On November 17, 2025, Bellaire City Council adopted Ordinance No. 25-108, regulating short-term rentals in the City of Bellaire.
In the ordinance, a short-term rental is defined as “the rental for compensation of all or part of a dwelling for a period of not more than 30 days.” (It does not include hotels as permitted by Chapter 24 of the Code of Ordinances, nor does it include a residence temporarily leased back to a prior owner in connection with a real estate sales transaction). The ordinance establishes that short-term rentals are incompatible with and thus prohibited in residential districts in the City. The ordinance also provides for permit, renewal, appeal, and revocation rules and procedures for lawful short-term rentals in nonresidential districts.
The effective date of the ordinance is March 17, 2026, which gave existing short-term rentals in residential districts 120 days to cease operating as such.
Short Term Rental Ordinance