LicensedRental

Coffee County, Georgia

Douglas, GA vacation rental requirements

Douglas’s zoning lists “Air B&B, VRBO” rentals together with bed and breakfast lodging, allowed only in residential districts. Its bed and breakfast standards require the operator to own and live in the home, with up to 5 guest rooms. Stays also owe the city’s 5% 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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Zoning
Residential districts only
Permitted in R-15, R-12, R-M, R-I, and R-P. Not listed in agricultural, commercial, or industrial districts.Source
Owner occupancy
Operator must own and live there
Under the bed and breakfast standards that the use table points to.Source
Guest rooms
Up to 5
One off-street parking space per guest room.Source
Taxes
8% sales tax + 5% hotel-motel tax + $5/night

We read the use table and the bed and breakfast standards in November 2026. The code doesn’t say outright whether every Airbnb must be owner-occupied; ask the city.

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.

Coffee County, Georgia

  1. Then your city or area

    Pick your area. Outside Douglas, we found no short-term rental use in Coffee County’s code; ask the county about zoning and a business license.Source

City of Douglas

  1. Confirm your rental fits the zoning

    The city’s use table puts Airbnb and VRBO rentals in the same row as bed and breakfast lodging, with supplemental standards. Ask the City of Douglas whether a whole-home rental you don’t live in is allowed at your address before you list.Source

  2. Get a tourist accommodation permit

    The bed and breakfast standards require a tourist accommodation permit from the county health department. Ask the Coffee County Health Department whether it applies to your rental.Source

  3. Taxes on each stay

    Stays here owe 8% 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. Douglas’s 5% hotel-motel tax is filed with the City of Douglas; operators register with the city.Source

House rules for guests

Parking
One off-street space per guest room
Source
Signs
One identification sign, up to 4 sq ft, not lit
Source
Exterior
Keep the home’s single-family look
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.