Plano, Texas residential lease guide: STR Code, NTMWD water, Collin JP courts

Plano is a suburb with a code that reads like a city’s. Its Short-Term Rental Code, adopted April 22, 2024, requires every hosting platform to warn a person listing a Plano property that “THE SHORT-TERM RENTAL CODE … PROHIBITS THE SHORT-TERM RENTAL OF PREMISES WITHIN THE CITY OF PLANO WITHOUT AN ACTIVE SHORT-TERM RENTAL REGISTRATION.” Its Multi-Family Dwelling Registration and Inspection Code makes the landlord of any complex five years old or older with five or more units register by October 31 each year. Its water comes from the North Texas Municipal Water District and is sold through the city’s own utility. Around those sit Oncor retail choice and Collin County’s four justice-of-the-peace precincts. Each point is sourced below as read in September 2026.

Subletting: the STR Code’s reach into a long-term lease

The code defines a short-term rental as “any portion, or all, of a dwelling unit offered or used for transient lodging, in exchange for compensation, for less than thirty (30) consecutive days.” Registration is required, is non-transferable, and is issued only where the zoning allows the use by right or by specific use permit; §6-733(b) adds that registration “does not supersede any prohibition or requirement placed upon a short-term rental owner by a lease, private contract or property covenant, such as a deed restriction or binding HOA rules.” That last sentence is an invitation: a lease clause forbidding stays under 30 days without the owner’s written consent is enforceable on its own terms and keeps a tenant from creating an unregistered STR in the owner’s name. See the Plano registration guide.

Electricity: Oncor delivers, the tenant chooses

Plano is in the ERCOT competitive area under Utilities Code §39.102; Oncor Electric Delivery owns the wires and points new customers to “Start New Electric Service: PowertoChoose.org.” The utilities clause states that the tenant opens a retail electric account in the tenant’s name from the start date with any provider serving the address, and that outages go to Oncor.

Water: NTMWD wholesale, city retail

Water service is opened, billed and stopped through the City of Plano’s Customer & Utility Services (972-941-7000, online start and stop), but the water itself is supplied by the North Texas Municipal Water District, whose board “is not a part of the City of Plano government organization.” For a landlord the practical effect is that the district’s conservation stages and the city’s watering guidelines both apply, and the city’s Plano Water Resources page is where they are published. Name the city utility as the account and say whose name is on it; in a master-metered building, Water Code §13.5031 requires the rental agreement to describe the allocation method and state the average unit bill.

Eviction venue: Collin County’s four precincts

Collin County has four justice-of-the-peace precincts — Precinct 1 serving the north-central county, 2 the east, 3 the south-central and south-west, 4 the west — and states that “all eviction suits must be filed in the Justice of the Peace precinct where the property is located,” with a precinct map by address and e-filing accepted by every court (Collin County — Justices of the Peace, Filing an eviction). Property Code §24.0041 fixes that venue since January 1, 2026, and §24.005 now requires a notice to pay rent or vacate for a tenant who was not previously late. A Plano address in the Denton County part of the city uses that county’s court; the appraisal record settles which.

Apartments: annual registration and the access clause

For a complex five years old or older with five or more units, §6-70 requires annual registration with the director of neighborhood services by October 31, with a 24-hour emergency contact on the form; a change of ownership requires a new registration within 30 days. An apartment lease in Plano should carry an access clause for city inspections and the emergency contact the registration names.

WHAT TO WRITE IN A PLANO LEASE
Clause	What changes for a Plano address	Source
Subletting	No stays under 30 days without the owner’s written consent and an active city STR registration	Short-Term Rental Code
Electricity	Tenant opens a retail electric account with any provider; Oncor delivers and handles outages	Oncor · Utilities Code §39.102
Water	City of Plano utility account holder named; watering follows city guidelines and NTMWD stages	Customer & Utility Services · NTMWD
Notices and venue	Collin County JP precinct from the county map; pay-or-vacate notice for a first late payment	Collin County JP · Property Code ch. 24
Access (apartments 5+ units, 5+ years)	City inspection admitted on reasonable notice; 24-hour emergency contact matches the registration	Chapter 6, Art. III, Div. 3

What changes in Plano

The 2024 Short-Term Rental Code makes platforms warn hosts that unregistered short stays are prohibited — and says a lease or HOA rule can forbid them outright.
Apartment complexes of five or more units, five years old or older, register every year by October 31.
Water is NTMWD wholesale, city retail: two sets of conservation rules can apply.
Electricity is retail-choice through Oncor.
Collin County’s four JP precincts hear evictions; the Denton County part of Plano uses that county’s court.

Frequently asked questions

Can my Plano tenant list the house on Airbnb?

Not without an active city STR registration in the owner’s name, and not at all if the lease forbids it — §6-733(b) of the Short-Term Rental Code says registration does not override a lease, private contract or HOA rule.

Can my tenant choose their electricity provider in Plano?

Yes. Plano is in the competitive area under Utilities Code §39.102; Oncor delivers and directs new customers to PowerToChoose.org (Oncor).

Where is an eviction filed in Plano?

In the Collin County justice court of the precinct where the property is located — the county has four and publishes a precinct map (Collin County JP); a Denton County address files there.

Who supplies Plano’s water?

The North Texas Municipal Water District supplies it wholesale; the City of Plano’s Customer & Utility Services opens accounts and bills (City of Plano — NTMWD).

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.