El Paso moves closer to defining short-term rentals in city code

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) – El Paso City Council has taken another step toward formally defining short-term rentals in the city code, a move supporters say is meant to clarify their legal status and protect property rights rather than impose new regulations.

The proposed ordinance was put up for its first reading at Monday’s City Council meeting, and is expected to return for a public hearing, when community members can share comments, and a vote on Feb. 3.

El Paso Short Term Rental Alliance president Heidy Seoenz said the effort has been years in the making and follows months of discussions between rental operators, city staff and state level advocacy groups.

“Back in October, we presented to City Council what the El Paso Short Term Rental Alliance had been doing for the past couple of years,” Seoenz said. “City staff recommended that we start talking about adding a definition for short-term rentals into the code.”

Seoenz said stakeholders, including the Texas Short Term Rental Association, local rental operators and city staff worked together to shape the language now before council.

The draft ordinance would amend Title 20 of the El Paso City Code to add a formal definition of short-term rentals under the zoning chapter. 

Under the proposed language, a short-term rental would be defined “any residential use, including a single-family home, duplex, an accessory structure, or a unit in an apartment/ multifamily residential building, mixed-use residential building, or condominium building, or any portion thereof, used for lodging accommodations to occupants for a period of less than 30 consecutive days.”

The ordinance also states that “bed and breakfast” operations are not to be included in the definition, and the standard residential zoning will also apply to short-term rental properties.

“Our main goal and the reason why we wanted to be involved as stakeholders was to make sure that we protected our property rights,” Seoenz said. “That was the main reason.”

She emphasized that the proposal does not create new rules, permits or enforcement mechanisms.

Seoenz said city staff and code enforcement had long sought a clear definition so they could distinguish short-term rentals from other uses, while operators wanted assurance they could continue operating legally.

“Now that we are defined, we can make sure that we are protected as well,” she said.

The El Paso Short Term Rental Alliance began organizing in 2023, during a period when stricter regulations were being discussed, Seoenz said. She said that experience shaped the group’s push to participate directly in the current process.

“We really did prove to City Council and pretty much all of El Paso that short-term rentals are a need for the community,” Seoenz said. “But we are also good neighbors.”

She encouraged short-term rental operators to attend the Feb. 3 council meeting and participate in public comment when the item returns for a vote.

Seoenz said short-term rentals serve a specific role in El Paso, particularly for visiting families and military personnel, and should not be treated like tourist-driven markets.

“We are not a tourist city, we are not a vacation market,” she said. “What we provide to the community is something that should not be restricted.”