Irving Short-Term Rentals Face New Inspection Requirement Starting Oct. 1
IRVING, Texas - Short-term rental (STR) owners in Irving will face another requirement beginning Oct. 1, when properties must pass an inspection before receiving a new or renewed registration to operate.
The inspection requirement is the latest in a series of changes to Irving's rules governing short-term rentals, commonly used for stays booked through platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo.
The city already requires short-term rentals to register annually and maintain a Hotel Occupancy Tax account.
The new inspection requirement follows changes approved earlier this year that placed additional restrictions on short-term rentals in residential neighborhoods.
Effective July 31st, new STRs operating from single-family homes and townhomes in most residential districts must obtain a Conditional Use Permit, or CUP. The Irving City Council approved amendments to the city's Unified Development Code in a 9-0 vote July 30th.
Existing short-term rentals in affected single-family homes and townhomes are considered legal nonconforming uses. Those properties can continue operating as long as owners maintain their registration, comply with applicable requirements and avoid losing their legal status. Under the latest city guidance, those existing rentals will also need to pass the new annual inspection requirement.
For new STRs in affected Irving residential districts, the process begins with Code Enforcement reviewing the application. Among the requirements, the property must have a Hotel Occupancy Tax account and generally have at least four off-street parking spaces, or one space for each bedroom when a home has more than four bedrooms.
The city also limits the concentration of STRs on a block face, defined as the same side of the street. A new rental cannot result in more than 10% of the homes on that block face operating as STRs.
If those initial requirements are met, the applicant is referred to the Irving Planning Department to seek a CUP.
Once the CUP is approved, the city's new process calls for an on-site inspection to determine whether the property complies with Irving's property standards and rental housing codes. If violations are found, the owner will receive notice of what must be corrected.
Owners who make the required corrections within the specified timeframe can receive their registration. Failure to correct the problems can result in the STR registration being denied for one year, according to information released by the city.
The CUP requirement does not apply to STRs in multifamily and commercial zones. Those rentals, however, remain subject to city registration requirements, and beginning Oct. 1, the inspection requirement applies to all Irving STRs.
The city's currently published STR webpage confirms the July 31 CUP requirements and annual registration rules, although portions of the page still contain older language stating that registration does not require a property inspection. The city's new Oct. 1 announcement supersedes that portion of the older guidance.
Property owners can find registration information and updates through the City of Irving Short-Term Rentals page.
