Owner Resources · Austin STR

The Black Key
Resource Library.

Practical guides for Austin short-term rental owners. Regulations, income strategy, market trends, and operations. Written by people who manage Austin STRs every day.

Featured Article
Limestone and glass entrance of Austin City Hall with glass high-rise towers rising behind it on a clear day. Compliance
Regulations Updated Oct 2026 8 min read

Austin rewrote its short-term rental rules in 2025, and platform duties took effect on July 1, 2026. Here's a clear breakdown of the licensing steps, how to confirm current fees, per-site limits and hotel tax, with links to the official sources.

Why this matters now: Since July 1, 2026, Austin listings need a license field, and platforms are to remove unlicensed listings when the city asks. If you're not yet licensed, check the City of Austin's current guidance and start your application.

All Articles

Ready for More?

See What Your Property
Could Earn.

The guides tell you what's possible. The estimate tells you what's realistic for your specific property.

Get a Free Income Estimate

Photography: Austin City Hall by ajay_suresh, CC BY 4.0; Rainey Street towers by Oleg Yunakov, CC BY-SA 4.0; Austin skyline by ajay_suresh, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Images resized.