Zoning regulations have been around for nearly a century. They caused a ruckus when they first appeared("Why can the government limit what I do with my personal property?"), but their legality is well-established by the Supreme Court.

Violations of these sort(zoning, not paying property taxes, etc.) attach liens to the property, not the owner or renter. So it can be hard to dodge the consequences if you get fined.

Granted, this argument doesn't apply in Houston, Texas which doesn't have zoning laws. So if the comment you're responding to truly believes his argument, he'd be forced to accept the practice in Houston.