 — Hotel Occupancy Tax
Texas Legislature
Hotel Occupancy Tax FAQs (Texas Comptroller)
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
Hotel Occupancy Tax (Texas Comptroller)
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts

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This page is general information compiled from public sources, not legal or tax advice. HOA rules, deed restrictions and zoning for a specific property can be stricter. Confirm with the local permitting office and a qualified professional before buying or listing a property.