Do you need a permit to run an Airbnb in Dallas?

Yes. Dallas requires City of Dallas Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) registration (City Controller's Office; filed via dallas.munirevs.com). Short-term rentals currently operate legally throughout Dallas — including single-family neighborhoods — because a December 6, 2023 temporary injunction, upheld three times by the Fifth Court of Appeals in 2025 and now pending before the Texas Supreme Court, blocks the city's June 2023 ordinances that would ban STRs from residential zoning districts and require an annual registration (fee $248 under the current codified code, as amended September 2023; $404 as originally adopted). The only citywide STR-specific requirement actively enforced is tax registration: every STR must file a Hotel Occupancy Tax registration with the City Controller's Office (no fee stated) and remit the 9% city hotel occupancy tax monthly, because Airbnb and Vrbo do not collect the city tax (they do collect the 6% state tax). Always confirm current requirements with the city before operating.

How much does a short-term rental permit cost in Dallas?

We don't have a verified flat permit fee for Dallas on file — see the full rules page for the latest details and sources.

How to get a short-term rental permit in Dallas, TX (2026)

Dallas requires City of Dallas Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) registration (City Controller's Office; filed via dallas.munirevs.com). Here's how to get and keep it.

Permit at a glance

Permit required	Yes
Permit name	City of Dallas Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) registration (City Controller's Office; filed via dallas.munirevs.com)
Renewal	No renewal required

Step by step

1
Confirm your property is eligible
Confirm the property's zoning allows short-term rentals. Under the enjoined June 2023 zoning ordinance (Ord. 32482), 'short-term rental lodging' would be permitted by right only in multifamily (MF), office (MO/GO), central area (CA), mixed use (MU), multiple commercial (MC), and urban corridor (UC) districts, and prohibited in all residential zoning districts (including single-family). The ordinance also caps STRs at 3% of units in multifamily-zoned buildings over 20 units, 20% in nonresidential districts, and zero in buildings with 20 or fewer units. Because the December 6, 2023 injunction blocks enforcement, STRs currently operate in all zones, including single-family neighborhoods.
2
Apply for the City of Dallas Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) registration (City Controller's Office; filed via dallas.munirevs.com)
Submit the City of Dallas Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) registration (City Controller's Office; filed via dallas.munirevs.com) application to Dallas. No fee is stated for the currently required HOT registration. Separately, the enjoined Chapter 42B ordinance requires an annual STR registration: as adopted June 14, 2023 (Ord. 32473) the fee was $404.00 with a $234.00 reinspection fee, but the FY 2023-24 fee ordinance (Ord. 32556, adopted September 20, 2023) amended Sec. 42B-5 to $248.00 per year (initial inspection included) with a $144.00 reinspection fee — the amounts in the current codified City Code. The December 2023 injunction blocks enforcement, so the 42B registration is not being administered and the fee has never been charged. Industry blogs variously cite $150 or $404; the codified figure is $248.
3
Register for occupancy taxes
Register to collect and remit the applicable lodging/occupancy taxes for Dallas. Some are collected automatically by the booking platform and some you may need to remit yourself.

STR rules change without warning.

Get an email the moment Dallas changes its short-term rental rules — plus renewal reminders before your permit expires.

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Verified July 12, 2026. Informational only — not legal, tax, or financial advice. Permit requirements and fees change; confirm current requirements with Dallas before applying.

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