Rental registration rules in San Antonio: absentee owners, apartments, STRs

Q: How much is the San Antonio absentee owner registration fee?

$500 per year under §6-39 , with renewals due by January 31; the amount was confirmed by an ordinance of September 18, 2025.

Ask whether San Antonio requires rental registration and the honest answer is “it depends on who you are and what you rent.” There is no citywide register of long-term rentals. Three ordinances can nonetheless put a property on a city list: Chapter 6, Article III for owners who live outside Bexar County; Chapter 6, Article V for apartment complexes of five or more units; and Chapter 16, Article XXII for stays of under 30 days. Each is summarised below from the code as published on Municode and current through August 27, 2026.

Absentee property owners: triggered by violations, not by renting

Article III of Chapter 6, effective January 1, 2014, defines an absentee property owner as the owner of a property inside the city limits who “resides outside of Bexar County, Texas” — a post office box does not count as a residence. It applies to one-family and two-family dwellings. The trigger is precise: the article “is activated by the issuance of two (2) or more code violations within a 12-month period.” Once activated, §6-38 requires registration with the property’s address and legal description, the contact details of every owner, and the contact details of a local manager; §6-39 sets an annual fee of $500, with renewals due by January 31; §6-40 requires the local manager to reside in Bexar County; and registration must continue for two years after the latest violation. Owners with no violations may register voluntarily. The fee section was amended by Ordinance 2025-09-18-0629 in September 2025, so the amount is current.

Apartment complexes: the points system

Article V of Chapter 6, created by Ordinance 2023-03-23-0166 and amended in May 2025, applies “to all multifamily apartment complexes with five (5) or more dwelling units within the city limits.” The mechanism is a program-points system: before a citation, the owner receives a notice of violation with ten calendar days to cure — counted from mailing to the address on the Bexar County Appraisal District record or from personal delivery, with an option to designate a courtesy email; uncured violations generate points; enough points enroll the property in the Apartment Inspection Program, where the owner must complete the registration forms and pay an assessed fee within 30 days. The definition of apartment complex follows the Building Code’s Group R-2 and includes mixed-use buildings with residential units.

Short-term rentals: permit, tiers, density

Article XXII of Chapter 16 (Ordinances 2018-11-01-0858 and 2024-06-13-0433) regulates rentals “for periods of less than thirty (30) consecutive days.” A Type 1 permit covers an owner- or operator-occupied property and can include renting less than the whole dwelling; a Type 2 permit covers a property the owner or operator does not occupy and must be for an entire dwelling unit. Both expire three years after issuance (§16-1105). The application fee is a one-time $300 for Type 1 and $450 for Type 2 (§16-1104), and an incomplete application not completed within 45 days is denied with the fee forfeited. Type 2 permits are limited by density — the Development Services summary gives 12.5% of a block face for single-family areas, rounded down (DSD ordinance summary) — and the city page adds that operators must remit hotel occupancy tax monthly, 9% for the city plus 1.75% for Bexar County, even for a zero-revenue month (City of San Antonio — Short Term Rentals).

Where the ordinary landlord stands

An owner who lives in Bexar County, rents a house or duplex for terms of 30 days or more, and keeps the property free of code violations is on no city list and pays no city fee. The city’s Minimum Property Maintenance Code (Chapter 6, Article IV) still applies as the standard an inspector uses on a complaint. That is worth writing into the property file as a dated conclusion: “no registration required as of September 2026 — Chapter 6, Articles III and V and Chapter 16, Article XXII checked.” If you move out of the county, the conclusion changes on the second violation.

SAN ANTONIO RENTAL PROGRAMS AT A GLANCE (CODE CURRENT THROUGH AUGUST 27, 2026)
Program	Applies to	Cost	Duration	Source
Absentee Property Owner Registration	1- and 2-family rentals owned by someone residing outside Bexar County, after 2 code violations in 12 months	$500 per year, due by January 31	At least 2 years after the last violation	Ch. 6, Art. III
Apartment Inspection Program	Complexes of 5+ units that accumulate program points	Fee assessed on entry, payable within 30 days	Until compliance under the program	Ch. 6, Art. V
Short-term rental permit	Rentals under 30 consecutive days	$300 (Type 1) / $450 (Type 2), one-time	3 years	Ch. 16, Art. XXII
Long-term house or duplex, resident owner	—	None	—	Code of Ordinances

What changes in San Antonio

Registration is tied to the owner’s residence: living outside Bexar County plus two violations in 12 months means $500 a year and a local manager.
Apartment complexes of five or more units are managed through a points system with a ten-day cure window before points accrue.
Short-term rental permits last three years and cost $300 or $450, with 12.5% block-face density limits for non-occupied units.
No general registration for a resident owner renting long-term.

Frequently asked questions

Does San Antonio require rental registration?

Not generally. Registration applies to out-of-county owners of one- or two-family rentals after two code violations in 12 months, to apartment complexes of five or more units enrolled in the inspection program, and to short-term rentals of under 30 days.

How much is the San Antonio absentee owner registration fee?

$500 per year under §6-39, with renewals due by January 31; the amount was confirmed by an ordinance of September 18, 2025.

How long is a San Antonio short-term rental permit valid?

Three years from issuance for both Type 1 and Type 2 permits (§16-1105). The one-time application fee is $300 for Type 1 and $450 for Type 2.

What counts as an apartment complex for the inspection program?

A multifamily complex with five or more dwelling units inside the city limits, as defined in the Building Code’s Group R-2, including mixed-use buildings with residential units (Chapter 6, Article V).

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.