McKinney City Council approves annual short-term rental registration ordinance

The McKinney City Council voted March 3, 2026 to adopt Ordinance No. 2026-03-022 (Legistar File 26-0166), amending Chapter 54 of the city code to add Article VII and mandate annual registration for all short-term rentals within the city’s corporate limits. The ordinance passage creates a citywide registry requirement that city staff say is intended to improve identification and responsiveness to problems tied to short-term rental properties.

City staff summarized the program in the Legistar item: "The proposed STR registration program requires each STR in McKinney to register with the City annually. The proposed registration is free of charge and requires the STR owner to provide 24-hour contact information for a responsible party who can respond to concerns about the STR." The item further states the intent is "to help identify the existence, location, ownership, management, and designated contacts for short-term rentals and to assist in the investigation of incidents involving criminal conduct or public nuisances related to said short-term rentals."

Administration of the new registration falls to the Development Services Department, which is listed on the Legistar cover sheet as the responsible department. Michael Quint is named as Executive Director of Development Services and as the contact for the file. The Legistar cover sheet links the ordinance to the City Council goal "Operational Excellence (2.2: Continuously provide a high level of customer service to our citizens)," reflecting staff framing of the change as an administrative tool for city response.

Council history on short-term rentals stretches back more than a decade in city records. Legistar notes McKinney first discussed STRs at a City Council work session in January 2016, when council direction focused on monitoring the industry and legal developments and addressing impacts "including, but not limited to noise, trash/debris, and parking." The file also records that the City Council requested creation of a registration program in November 2024, leading to the ordinance adopted March 3, 2026.

The legal notice for Ordinance No. 2026-03-022, certified by City Secretary Empress Drane, lists standard legislative provisions including "providing a penalty; providing for the repeal of conflicting ordinances; providing a severability clause; and providing for an effective date." The published excerpts do not include the penalty amount, the ordinance’s effective date, the full text of Article VII, or the Council roll-call vote tally; the legal-notice certification text is truncated in the available copy.

For short-term rental operators in McKinney, the immediate, explicit requirements in the adopted language are annual registration, no registration fee, and designation of a 24-hour responsible contact. The city has not published the registration portal, implementation timeline, or whether the registry will be publicly searchable; the Legistar file number to reference for the complete ordinance is 26-0166 and Development Services contact Michael Quint is listed as the administrative point of contact.