North Richland Hills extends short-term rental registration deadline to Feb. 28

The North Richland Hills City Council voted unanimously to extend the initial short-term rental (STR) registration deadline to Feb. 28, 2026, in response to delays in notice issuance by the city's third-party registration platform.

Stephanie Martinez (speaker 9, staff) told the council the registration program began in December and that 49 applications have been submitted so far. "Of those, 10 have completed the inspections and have been issued their permits," she said, adding that two more units were being inspected the same day and three more were scheduled. Martinez said staff requires a local point of contact as part of the ordinance and will withhold inspection and permit issuance until that contact is provided.

Martinez and other staff urged neighbors experiencing code or noise violations to call the Police Department or Code Compliance so enforcement can be timely. Council member (speaker 5) noted the city initially estimated about 200 operating STRs when the ordinance was adopted; staff confirmed 49 applications have been received to date.

The council approved Ordinance No. 39-44 to extend the initial registration deadline from Jan. 31, 2026 to Feb. 28, 2026. The extension applies only to the initial registration year, and staff said the deadline will not be extended past Feb. 28. The vote passed 7-0.

Staff indicated that after the Feb. 28 deadline, operators who remain noncompliant would face follow-up enforcement actions under the ordinance.