The City of Houston now requires every short-term rental to hold a Certificate of Registration — including a single room in a home you live in. We handle the whole process for a flat $75.
Enforcement is already underway. Fines run $100–$500 per violation, and each day counts separately.
Houston's short-term rental ordinance took effect on 1 January 2026. The City's enforcement teams are actively issuing citations, and from 1 January 2027 the City begins notifying Airbnb and Vrbo to remove listings without a registration number.
The ordinance covers "a dwelling unit or any portion of a dwelling unit" rented for fewer than 30 consecutive days. One bedroom in an owner-occupied house is covered.
Both parts of the City's fee are non-refundable. Enter the wrong street number or miss a unit number and you reapply — and pay again.
The City is publicly warning of longer processing times because of application volume. Filing sooner is worth more than filing perfectly.
We never mark up government fees. You'll see exactly what goes where.
Flat, per property. Everything listed above. Paid to Elevatxed.
Pay the $75 & Get Started →Secure checkout via Stripe. After payment, we'll email you a detailed intake form — about five minutes to complete — that gives us everything needed to prepare your documents. Prefer to talk first? Use the form below — same price either way.
$275 registration plus a $33.56 administrative fee. Paid directly to the City with your own card, non-refundable. The administrative portion is adjusted each year.
Already a co-hosting client, or signing up for management? The $75 is on us — registration is included.
Most of the elapsed time is the City's processing queue, not our work.
Fill in the form below. Takes two minutes. We'll confirm we can register it and flag anything unusual.
After payment, you'll receive our detailed intake form by email. From your answers: county record pulled, City questions resolved, your authorization form prepared and sent for signature.
A 20–30 minute session, on video or at your own pace. You enter your own ID and payment — we never handle either.
The City issues your registration certificate. We tell you exactly what to publish on your listing — your registration number and occupancy limit — and where to post the certificate inside the property.
There's a lot of wrong information circulating about Houston's ordinance. Here's what the City actually says.
Yes. The ordinance defines a short-term rental as a dwelling unit or any portion of one rented for fewer than 30 consecutive days. An owner-occupied home with one room on Airbnb is covered. Living there yourself changes nothing about the requirement.
No. This one circulates widely and it's wrong. The City's own published FAQ answers it directly: short-term rental owners are not required to purchase insurance or provide proof of it. There's no insurance upload on the application either. Carrying appropriate cover is sensible — it just isn't a registration requirement.
The City charges a $275 registration fee plus an administrative fee that adjusts annually — currently $33.56, for a total of $308.56, both non-refundable and paid directly to the City. Our $75 service fee is separate. If you see different figures quoted elsewhere online, they're outdated — these amounts come directly from the City's payment screen.
If you list only on Airbnb, largely no — Airbnb remits Texas state hotel occupancy tax and holds an agreement with Houston First covering the local portion. If you list anywhere else, or take direct bookings, you'll need your own registration and remittance. We'll tell you which side of that line you're on before you file.
Completing the application itself takes about 20–30 minutes. We send you a short list of questions, and within 24 hours of receiving your answers we complete your documents and send them over for your signature — you'll then upload them with your application. The City's certificate follows at the pace of its processing queue — currently slower than usual due to application volume, so allow a few weeks.
Yes, as the operator, but you'll need the owner's written authorization on the City's form or a lease that explicitly permits short-term rental use. We'll tell you which applies and prepare it.
Not entirely, and no honest provider can. The City requires the registrant to enter their own driver's licence number, complete a short training course themselves, and make a sworn declaration under their own name. We do everything up to those four things — and we're on the call while you do them. It's about 20–30 minutes of your time.
Your registration number and maximum occupancy must be published on your listing, and the certificate posted inside the property with a 24-hour contact name and number. We'll tell you exactly what goes where — and if we manage your property, we update the listing for you. Certificates issued through 2026 expire 31 December 2027.
Two minutes. We'll come back within one business day, confirm we can register it, and tell you exactly what we need.