Bastrop staff propose $25 short-term-rental registration, cite life-safety and tax tracking

City of Bastrop staff told a packed town-hall meeting that they plan to seek an ordinance requiring owners of short-term rentals within the city limits to register with Development Services, pay a $25 annual fee and meet a set of safety, parking and tax-reporting requirements.

A Development Services staff member said the proposal is driven first by life-safety concerns — to create a local database and a 24-hour contact so officials can reach someone during evacuations or other emergencies — and second by the need to ensure hotel-occupancy taxes (HOT) are collected and routed to local community assets. "This is just an opportunity for us to educate the public," the staff member said, explaining the registration would also require a statement of compliance with existing fire and building codes.

Under the proposal, an STR is any lodging accommodation rented for fewer than 30 consecutive days. The registration would ask for the property address, owner/operator contact information, any affiliated marketing platforms, a 24-hour local contact, the number of bedrooms, proposed occupant limits and the amount of on-site off-street parking. Registrants would post a registration number at the front facade; the city plans to publish a map of registered STRs on its…