How to register your short-term rental housing

By Brian Piscacek, Assistant to the City Manager
In College Station, nothing matches the excitement of the arrival of football season. Especially after all we’ve been through in 2020.
If you rent your home or other property for Aggie game day weekends — or for any other reason — you want to do it the right way. Starting this year, that means registering your short-term rental with the City of College Station. The ordinance goes into effect on Oct. 1.
A short-term rental is a residential unit that’s rented out for fewer than 30 consecutive days. It includes single-family homes, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, multifamily units, and manufactured homes.
If you are a short-term rental operator, you must have a valid permit and collect and remit hotel occupancy taxes monthly. The permit is valid for one year from the date of issuance and must be renewed each year. The permit is $100, and the required inspection is an additional $100. The annual renewal is $75.
In addition to the permit and hotel taxes, the ordinance requires STR operators to:
- Provide an informational brochure to guests that includes pertinent neighborhood information, how to contact the operator, and local emergency numbers.
- Equip the dwelling with working life safety equipment such as smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors if using gas/propane, and one fire extinguisher per floor.
- Maintain the unit in compliance with applicable city codes.
How to Apply for a Permit
STEP 1
Request access to the online permitting system by emailing STR@cstx.gov with your name, permanent (i.e., your homestead property) address, email address, and phone number. You must receive a login and password before applying online.
STEP 2
Know your STR type. The ordinance permits three categories of STRs related to zoning. To identify your zoning, go to the city’s interactive map, click the layer icon on the upper right, then select “Zoning” from the options.
- Short-Term Rental I is a bed and breakfast facility located in a residential zoning district. They have specific rules that align with our Unified Development Ordinance for B&B properties, including requirements that the unit is the proprietor’s permanent residence, no more than four unrelated may occupy overnight, and no more than one meal is served daily. If your STR is not a bed and breakfast, you are not an STR I.
- Short-Term Rental II is an owner-occupied unit in a residential zoning district of either General Suburban (GS), Restricted Suburban (RS), or Wellborn Restricted Suburban (WRS). These are located in what you think of as a typical single-family neighborhood. Are you in one of these zoning districts? Do you owner-occupy the residence? If so, this is your category. If the unit you’re operating as a short-term rental is an accessory dwelling on the property — such as a mother-in-law suite or a garage apartment — you’re required to be on-site during the rental.
- Short-Term Rental III is a short-term rental in a residential zoning district other than General Suburban, Restricted Suburban, or Wellborn Restricted Suburban. It includes Rural (R), Estate (E), Wellborn Estate (WE), Townhouse (T), Duplex (D), Multifamily (MF), Mixed-Use (MU), and Manufactured Home (MHP). These units may be owner-occupied or non-owner-occupied.
Non-Owner Occupied STRs: If you’ve been operating the unit as an STR but don’t live there, the ordinance includes a grandfathering provision, and you may apply for a permit until Nov. 27. After that, no application for non-owner-occupied units in GS, RS, or WRS zoning will be considered. You must demonstrate that the unit has been used as a short-term rental by providing evidence that you’ve remitted hotel occupancy taxes.
To illustrate continuous use, proof of tax remittance must cover a period of at least six of the last 12 — or 12 of the last 24 — months immediately preceding October. If you have not remitted those taxes, you may do so through Avenu Insights with the applicable penalties for late filings. Please include evidence of your filings and payments when you apply for the STR permit.
Planned Development Districts: If your property is located in a Planned Development District (PDD), refer to the base zoning. Plans submitted with at PDD designation include a list of land uses that align with zoning districts. For assistance, contact Planning & Development Services at 979-764-3570.
STEP 3
Apply online. Include the proper documentation: homestead exemption (if required), completed Guest Information Guide, and hotel occupancy tax evidence, if applicable.
STEP 4
When notified, schedule your Life Safety Inspection to ensure your STR meets the ordinance’s life safety requirements. For most STRs, inspections are also required for renewal.
