LicensedRental

Cobb County, Georgia

Kennesaw, GA vacation rental requirements

Since 2025 Kennesaw caps short-term rentals at 150 licenses citywide, allows them only in single-family residential zones, and requires 250 feet between licensed rentals. Each owner can hold two licenses, and the yearly application fee was set at $250.

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 license
Required, yearly
Application fee $250, per the city when it adopted the rules; check the master fee schedule.Source
Cap
150 licenses citywide
Once reached, no new applications that year.Source
Zoning
R-40, R-30, R-20, R-15, R-12, R-10 only
Main house only, no accessory buildings or RVs. 250-foot buffer from other licensed rentals.Source
Per owner
Two licenses at most
Taxes
6% sales tax + 8% hotel-motel tax + $5/night

Rentals operating before January 1, 2025 could register as nonconforming (exempt from the cap on owners and the buffer) by proving earlier operation with tax records.

Fines: $500, then $750 within 12 months; three violations revoke the license for 12 months. Operating without a license: $500 per night.

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.

Cobb County, Georgia

  1. Then your city or area

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

City of Kennesaw

  1. Check eligibility

    Confirm your zoning, that no licensed rental is within 250 feet, and that HOA covenants don’t ban rentals (you’ll need HOA consent if there is one).Source

  2. Apply with the Business License Division

    Include the deed, driver’s licenses for you and your agent, bedroom count and maximum occupancy, parking spaces, proof of liability insurance covering short-term rental use, and the agent’s sworn acknowledgment. Notify owners within 200 feet in writing. The city may inspect.Source

  3. Follow the operating rules

    No events or parties. Guests park only in the garage, carport, or paved driveway, never on the street. Post the license with the agent’s contact, occupancy, and vehicle limits, and put the license number in every ad.Source

  4. Taxes on each stay

    Stays here owe 6% 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 the City of Kennesaw’s 8% hotel-motel tax with the city.Source

House rules for guests

Agent
Must live in Cobb County
24-hour contact; report changes within 5 business days.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.