Short-Term Rental Permits

The Grand Prairie City Council passed an updated Short-term Residential Rentals ordinance on May 17, 2022. The updated ordinance requires short-term rental operators to obtain a city permit.

Updated Short-Term Residential Rentals Ordinance (Chapter 29, Article IX)(PDF, 637KB)  

Do I need a permit?

All short-term rental operators are required to obtain a permit from the city annually and pay hotel occupancy taxes. This includes homes or other units, such as a garage apartment or backyard cottage, listed for rent on Airbnb, VRBO, HomeAway, and similar websites. 

A short-term rental means the use of a residential unit for its intended purpose for a tenancy of 30 or fewer consecutive calendar days for a fee. If your rental is being rented for more than 30 days at a time but you are advertising your property as available to rent for short-term (i.e. on a "nightly basis"), then you still must obtain a Short-Term Rental Permit.

Application Process

Step 1.Review requirements:

Obtain permit annually. All short term rentals must obtain a permit annually. Short-term rental permits shall expire on the last day of the month one year after the date of issuance. No short-term rental permit may be renewed without a completed renewal application submitted, 30 days before the expiration date, by the owner or operator and payment of the application fee.

Post permit. Copy of the Short-Term Rental Permit shall be posted at a conspicuous location inside the front entrance(s) to the short-term rental. The Short-Term Rental Permit number must be included in all advertisements for the short-term rental, including internet booking sites.

Notify neighbors. Upon issuance of a Short-Term Rental Permit, the owner or operator must distribute, by hand, notice to neighbors within 200 feet of the short-term rental property(DOCX, 22KB)  advising that a permit has been issued for the property. The notice must include:

  • the permit number,
  • the identity of the owner and the operator of the short-term rental,
  • the name and contact information for the local contact person, and
  • the city website address where the information is also posted (gptx.org/short-term-rentals).

The owner or operator must notify the neighbors whenever there is a change in contact information.

Provide informational brochure to occupants. Each owner or operator must provide a brochure to occupants with the following information:

  • Name and contact information for the local contact person;
  • overnight and daytime occupancy limits for the short-term rental premises;
  • pertinent city and neighborhood information related to quality of life including, but not limited to, parking restrictions, restrictions on noise and amplified sound, and trash collection schedules; and
  • emergency and non-emergency telephone numbers for police, fire, and emergency medical service providers, and instructions for obtaining sever weather, natural, and manmade disaster alerts and updates.

You can use our short-term rental brochure templates to create this brochure.

Enforce occupancy limit. Occupancy limit for a short-term rental is one person per 200 square feet with a maximum of 12 persons.

Maintain required safety equipment. Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors with alarms are required in accordance with adopted codes, and the short-term rental must have at least one working Type A fire extinguisher. The fire extinguisher must meet the City’s current fire code for annual inspection.

Reference the Short-Term Residential Rentals Ordinance (Chapter 29, Article IX)(PDF, 637KB)  for more information. 

Step 2.Apply Online

You must apply for a Short-term Rental Permit online through the City of Grand Prairie's Short-term Rental Permit portal (Host Compliance).

Apply online

Information you need to complete the online application: 

  • Site plan identifying location of parking spaces to be used in conjunction with the short-term rental (upload file with your online application)
  • Dimensioned floor plan(PDF, 49KB) identifying bedrooms, other living spaces, and emergency evacuation routes (upload file with your online application)
  • Proof of host protection or liability insurance commensurate with the operation of a short-term rental that provides coverage of up to $1 million per occurrence (upload file with your online application)
  • Driver's license (upload picture of drivers license with your online application)
  • Physical address
  • Parcel ID, which can be looked up on the City of Grand Prairie Interactive Maps
  • Number of bedrooms and applicable overnight and daytime occupancy limit (2/bedroom + 2)
  • Owner name, address, email address, and telephone number
    If company, then the name, address, and email address of responsible party
    OR
    Operator’s name, address, email address and telephone number
    AND
    Name, address, email, and 24-hour telephone number of local contact person
  • The amount of revenue you have received in the past calendar year from renting your property

A nonrefundable permit fee of $480 is due with the online application.

You will receive an email confirmation after submitting your application. A permit is valid upon approval. The approval process includes an inspection of the property.

If you need assistance completing the online application or have questions about the approval process, please call the Code Compliance Division at 972-237-8296.

Fees

The Short-term Rental Permit fee is $480. This fee is nonrefundable and is due with the online application.

Short-term rental operators are also responsible for paying hotel occupancy taxes on taxable receipts

What happens next?

Inspection Scheduled

City staff will schedule an on-site inspection of your short-term rental premises to ensure compliance with minimum health and safety requirements for use and and occupancy.

Permit Issued

The short-term rental permit will be valid after the application has been approved and the property passes inspection. Remember, you are responsible for sending out a notification to neighbors within 200 feet of the property(DOCX, 22KB) advising that a permit has been issued for your short-term rental property.

Hotel Occupancy Taxes Due

City of Grand Prairie Hotel Occupancy Tax: Short-term rental operators are responsible for paying hotel occupancy tax to the City of Grand Prairie each month. The City of Grand Prairie's hotel occupancy tax rate is 7% of taxable receipts. Taxes are due by the 30th day of the following month. For example, taxes on the income you received from your rental property during the month of March would be due by April 30. Read Hotel Occupancy Tax for Short-term Rentals FAQ for information on payment options, late fees, what to consider taxable receipts, etc.

State of Texas Hotel Occupancy Tax: The State of Texas hotel occupancy tax rate is 6% and must be submitted separately from your City of Grand Prairie hotel occupancy taxes. View the Texas Comptrollers Hotel Occupancy Tax web page for information on state taxes. 

Permit Renewal

Your Short-Term Rental Permit expires on the last day of the month one year after the date it was issued. To renew your permit, a new permit will need to be applied for. You are able to complete the registration application 30 days before the expiration date through the "Short-term Rental Registration" option in the online permit portal. All information from your previous permit application will need to be resubmitted, including an inspection of the property. If any information on your permit application changes after submitting the application, such as the ownership or operator/local contact of the short-term residential unit, you must provide the updated information with the City of Grand Prairie Code Compliance office within ten (10) days of the change.