STEP 5
Receive your permit when your application is approved. Please include your permit number in your advertisements and internet booking sites.
STEP 6
Register with Avenu Insights to set up your hotel occupancy tax remittance and report filing. The ordinance requires that Hotel Occupancy Taxes be assessed and collected by short-term rental operators. The Code of Ordinances authorizes a hotel occupancy tax equal to 7% of the occupant’s consideration where the cost of occupancy is at least $2 per day.
On the last business day of the month after the month of collection, entities required to collect the tax must file a report and remit the appropriate amount. Failure to submit the report and remit payment is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine and a penalty of 15% of the tax due for every 30 days that the report isn’t filed or the payment isn’t made.
For more information on hotel occupancy taxes, go to our STR webpage.
If you have additional questions about short-term rentals, contact Code Enforcement at 979-764-6363 or str@cstx.gov.
About the Blogger
Brian Piscacek has been with the City of College Station since 2012 and has served as assistant to the city manager for special projects since early 2019. He was previously a community development analyst. Before coming to College Station, Brian worked for Texas Tech and the North & East Lubbock Community Development Corporation. He earned bachelor’s (2007, Political Science/History) and master’s (2009, Public Administration) degrees from Tech.
If you found value in this blog post, please share it with your social network and friends!
5 things to watch at Thursday’s city council meetings

By Colin Killian, Public Communications Manager
The College Station City Council meets Thursday at by teleconference for its workshop (after 4 p.m.) and regular (6 p.m.) meetings.
The live audio will be streamed on Suddenlink Channel 19 and at cstx.gov/cstv19. Public comments are allowed through Zoom. To join the meeting online, go to Zoom or call 888-475-4499 and enter meeting number 982 1331 7043. Public comments will be allowed through Zoom.
If you want to address the council about any item on the workshop or regular agenda, register with the city secretary before the meeting by calling 979-764-3500 or emailing CSO@cstx.gov before the meeting starts. Written comments submitted to CSO@cstx.gov will be provided to the council members.
Here are five items to watch:
- Restricted Occupancy Overlay: In the workshop, the council will discuss a restricted occupancy overlay ordinance that would allow property owners to request an overlay to restrict occupancy to no more than two unrelated persons in their neighborhood.
- Police Community Outreach: The council will also have a workshop discussion about the College Station Police Department’s community outreach activities regarding race relations, recruiting and hiring, use of force, and body-worn cameras.
- Face Masks and COVID-19: Another workshop discussion will be the use of face masks for local coronavirus protection. Gov. Greg Abbott last week clarified his executive order regarding face masks. Abbott said individual liberty may not be infringed, but local governments can direct stores and businesses to require masks.
- Short-Term Rental Ordinance: In the regular meeting, the council will consider an ordinance restricting non-owner-occupied short-term housing rentals such as Airbnb to General Suburban, Restricted Suburban, and Wellborn Restricted Suburban zoning districts. It would also require evidence of a Homestead Exemption as proof of owner occupancy and grandfather non-owner-occupied STRs that are already operating.
- Munson Traffic Calming: After a public hearing, the council will consider the neighborhood’s request to repeal an ordinance that prohibits traffic calming on Munson Avenue. The neighborhood is seeking equal access to the traffic calming ordinance that applies to other neighborhoods.
Related Links:
Colin Killian has been with the City of College Station since 2010 after serving 23 years as the associate media relations director for the Texas A&M Athletics Department. Killian has also worked as a reporter and editor for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times and Lewisville News. A native of Hobbs, N.M., he graduated from Texas Tech with a bachelor’s degree in journalism/political science.
If you found value in this blog post, please share it with your social network and friends!
5 things to watch at Thursday’s city council meetings

By Colin Killian, Public Communications Manager
The College Station City Council meets Thursday by teleconference for its workshop (no sooner than 5 p.m.) and regular (6 p.m.) meetings.
The live audio will be streamed on Suddenlink Channel 19 and at cstx.gov/cstv19. Public comments are allowed through Zoom. To join the meeting, go to Zoom or call 888-475-4499 and enter meeting number 969 6026 4785.
