Short-Term Rentals in Unincorporated Blanco County, Texas

Why the county can't regulate short-term rentals -- the exact statute

Texas Local Government Code Section 240.102 is the specific provision that lets a county's commissioners court regulate short-term rental units in the unincorporated area -- requiring registration, a permit, and contact information for someone who can respond to complaints. But that authority is not universal: the statute applies only to a county with a population of 585,000 or more that is also adjacent to a county with a population of 4,000,000 or more. Those thresholds were written with a specific set of populous counties near Texas's largest metro cores in mind, not rural Hill Country counties. Blanco County's population is roughly 13,000-13,600 residents as of recent Census Bureau estimates (CORRECTED 2026-09, updating an earlier, lower '10,000 to 12,000' range) -- well over an order of magnitude short of the 585,000 threshold -- so the Commissioners Court has no statutory basis to adopt a county-level STR ordinance, registration requirement, or occupancy cap for unincorporated land, no matter how much local sentiment might favor one.

This is worth double-checking rather than assuming permanent: the Texas Legislature meets every two years and has amended short-term-rental-related statutes before as the STR market has grown across the Hill Country. A future legislative session could lower the population threshold, add a new county-population bracket, or grant broader county authority outright. Treat the current absence of county regulation as this statute's effect today, not a guarantee that will hold for the life of a long-term rental investment -- and watch for any Blanco County Commissioners Court agenda item referencing new state authority if this matters to your plans.

What still applies even without a county STR ordinance

No county STR licensing scheme does not mean no rules at all apply to a short-term rental on unincorporated Blanco County land. General Texas nuisance and noise law still applies -- a neighbor can still bring a private nuisance claim over excessive noise, traffic, or light from a rental property, independent of any county ordinance. The county's septic (OSSF) permitting and maintenance-contract rules still govern any wastewater system serving the rental, including the 30-day post-transfer maintenance-contract requirement described on the hub page. Floodplain rules still apply if the property sits in a mapped floodplain. And separately, the state's Mass Gatherings Act (Health and Safety Code Chapter 751) can require a permit for a gathering expected to draw 2,500 or more people continuing for more than 5 continuous hours, or any length of time between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. (CORRECTED 2026-09, correcting an earlier, secondary-sourced '10 hours' figure that misstated the statute's actual duration trigger) -- a much higher bar than an ordinary nightly rental, but relevant if a rental property doubles as an event or festival site. None of these are short-term-rental-specific regulations, but they mean "the county can't regulate STRs" is not the same as "nothing applies."

A private restriction can also fill the gap the county's statutory limit leaves open: a subdivision's own deed restrictions or a property owners' association's covenants can prohibit or limit short-term rentals on a specific tract even where the county has no power to. Before counting on being able to run a short-term rental on a specific unincorporated Blanco County parcel, check that tract's deed and any recorded restrictive covenants directly -- the absence of county regulation says nothing about what a private restriction on that specific property might already require.

Inside the City of Blanco: a different rulebook entirely

Everything above is specific to unincorporated Blanco County. The City of Blanco itself has adopted its own Short-Term Rental Ordinance (Ordinance 2022-O-005), establishing a permit-based system with its own requirements and operational standards for STR operators -- but that ordinance applies only within the city's own limits, not countywide. A property inside the City of Blanco's limits is subject to that city ordinance regardless of the county's lack of authority; a property in the surrounding unincorporated county is not. Confirm a specific parcel's status (inside city limits, inside the city's ETJ, or fully unincorporated) directly with the City of Blanco and Blanco County before assuming which rulebook -- if either -- applies.