Vacation rentals in Chihuahua, Mexico, from Ciudad Juárez to the sierra, with a tax the platform should withhold and doesn't
If you manage vacation rentals in Chihuahua, the state charges a 4% lodging tax. In April 2024 the state congress voted to make platforms withhold it, but in July 2025 a tax specialist from the Chihuahua academy of tax studies wrote that Airbnb wasn't doing it, and BNBCalc said the same in July 2026. Until that changes, the host charges and files it. AirROI counts 3,180 listings in the state, at 33% occupancy. Upbridge's AI operations assistant, Cleo, works over WhatsApp with vacation rental operators and cleaning companies and organizes the cleanings and the inventory for each place.
The rules here
We didn't read the state Revenue Law or the state gazette, so each row says which report or guide it comes from. Checked on October 24, 2026.
| Topic | What it says | Status | Since | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lodging tax | It's 4% of what you charge for the stay, not counting food, other services or VAT, filed in the first 15 days of the following month. Per BNBCalc, three of every four points go to a state tourism promotion trust and the other one to tourism infrastructure. | In force | No date in the sources | El Contribuyente and BNBCalc |
| Platform withholding | On April 17, 2024, with 25 votes, the state congress passed a Tourism Law reform that requires digital platforms to calculate and withhold the lodging tax. In July 2025, according to the ACHEF tax column in Puente Libre, Airbnb wasn't withholding it at booking, and in July 2026 BNBCalc said it still wasn't in Chihuahua. | In force, not enforced | Reform passed April 17, 2024 | Tiempo and Puente Libre |
| State tourism register | The same reform asks anyone renting a non-hotel property through a platform to sign up with the tourism department's state register and to make sure the home isn't used for activities that disturb public order. BNBCalc found no fee for signing up. | In force | 2024 | Tiempo and BNBCalc |
| License in the capital | Chihuahua city has no license built for short-term rentals. A formal lodging business goes through the land-use and operating licenses, and BNBCalc found no office that checks listings. | No specific law | Checked July 2026 | BNBCalc |
The federal income tax and VAT withholding is done by the platform, and it's the same across the country. We explain it on the Mexico page.
This is not legal or tax advice, and Upbridge does not file anything for you: no registrations and no tax returns.
How it works on the ground
Chihuahua is a border state and a mountain state, and AirROI shows it in two calendars. Ciudad Juárez, with 1,186 listings, is the biggest market, at 38% occupancy, with June as its best month, six-night stays and 42% of guests from abroad. In the capital, Delicias, Parral and Cuauhtémoc the best month is July, and in Creel it's December.
Holy Week fills the state. In the first week of 2025, April 12 to 20, about 250,000 people stayed overnight, 6% to 7% more than a year earlier, with hotel occupancy at 75% to 80% across the state, according to the state tourism department. Another 460,000 visitors made day trips to places like Las Perlas del Conchos, Aldama or Parque Barrancas.
In Chihuahua city, AirROI counts 379 listings at 30% occupancy, booked 13 days ahead. None shows a registration or permit number. The 2026 Santa Rita Fair ran from May 14 to 31, with an open-air stage and a cockfighting arena.
The capital's airport handled 1,956,463 passengers in 2025, 5.7% more than in 2024, and Ciudad Juárez's handled 2,132,786, per OMA. For 2026, the director of economic development and competitiveness, José Jordán, told Tiempo that cumulative hotel occupancy was running about 7% above the year before.
Where Upbridge fits
Since you still file the 4% yourself, every month you need to know which nights you charged and through which channel. We connect Guesty, Hostaway, Lodgify or Uplisting, or your iCal, and each checkout becomes a cleaning tied to its booking, so one calendar shows which nights were booked each month and where each booking came from.
In Ciudad Juárez more than four guests in ten come from abroad, so the guest guide comes in Spanish and English, with how to get there, how to get in and who to message. We build it and the guest opens it on their phone.
Before Holy Week, the inventory for each property warns you in the app, by email and on WhatsApp when something is about to run out, so the busiest week of the year doesn't catch you without toilet paper or soap.
If you manage vacation rentals or clean homes in Chihuahua, in Ciudad Juárez, in the capital or up in the sierra, Upbridge helps with the work between one booking and the next.
If you run a cleaning company in Chihuahua
Your calendar changes by city, because Juárez fills in June, the capital in July and the sierra in December. The cleaning company account brings every client's checkouts into one calendar, each from its own iCal or PMS, so you can see early which week brings the most work. Your clients stay yours, and we don't keep a percentage of any cleaning.
Cities and areas
Creel and Copper Canyon
AirROI counts 206 listings in Creel, at 19% occupancy with December as the best month. Its page covers the Chepe Express, the snow and the cabins.
Ciudad Juárez
The state's biggest market, with 1,186 listings per AirROI, six-night stays and 42% of guests from abroad.
Chihuahua city
It has 379 listings, July as its best month and February as its worst, and the Santa Rita Fair in May.
Delicias, Parral and Cuauhtémoc
AirROI counts 139 listings in Delicias, 156 in Hidalgo del Parral and 86 in Cuauhtémoc, all with July as the best month.
Other states
Sonora and Sinaloa border Chihuahua, and the Chepe Express starts in Los Mochis, Sinaloa.
Questions about running rentals in Chihuahua
Does Airbnb withhold the lodging tax in Chihuahua?
The Tourism Law reform passed in April 2024 requires it to, but in July 2025 the Chihuahua academy of tax studies wrote that Airbnb wasn't withholding it, and BNBCalc said the same in July 2026. Until that changes, the host adds the 4% and files it.
Does an Airbnb home in Chihuahua have to be in the state tourism register?
Yes. According to Tiempo, the April 2024 reform asks anyone renting a non-hotel property through a platform to sign up with the tourism department's register. BNBCalc found no fee for it.
How many tourists stayed in Chihuahua over Holy Week 2025?
About 250,000 from April 12 to 20, 6% to 7% more than in 2024, with hotel occupancy at 75% to 80%, according to the state tourism department.
Sources
Checked on October 24, 2026
- El Contribuyente, 2026 table of each state's lodging tax rate and filing deadline, accessed October 24, 2026.
- BNBCalc, Jeremy Werden, short-term rental regulation guide for Chihuahua, updated August 24, 2026.
- Tiempo, "¿Impuesto si tienes Airbnb? Aprueba Congreso reforma en Chihuahua", April 17, 2024.
- Puente Libre, Marcela Gardea García (ACHEF), tax column on the Airbnb lodging tax in Chihuahua, July 19, 2025.
- State of Chihuahua, "Registró Chihuahua cerca de 250 mil turistas noche durante la Semana Mayor", April 2025.
- State of Chihuahua, "Inauguran la edición 2026 de la tradicional Feria de Santa Rita en Chihuahua", May 2026.
- OMA, fourth-quarter 2025 report with passenger traffic by airport, February 23, 2026.
- Tiempo, María Fernanda Ibarvo Romo, report on hotel occupancy and tourism spending in Chihuahua through August 2026, September 29, 2026.
- AirROI, Airbnb markets across the state of Chihuahua, twelve months to September 2026, data as of October 1, 2026.
- AirROI, Airbnb market in Chihuahua city, twelve months to September 2026, data as of October 1, 2026.