Killeen rental registration rules: $200 STR permit, $500,000 insurance, no long-term registry

“City Council approved the STR program on October 1, 2023, and all STR owners must now register each year as required by the City of Killeen Code of Ordinances (Sec. 31-953). … Registration for the City of Killeen’s Short-Term Rental Program began May 1, 2024.” A short-term rental is “any property — such as a room, home, or guest house — rented for less than 30 days,” and “anyone who owns or operates a short-term rental inside Killeen city limits” must register through the city’s vendor portal (Short-term rentals). That, read in September 2026, is the whole of Killeen’s rental registration: no programme for houses or apartments let long-term appears in the Code’s building, licensing or zoning chapters.

The permit: $200, then $100

“A permit fee is due when you apply for the STR permit. Permits must be renewed annually. Short-Term rental permits 1st year: $200 – includes initial inspection fee. Short-Term rental permit renewals: $100” (FAQ — permit cost). “All short-term rentals must be inspected prior to issuance of a permit or renewal of a permit to ensure the rental follows minimum health and safety requirements for use and occupancy” (FAQ — inspection). The city’s FAQ adds the insurance condition: proof of at least $500,000 in liability insurance including personal injury liability, without which “the City may choose to deny your permit application.”

Hotel tax: monthly, even at zero

“Payment of Hotel Occupancy Tax is required when operating a short-term rental. You must file taxes monthly, even if it is” a month without income, the FAQ continues (FAQ). The state hotel tax is filed separately with the Comptroller. Keep both returns with the permit; a lapse in filing is a lapse in the permit conditions, and “failure to obtain permit is a violation of the City of Killeen Code Ordinances (operating without a license) and may result in enforcement action, including citations and fines” (City of Killeen).

KILLEEN SHORT-TERM RENTAL PERMIT (SEPTEMBER 2026)
Item	Requirement	Source
Who	Anyone renting any property for less than 30 days inside city limits	City of Killeen
Authority	Code of Ordinances Sec. 31-953; programme approved October 1, 2023; registration from May 1, 2024	City of Killeen
Fee	$200 first year incl. inspection; $100 renewal; annual	FAQ
Inspection	Before issue and before each renewal	FAQ
Insurance	Proof of ≥ $500,000 liability incl. personal injury	FAQ
Tax	City hotel occupancy tax filed monthly, including nil months; state tax separately	FAQ
Enforcement	Operating without a licence: citations and fines; Code Enforcement (254) 501-7608	City of Killeen

Long-term rentals: the standard instead of the register

With no registration, the rule that reaches a Killeen house let for a year is the maintenance code: the city adopted the 2024 International Property Maintenance Code by §8-320 (Ordinance 25-068, December 2, 2025), enforced by the Code Enforcement Division as “code official,” with local amendments that cap weeds at 12 inches and require fences to stand within one foot of vertical with broken parts replaced (§8-321). Enforcement is complaint-driven; the Killeen maintenance guide sets out the standard.

Why the long-term lease still bans short stays

A tenant who lets rooms by the night makes the owner an unpermitted operator liable for citations and monthly tax filings the owner never knew about. Killeen’s FAQ answers “Do I still need a permit if I rent out rooms in my home?” — the programme covers rooms, not only whole houses. The lease should prohibit stays under 30 days, count paying guests as stays, and make a breach a default. A landlord who wants short-stay income obtains the permit and the policy; the tenant does not.

The military tenant and the register

Killeen’s permit does not touch the ordinary lease to a soldier, but the §92.017 early-termination right does, and it is the sentence in the lease — not any filing — that preserves the landlord’s claim to delinquent rent. The Killeen lease guide carries it.

What to keep in the file

Short-term rental: the permit and each renewal, the inspection reports, the $500,000 insurance certificate, every monthly city hotel-tax return and each state return.
Long-term rental: the lease clause banning stays under 30 days and the §92.017 sentence; the Bell CAD record.
Both: Code Enforcement correspondence and the dated photographs that close it.

What changes in Killeen

One register only — short-term rentals, since May 1, 2024, under Sec. 31-953.
$200 with an inspection the first year, $100 to renew, $500,000 of liability cover.
Hotel tax filed monthly even with no bookings.
Rooms rented by the night are covered, not just whole houses.
Long-term rentals answer to the 2024 IPMC through complaint-driven enforcement.

Frequently asked questions

Does Killeen register long-term rentals?

No. The city’s only rental registration is the short-term rental programme for stays under 30 days (City of Killeen).

How much is Killeen’s short-term rental permit?

$200 the first year including the initial inspection, $100 for each annual renewal (City of Killeen FAQ).

What insurance does a Killeen STR need?

Proof of at least $500,000 in liability insurance including personal injury liability, submitted with each application; the city may deny a permit without it (City of Killeen FAQ).

Is an inspection required for a Killeen STR?

Yes — before the permit is issued and before each renewal, against minimum health and safety requirements (City of Killeen FAQ).

Sources

Rules change and the right answer can depend on the home, the city, the lease and the timing. These are the official pages this guide relies on; check them before signing, charging a fee, sending a notice or making a legal decision.

General information for U.S. landlords, with a Texas focus. This guide is not legal, tax or accounting advice. Consult a qualified professional for your situation. Written by the rentalfreelease.com Editorial Team; last reviewed September 19, 2026.