Cherokee County, Georgia
Unincorporated Cherokee County, GA vacation rental requirements
Outside city limits, Cherokee County requires a yearly short-term rental certificate ($50). Rentals can offer no more than five bedrooms, guests are capped at 2 per bedroom (16 people total), and a local contact must be on site within an hour.
Checked against official sources November 6, 2026Download checklist (PDF)Free. A printable version of this guide to tick off, with the official sources.
The property needs 50 feet of frontage on a county road, or written gate and road access for county enforcement if it’s on a private road.
Your licensing checklist
In order: the state, the county, then the town.
State of Georgia
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
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
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.
Cherokee County, Georgia
Then your city or area
Inside a city, the city’s own hotel-motel tax normally applies instead of the county’s; ask your city to confirm. Pick your area.
Cherokee County (unincorporated areas)
Gather the application
Include proof of ownership and insurance, a sample rental agreement with the county’s required terms, the local contact’s signed certification, parking spaces on the property, and an HOA statement if you’re in one. On septic, get a Health Department evaluation.Source
Apply at the Development Service Center
Submit with the $50 fee. The county reviews within seven business days and issues a certificate number to put in every ad.Source
Post the notice by the front door
Include the owner and local contact with a 24-hour number, nearest hospital, guest and vehicle limits, trash day, quiet hours (11 p.m. to 7 a.m.), and the ban on outdoor amplified sound.Source
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. For direct bookings, file Cherokee County’s 6% hotel-motel tax with the county.Source
Inspection checklist
What the inspector looks for, from Cherokee County (unincorporated areas)’s published checklist.
- Smoke detector in every bedroom, outside each bedroom, and on each story
- Carbon monoxide detector outside the bedrooms
- 5-lb ABC fire extinguisher on each floor
- Escape window or door in every bedroom
- House number visible from the street
House rules for guests
Sources
- Occupancy tax collection and remittance by Airbnb in Georgia · Airbnb
- Rule 560-13-2-.01 amendment notice (2025) · Georgia Department of Revenue
- Code section · Cherokee County (Municode)
- Short-Term Rentals (business licenses) · Cherokee County Development Service Center
- Hotel/motel excise tax rates and revenue report · Georgia Department of Community Affairs
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.