San Antonio Landlord-Tenant Rules
San Antonio adds local rules on top of Texas landlord-tenant law. Here is what is different, with the city code or agency page behind each rule.
| Required notices/registration | Notice of Tenant Rights: when a landlord delivers a Notice to Vacate for non-payment of rent, the landlord must also give the tenant the City's Notice of Tenant Rights within 1 business day. The landlord may hand-deliver it, attach it to the inside or outside of the main entry door, or send it by text, email, overnight courier or USPS mail. The City form explains that a notice to vacate is not an eviction and lists resources. The rule does not apply to notices to vacate for reasons other than non-payment of rent or fees. A first violation gets a warning. Later violations can bring a fine of up to $500 through an administrative hearing. Complaints must be made within 90 days, and the ordinance creates no private right to sue. The City's current Eviction Prevention page still tells tenants they should get this notice with a notice to vacate (https://www.sa.gov/Directory/Departments/NHSD/Housing-Support/Renter-Support/Eviction-Prevention). The ordinance predates Tex. Prop. Code Sec. 1.004 (HB 2127, 2023), and whether that law affects it was not verified. |
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| Fair housing (local protected classes) | San Antonio's Non-Discrimination Ordinance covers housing within city limits. Beyond federal classes, it adds sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status and age. Source of income is not a general protected class. However, the separate SOIP for Veterans Ordinance bars landlords from denying a veteran applicant, or ending a veteran's tenancy, solely because the veteran uses a housing voucher. Non-veteran voucher holders can file a complaint only if the property received City financial support or incentives. Housing complaints, including SOIP complaints, must be filed within 30 days with the City Clerk, online or in person (210-207-8911). The City Code chapter/section numbers were not shown on the page. State law (Sec. 250.007) otherwise bars Texas cities from prohibiting refusal of federal housing assistance: https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/84R/billtext/html/SB00267F.htm |
| Rental registration/inspection | Proactive Apartment Inspections Program: an apartment complex with 5 or more units must join a City registry if it gets three designated property-maintenance citations within a rolling six months, or if the Building Standards Board orders it. Enrolled properties pay $200 per unit per year. They get monthly inspections of up to 5% of their units and stay on the registry for at least six months. To leave the registry, a property must have fewer than two citations in six consecutive months and correct all violations. It then stays on probation for four years, and a property that re-enters stays on the registry for a full year. Fact sheet is stamped 20261022. An earlier City press release gave $100 per unit and a removal threshold of fewer than three citations. |
| Habitability/code enforcement & complaint line | Report substandard housing and property maintenance code violations to Development Services Code Enforcement: call 3-1-1 or 210-207-6000, or use the online 311 form. You can also go in person to 1901 S. Alamo St. |
| Local rental assistance | The City's Rental Assistance Program can pay up to three consecutive months of rent and utilities, up to $3,500 for rent and $1,500 for utilities. To qualify, a household must be at or below 80% AMI, live in Council Districts 1-10, show hardship and have an active Notice to Vacate or eviction citation. The landlord must agree to take part. Applications open only on the second Wednesday of each month, 1-2 p.m. (210-207-6459). A separate Resident Relocation Assistance Program pays up to $3,000 ($7,000 for mobile homes) toward moving costs. Each household can get either rental or relocation help, not both, once every 12 months. Relocation program: https://www.sa.gov/Directory/Departments/NHSD/Housing-Support/Renter-Support/RRAP. Funding availability may change. Source: Official source |
| Tenant right to counsel | The City partners with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) on a Right to Counsel program for low-income households facing eviction or other threats to their housing. Tenants with a court notice or judgment can ask City staff for a direct referral or call TRLA intake at 956-996-8752 (righttocounsel@trla.org). Services are free for those who income-qualify. This is a City-funded program, not a right created by ordinance. Income limits are not listed on the page. Source: Official source |
| State preemption of local tenant rules | Texas law limits local tenant rules. Cities may not adopt or enforce ordinances in any field the Property Code occupies, including ordinances that regulate evictions or that restrict or delay a notice to vacate or an eviction filing. Since January 1, 2026, only the Legislature may modify eviction procedures, and courts may not require mediation before trial. San Antonio's mediation provision is expressly voluntary. SB 38 text: https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/SB00038F.htm |
Eviction cases in San Antonio are heard in: Bexar County Justice of the Peace Courts (4 precincts); the suit must be filed in the precinct where the property is located
Eviction court, fees and help
Right to a lawyer in eviction cases
City-funded Right to Counsel program through TRLA for income-eligible tenants facing eviction; not a guarantee created by ordinance. Official source
Local agencies
- Neighborhood & Housing Services Department (NHSD) — Eviction help, rental and relocation assistance, housing counseling, tenant-landlord mediation and referrals to TRLA. Eviction help: 210-207-5910.
- Development Services Department - Code Enforcement — Enforces the property maintenance code and runs the Proactive Apartment Inspections Program. 3-1-1.
- City of San Antonio Civil Rights / City Clerk complaint intake — Takes housing discrimination complaints under the Non-Discrimination Ordinance and the SOIP for Veterans ordinance. 210-207-8911.
- Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) - Right to Counsel — Free eviction representation for income-eligible tenants. 956-996-8752.
Frequently asked questions
What landlord-tenant rules does San Antonio add on top of Texas law?
Required notices/registration: Notice of Tenant Rights: when a landlord delivers a Notice to Vacate for non-payment of rent, the landlord must also give the tenant the City's Notice of Tenant Rights within 1 business day. The landlord may hand-deliver it, attach it to the inside or outside of the main entry door, or send it by text, email, overnight courier or USPS mail. The City form explains that a notice to vacate is not an eviction and lists resources. The rule does not apply to notices to vacate for reasons other than non-payment of rent or fees. A first violation gets a warning. Later violations can bring a fine of up to $500 through an administrative hearing. Complaints must be made within 90 days, and the ordinance creates no private right to sue.; Fair housing (local protected classes): San Antonio's Non-Discrimination Ordinance covers housing within city limits. Beyond federal classes, it adds sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status and age. Source of income is not a general protected class. However, the separate SOIP for Veterans Ordinance bars landlords from denying a veteran applicant, or ending a veteran's tenancy, solely because the veteran uses a housing voucher. Non-veteran voucher holders can file a complaint only if the property received City financial support or incentives. Housing complaints, including SOIP complaints, must be filed within 30 days with the City Clerk, online or in person (210-207-8911).; Rental registration/inspection: Proactive Apartment Inspections Program: an apartment complex with 5 or more units must join a City registry if it gets three designated property-maintenance citations within a rolling six months, or if the Building Standards Board orders it. Enrolled properties pay $200 per unit per year. They get monthly inspections of up to 5% of their units and stay on the registry for at least six months. To leave the registry, a property must have fewer than two citations in six consecutive months and correct all violations. It then stays on probation for four years, and a property that re-enters stays on the registry for a full year.; Habitability/code enforcement & complaint line: Report substandard housing and property maintenance code violations to Development Services Code Enforcement: call 3-1-1 or 210-207-6000, or use the online 311 form. You can also go in person to 1901 S. Alamo St.
← All Texas landlord-tenant rules
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.