Rental Property Registration Mandatory as of January 1

The City of San Marcos Neighborhood Enhancement Department is reminding owners of rental property located within the City limits that as of Jan. 1, 2021, they are required to register their properties on an annual basis. Registration may be completed online at www.sanmarcostx.gov/rental. 

City Council voted to require rental registration in April of 2018 with voluntary compliance by property owners prior to Jan. 1, 2021. Full language included in the ordinance may be found here: San Marcos City Ordinance Sec. 34-821.  

“Since this is now a mandatory requirement, we want to remind rental property owners to complete their registrations as soon as possible,” said Greg Carr, Director of Neighborhood Enhancement. “Registration can be completed quickly online and there’s no cost to the property owner.”

Registration is required for all short-term and long-term rentals located within City limits. Multi-family rental properties need to submit only one annual registration for their entire complex. The ordinance has no on-site inspection component and does not pertain to a property rented to a relative or to property where a single room is rented to an individual.

Since an approved registration is required before operation of any short-term rental and before the rental of any long-term unit for a continuous period of 30 days or more, property owners are encouraged to expediently complete their registration. Rental properties that are not registered with the City may be subject to enforcement action.

For more information, contact Tiffany Harris, Community Vitality Coordinator, at 512-393-8443 or tharris@sanmarcostx.gov.