Short-Term Rental Registration
What is a Short-Term Rental?
Short-term rentals are one- or two-family dwellings that are rented for overnight lodging for less than 30 days at a time. Hotels, bed and breakfasts, apartment unit rentals, or dwellings that are rented for a period longer than 30 days are not considered short-term rentals. Permits and annual life safety inspections are required for all short-term rental units within the city limits. Any one- or two family dwelling advertised as a short-term rental on home sharing websites such as AirBnB, VRBO, HomeAway, etc. must be permitted before the advertisement is posted.
Apply for a Short-Term Rental Permit
To apply for a short-term rental permit, you can use the link above or here. Please be sure to read the requirements for an STR permit below in the 'Register an STR' tab. You will have to submit documents with the STR application.
The following requirements apply to all short-term rental units within the City Limits:
- A permit must be obtained for all short-term rentals in the City.
- Hotel occupancy taxes are required to be paid on a quarterly basis.
- Annual life safety inspections are required from the Fire Marshal’s Office.
- Maximum occupancy of two (2) adults per sleeping area, plus an additional four (4) adults.
- A minimum of one off-street parking space, not including the garage, must be provided per sleeping area. (*requested)
- A decal with emergency contact information must be visible at the entry of the short-term rental.
This list is for informational purposes only and is not a comprehensive description of all short-term rental regulations. To review all regulations for short-term rentals, please view Nassau Bay Ordinance O2020-806 (PDF).
Additional Resources
If you suspect a short-term rental is unregistered, please report it using the Short-Term Rental Complaint Form. if you need to report an STR Ordinance violation that is in progress, please call the non-emergency line at 281-333-4200.
Registering a Short-Term Rental Unit
If you are operating a short-term rental, you must first apply for a permit to be registered with the City of Nassau Bay.
The following documents must be provided when submitting a short-term rental permit application. Please know that all documentation needs to be submitted with the application or it will be incomplete. The Commercial General Liability of Insurance MUST be faxed or emailed by the Insurance Company - no exceptions.
- Floor plan, with all rooms labeled including sleeping areas for guests. Example
- Site plan of the property, with the number of parking spaces labeled. Example
- A filled out tenant indoor notification sheet. This sheet will be filled out and placed alongside the STR Permit in a conspicuous place in the STR.
- Commercial General Liability Insurance Policy ($500,000 per occurrence - 1-million-dollar aggregate).
There is a $300 application fee that must be paid prior to submitting an application. The initial application fee includes the first life safety inspection fee.
The life safety inspections will be conducted by the Building Official and the Fire Marshal. Please see examples of the STR inspection checklist on the following links:
Inspections
Annual life-safety inspections are required to receive, and to renew, your short-term rental permit. This process is incorporated into the annual permit process.
HOT Taxes (Hotel/Motel Tax)
Hotel Occupancy Tax filings and payments are due on a quarterly basis and must be paid to the Finance Department with this form. All payments must be received by the City no later than the end of the month following the close of the quarter. For additional information on HOT Taxes, please visit the City’s Finance HOT Tax Information page or call the Finance Department at 281.333.4211.
Transferability
A short-term rental permit is not transferable to a new property owner. The new property owner must submit a STR permit application and pass a life-safety inspection. An updated STR permit will be mailed to the updated mailing address once the inspection has passed.
Permit Expiration
STR permits expire on December 31 of the permit's operational year, regardless of when the permit was approved in the year. It is advisable to renew an STR permit for the following operational year's permit in November. Once approved, it will be valid from January 1 to December 31.
Operating without a permit
If an STR is operating at any point throughout the year without an approved STR permit, a citation will be issued for each day of operation without a permit.