Short-Term Rental Laws in Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta's 2021 STR ordinance (enforcement began 2022) restricts STR to the operator's primary residence with a maximum of 30 days per year of unhosted (non-host-present) rental when operating as a whole-unit STR. Hosted STRs (operator present in the unit during the rental) are uncapped. Operators may license only one additional unit beyond their primary residence for STR use — meaning a single licensee can run their primary + one secondary STR, but no further. This effectively limits citywide investor STR portfolios and is among the more restrictive frameworks in the Southeast.

STR permitted in all residential and commercial zones subject to the primary-residence + 30-day unhosted cap. The 30-day unhosted cap is automatically tracked via the STR license portal. Multi-family + condominium buildings require landlord/HOA written consent. Some Atlanta condo buildings (Buckhead, Midtown, Downtown high-rises) prohibit STR via HOA covenant. The "one additional unit" carve-out means a single operator can hold up to 2 STR licenses (primary + 1 secondary) but no more.

Operators must hold a short-term rental permit before listing. See the official permit portal.

STRs are limited to the operator's primary residence.

Atlanta Office of Zoning + Code Compliance administer with platform data feeds. Operating without a license (or above the 30-day unhosted cap): civil penalties starting at $500 first violation, $1,000+ for repeat violations, daily stacking. License revocation triggers a 12-month bar on reapplication. Annual renewal includes primary-residence re-verification (driver's license, voter registration, utility bills, vehicle registration). The 8% Hotel-Motel Tax is collected monthly via the city's portal; non-remittance triggers license suspension.

Combined short-term lodging tax in Atlanta is approximately 16.000% of gross nightly revenue (state sales + state TRT + local TRT + applicable resort/city options).

GA State sales tax 4% + Fulton/DeKalb County local option 3% + Atlanta Hotel-Motel Tax 8% + GA State $5/night Hotel-Motel Fee + city options — combined ~16.0% effective on transient lodging (plus $5/night flat)

Verify the current combined rate via the Utah State Tax Commission before remitting — rates drift quarterly.