To address the council about any agenda item — or about non-agenda topics during Hear Visitors — you must register with the city secretary before the meeting by calling 979-764-3500 or emailing CSO@cstx.gov before the meeting starts. Written comments submitted to CSO@cstx.gov will be provided to the council members.
Here are five items to watch:
- COVID-19 Financial Impact: In the workshop, the council will discuss the FY 2020 year-end estimate and the financial impact of COVID-19 on the city’s budget.
- Short-Term Rental Ordinance: Another workshop item is a discussion about council-suggested elements of a possible ordinance to regulate short-term rental housing.
- Harvey Mitchell Rezoning: After a public hearing in the regular meeting, the council will consider a request to change the zoning for about 14 acres at 2325 Harvey Mitchell Parkway South — located north of the intersection with Texas Avenue — to help attract commercial and residential opportunities.
- Certificates of Obligation: The council will consider approving up to $23.7 million in 2020 certificates of obligation for streets, police station construction, information technology, electric and water improvements, and debt issuance costs.
- Refunding Bonds: The council will consider approving up to $19.3 million in 2020 general obligation refunding bonds, which will save the city about $1.4 million over the remaining life of the issues.
Related Links:
Colin Killian has been with the City of College Station since 2010 after serving 23 years as the associate media relations director for the Texas A&M Athletics Department. Killian has also worked as a reporter and editor for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times and Lewisville News. A native of Hobbs, N.M., he graduated from Texas Tech with a bachelor’s degree in journalism/political science.
If you found value in this blog post, please share it with your social network and friends!
5 things to watch at Thursday’s city council meetings

By Colin Killian, Public Communications Manager
The College Station City Council meets Thursday by teleconference for its workshop (no sooner than 5 p.m.) and regular (6 p.m.) meetings.
The live audio will be streamed on Suddenlink Channel 19 and at cstx.gov/cstv19. To join the meeting online, go to Zoom or call 888-475-4499 and enter meeting number 998 0711 3729.
If you want to address the council about any agenda item — or about non-agenda topics during Hear Visitors — register with the city secretary before the meeting by calling 979-764-3500 or emailing CSO@cstx.gov before the meeting starts. Written comments submitted to CSO@cstx.gov will be provided to the council members.
Here are five items to watch:
- Tenant-Based Rental Assistance: As part of the consent agenda, the council will consider Tenant-Based Rental Assistance guidelines to assist households unable to pay rent due to the COVID-19 disaster declarations. The guidelines would reprogram $475,000 in existing federal grants.
- Former Police Station: Another consent item is a three-year, $1.02 million lease of the old police station at 2611 Texas Avenue to International Leadership of Texas.
- TxDOT Funding Agreements: The council will consider two advance funding agreements with the Texas Department of Transportation. The city would contribute about $35,000 for signal improvements at the intersection of George Bush and Dexter Drive and $323,345 for signal improvements that are part of the FM 2818 widening project.
- Dowling Road Rezoning: After a public hearing, the council will consider a request to change the zoning from Rural, Office, and Light Commercial to General Commercial for about 15 acres at 95 North Dowling Road B, 101 North Dowling Road A & B, 103 North Dowling Road, and 107 North Dowling Road. The change would better fit the Comprehensive Plan’s designation for more intense uses.
- Short-Term Rental Ordinance: The council will consider regulating short-term housing rentals such as Airbnbs. The proposed ordinance would place the units into three categories and restricts the zoning district based on owner occupancy. The directive would also provide clarity on bed-and-breakfast facilities and establishes regular inspections.
Related Links:
Colin Killian has been with the City of College Station since 2010 after serving 23 years as the associate media relations director for the Texas A&M Athletics Department. Killian has also worked as a reporter and editor for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times and Lewisville News. A native of Hobbs, N.M., he graduated from Texas Tech with a bachelor’s degree in journalism/political science.
If you found value in this blog post, please share it with your social network and friends!