LicensedRental

Candler County, Georgia

Metter, GA vacation rental requirements

Metter issues short-term rental permits only to owners with a homestead exemption in the city, allows at most two rentals per owner, and issues no more than 100 permits a year. The permit is $250 for your own home and $1,000 for a second unit. Stays pay 9% sales tax plus the city’s 7% hotel-motel tax.

Checked against official sources November 6, 2026

Download checklist (PDF)Free. A printable version of this guide to tick off, with the official sources.

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Who can apply
Owner-occupiers only
You need a current Candler County homestead exemption on a parcel in Metter.Source
Permit fee
$250 or $1,000
$250 for your primary residence; $1,000 for a second unit. Nonrefundable, yearly.Source
Cap
100 permits a year
Renewals go first; new applications in the order received.Source
Taxes
9% sales + 7% hotel-motel + $5/night

Two or more code citations in the past year can cost you the permit, and three in five years can bar you from getting one.

Your licensing checklist

In order: the state, the county, then the town.

State of Georgia

  1. Know what the platform collects

    Airbnb collects state and local sales tax, the $5-a-night state hotel-motel fee, and the local hotel-motel tax on its Georgia bookings. Ask any other platform what it collects, and keep records either way.Source

  2. Register for direct bookings

    If guests book and pay you directly, register for sales tax with the Georgia Tax Center and file the local hotel-motel tax with your city or county. If your city or county requires a business license or occupation tax for the rental, the DOR treats you as an innkeeper and you also owe the $5 state fee on direct bookings.Source

    Georgia Tax Center →

  3. Check your city or county

    Most of the rules are local: short-term rental permits, business licenses (occupation tax), zoning limits, and caps. Some cities ban rentals in residential zones. Pick your area.

Candler County, Georgia

  1. Then your city or area

    Permits, zoning, and the hotel-motel tax are set by each city, and by the county outside city limits. Pick your area.

City of Metter

  1. Apply to the city clerk

    Apply each year with your homestead exemption and a current water bill, a 24-hour agent, parking, the URLs of your listings, HOA permission if any, and proof you sent certified-mail notice to each adjacent property.Source

  2. Taxes on each stay

    Stays here owe 9% sales tax, the local hotel-motel tax, and the $5-a-night state fee. Airbnb collects all three on its bookings. For direct bookings, file sales tax (and the $5 fee, if you need a local license) with the Georgia Tax Center. Metter’s hotel-motel tax is 7% (DCA report). For direct bookings, file it with the City of Metter.Source

House rules for guests

Permit number
On every listing
Source

Sources

A plain-language summary to help you prepare, not legal advice. Rules and fees change; confirm with the office before you apply. Spot something out of date? Email hello@licensedrental.com.