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Texas · reviewed September 2026

Seasonal RV site agreements in Texas

What Texas law says about seasonal and annual RV guests, sub-metered electricity, sales tax and online signatures — and the clauses your agreement should carry because of it. Written for park owners, not lawyers.

Guest or tenant?Chapter 94 applies only to lots leased for a 'manufactured home' and expressly excludes other personal property used for habitation, so RV sites fall outside it.
Metered electricTexas expressly allows RV park owners to submeter and resell electricity: under Utilities Code ch. 184, subch.
Sales / lodging taxState hotel occupancy tax is imposed on 'hotels' as defined in Tax Code 156.001 (hotels, motels, tourist homes/courts, lodging houses, inns, rooming houses, B&Bs); the Comptroller's guidance does not list RV parks/campsites, and RV site rentals are generally treated as outside the state hotel tax.
Signing onlineUniform Electronic Transactions Act (Tex. Bus. & Com. Code ch. 322)

Short version. Details, citations and sources are below.

Is a seasonal guest a tenant in Texas?

Chapter 94 applies only to lots leased for a 'manufactured home' and expressly excludes other personal property used for habitation, so RV sites fall outside it. The Attorney General (KP-0222) concluded an RV park guest has no fixed status: the written agreement decides whether the person is a licensee (revocable permission, can be asked to leave on reasonable notice) or a tenant (exclusive possession of a definite site, must be evicted through court). Long-term seasonal agreements that give exclusive possession of a specific site look like tenancies.

What that means for notices and removal

If the occupant is a tenant, Texas requires a written 3-day notice to vacate (unless the agreement sets a different period) and then an eviction suit in Justice Court under Property Code ch. 24 and Tex. R. Civ. P. 510. If the agreement clearly creates only a license, the park may revoke it with reasonable notice and involve law enforcement for trespass; draft the agreement to say which one you intend.

Cite: Tex. Prop. Code 94.001-94.002; Tex. Prop. Code 24.002, 24.005; Tex. Att'y Gen. Op. KP-0222

Sub-metering electricity to RV sites in Texas

Texas expressly allows RV park owners to submeter and resell electricity: under Utilities Code ch. 184, subch. C, the metered sale is not regulated 'electric service' if the electricity is used in an RV in the park, the owner does not recover more over the year than the utility charged for the submetered power (fuel refunds included), the owner keeps a fiscal year and 3 years of bills/charges/consumption records, charges a fixed per-kWh rate computed at the start of each fiscal year (184.034), and refunds any over-collection (184.035). PUC submetering rules in 16 TAC 25.141-.146 (meter accuracy/testing, disclosure) apply to apartment houses, condos and manufactured home communities.

Cite: Tex. Util. Code 184.031-184.035; 16 TAC ch. 25 subch. F (25.141-25.146)

Sales and lodging tax on seasonal sites in Texas

State hotel occupancy tax is imposed on 'hotels' as defined in Tax Code 156.001 (hotels, motels, tourist homes/courts, lodging houses, inns, rooming houses, B&Bs); the Comptroller's guidance does not list RV parks/campsites, and RV site rentals are generally treated as outside the state hotel tax. Where a lodging tax does apply, 'permanent residents' who stay 30+ consecutive days are exempt (156.101). Some cities/counties tax RV parks locally, so check local ordinances.

Cite: Tex. Tax Code 156.001, 156.101; Comptroller Hotel Occupancy Tax FAQ

Signing agreements online in Texas

Uniform Electronic Transactions Act. Electronic signatures are valid for seasonal site agreements when the guest agrees to sign electronically, intends to sign, and the record is kept in a form that can be reproduced and shown not to have changed. Seasonal Sites records the signer’s typed name, email, time, IP address and a SHA-256 fingerprint of the exact text signed, and stores the signed PDF.

Cite: Tex. Bus. & Com. Code ch. 322

Clauses to include in a Texas seasonal agreement

These are added on top of the eleven sections in the free template. Adjust the bracketed parts and have a local attorney read the result.

Recreational use, not a residence"The Site is licensed for recreational use only. The Guest maintains a permanent residence elsewhere at the address above, and the Site is not the Guest’s primary residence. Nothing in this agreement creates a residential tenancy." In this state the line between a recreational guest and a residential tenant is what decides which removal process applies, so say it plainly and keep the guest’s home address on file.
Notice periodMatch the notice periods in your termination section to the ones the state uses (3-day notice appears in the rules summarized above) rather than inventing shorter ones; a shorter contractual notice is not enforceable where the statute sets a floor.
Metered electricityBill metered electricity at your actual utility cost and say so in the agreement; where a state or utility tariff speaks to resale, at-cost pass-through is the safe harbor everywhere we looked.
Term length and taxState the exact term dates; a written agreement with a fixed term is usually the evidence a long-stay tax exemption depends on.
Electronic signature consent"The Guest consents to sign this agreement electronically and to receive invoices, receipts and notices by email at the address above." Keep the signer name, email, date/time, IP address and a fingerprint of the signed text.

Your state association is a good second opinion on all of this: Texas Association of Campground Owners (TACO).

Get the free seasonal site agreement template

Eleven plain-English sections, Word and PDF, with bracketed fields to fill in. Then paste the Texas clauses above into it.

Or skip the paperwork entirely

Seasonal Sites takes this same agreement, fills in each guest’s name, site, rate and dates, emails them a link to sign on their phone, puts the installments on autopay, bills metered electric from your readings, and keeps the signed PDF with the audit record. Renewals for the whole park go out in one click. It works beside whatever reservation system you already use.

Other states

Sources

This page summarizes public sources as of September 2026 for park owners and is not legal or tax advice. Statutes, tariffs and tax rules change; confirm anything you rely on with the agency or an attorney licensed in Texas. Found an error? Email hello@seasonalsites.com.