RuleGridTexas · South Padre Island
South Padre Island
Short-term rentals (residential stays under 30 consecutive days) are legal in South Padre Island, but every unit must be registered/permitted with the City and the assigned permit number must appear in all advertisements. Operators must also register to collect and remit Hotel Occupancy Tax at three layers: the City (10.5% = 8.5% general + 2% venue), Cameron County (0.5% reduced rate within city limits), and the State of Texas (6%), for a combined 17%. STRs are allowed in residential zones citywide subject to standards-of-conduct rules, a designated 24-hour local contact, and per-bedroom occupancy limits declared at registration. The program is codified in Chapter 11, Article VII of the City Code, created by Ordinance 15-03 (2015) and amended by 17-09; the City contracts Deckard Technologies (formerly MuniServices) for STR/HOT compliance and actively enforces. NOTE: reports of a 2025 ordinance ("25-04"), a current $125/year (or $200/year) license fee, fines up to $2,000/day, and revocation after three citations in 12 months come from secondary sources only and could not be confirmed against an official City page.
Not legal advice. Last verified 2026-07-11 · sources linked below.
Requirements checklist
-
city Short Term Rental Registration / Permit Required
-
city City HOT taxpayer account (collected via Deckard Technologies / former MuniServices) Required
-
county Cameron County HOT taxpayer account (collected via Localgov) Required
-
state Texas Hotel Occupancy Tax taxpayer account (Texas Comptroller) Required
Taxes
| Tax | Rate | Administered by | Airbnb remits | Vrbo remits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas State Hotel Occupancy Tax | 6% | Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts | — | — |
| City of South Padre Island Hotel Occupancy Tax (incl. venue tax) | 10.5% | City of South Padre Island (collected via Deckard Technologies) | — | — |
| Cameron County Hotel Occupancy Tax (reduced venue rate within SPI) | 0.5% | Cameron County (collected via Localgov) | — | — |
Lodging-tax estimator
Estimate the combined transient/lodging tax (~17.0%) on a stay in South Padre Island. Estimate only — not tax advice.
Operating rules
- Primary residence
- No
- Min stay (nights)
- —
- Max nights / year
- —
- Max occupancy
- Overnight and daytime occupancy limits are set based on the number of bedrooms declared at registration
- Zoning-restricted
- No
- Cap on licenses
- —
Grandfathering: Initial registration fee is waived for properties that were already properly remitting City hotel occupancy tax before April 15, 2015 (per Ord. 15-03 / Art. VII).
Zoning: STRs are permitted in residential zones (single-family, apartment, condominium) citywide, subject to standards-of-conduct rules. (Draft's claim of stricter noise limits specifically in 'Districts A and E' and 'no overnight parking in city-owned lots' could not be confirmed from an official page and should be treated as unverified.)
- A designated local contact person with a 24-hour telephone number must be provided who can respond to complaints. (A secondary source reports a one-hour response requirement; UNVERIFIED against official text.)
- The assigned permit number must be listed in all advertisements of the property (Art. VII, Sec. 11-221).
- A separate permit number is required for each STR unit owned or managed.
- Monthly HOT reports must be filed at each layer even in months with no rental activity.
Enforcement
- Active enforcement
- yes
- Fines
- Ordinance 15-03 / Ch. 11 Art. VII authorizes a fine not to exceed $500.00 per offense, with each day a violation continues treated as a separate offense (CONFIRMED official baseline). Reports that an updated 2025 ordinance raises fines to as much as $2,000/day and allows license revocation after three citations within a 12-month period come from a secondary source (Avalara) and could NOT be confirmed against official City text; treat those figures as UNVERIFIED.
- Notes
- The City contracts Deckard Technologies (formerly MuniServices) for STR/HOT compliance monitoring (official STR portal at portal.deckard.com). Avalara reported (Feb 2026) that SPI STR operators faced consequences for multiple legal violations, indicating active enforcement, but the specific penalty escalations in that report are secondary-only.
Get change alerts for South Padre Island
RuleGrid checks South Padre Island every night. Add your email and we'll alert you the moment a rule changes — free, one email per change, unsubscribe anytime.
By subscribing, you agree to receive RuleGrid change alerts. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy.
Frequently asked questions
Is Airbnb legal in South Padre Island?
Do I need a license or registration for a short-term rental in South Padre Island?
What taxes apply to short-term rentals in South Padre Island?
Official sources
- gov_tax_page Hotel Occupancy Tax / City of South Padre Island, TX ↗
- gov_program_doc Hotel Occupancy Tax & Short-Term Rentals - Steps to Register (City of South Padre Island) ↗
- gov_ordinance Ordinance No. 15-03 - Short Term Rentals (City of South Padre Island) ↗
- gov_reference U.S. Census Geocoder - South Padre Island town (GEOID 4869140), Cameron County (48061), Texas (48) ↗
- gov_tax_page Texas Hotel Occupancy Tax - Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts ↗
- gov_tax_page Cameron County Hotel Tax Information (HOT) ↗
- vendor_portal City of South Padre Island STR/HOT Portal (Deckard Technologies - City's contracted compliance vendor) ↗
- code_library South Padre Island Code of Ordinances, Ch. 11 Art. VII - Short Term Rentals (Municode) ↗
- news_analysis South Padre Island STR operators face consequences for multiple legal violations (Avalara MyLodgeTax) ↗
Informational summary of publicly available sources; not legal advice. Verify against the linked official sources.