LicensedRental

Chatham County, Georgia

Pooler, GA vacation rental requirements

Pooler requires a yearly short-term rental certificate and a business license, and won’t issue a new certificate within 500 feet of a licensed rental. Stays are capped at 27 nights. Stays pay 7% sales tax plus Pooler’s 6% 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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City certificate
Required, yearly
Plus a business license for property management (or a copy of one from elsewhere). Fee set by the city’s fee schedule.Source
Spacing
500 feet
Measured property line to property line from the nearest licensed rental. One certificate per property.Source
Stay length
1 to 27 nights
Taxes
7% sales + 6% hotel-motel + $5/night

Certificates expire December 3 and renewals open December 1, first come, first served. They don’t transfer to a new owner.

Fines are $500, $750, and $1,000 for violations within 12 months; three violations in a year bring a suspension hearing.

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.

Chatham 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 Pooler

  1. Check spacing and parking

    Make sure no licensed rental is within 500 feet. Guests must park off the street: one space for every three adults for a whole-home rental, or one extra space if you live there and rent part of it.Source

  2. Apply for the certificate

    Submit a notarized application and code compliance affidavit with floor plans showing sleeping rooms, a parking site plan, an exemplar rental agreement, proof of ownership, insurance covering short-term rental use, written notice to adjacent single-family owners, and your agent’s certification. Owners who live outside Georgia must use a Georgia-licensed broker.Source

  3. Taxes on each stay

    Stays here owe 7% 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. Pooler’s hotel-motel tax is 6% (DCA report). For direct bookings, file it with the City of Pooler.Source

House rules for guests

One rental contract
Per night
Source
Events
Not allowed
Source
Safety
Two exits per bedroom, interconnected smoke alarms, extinguisher on each floor
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.