LicensedRental

DeKalb County, Georgia

Pine Lake, GA vacation rental requirements

Pine Lake allows short-term rentals only with a special use permit in its R-1 or transitional commercial areas, and caps them at 20 lots citywide. You then need a yearly license ($100 application). Guests are limited to 8.

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
Special use permit, R-1 or C transitional only
Cap
20 lots citywide
One lot per owner; up to a house and one ADU per lot.Source
License
$100 application, renewed yearly
Due January 1; 10% penalty if not paid by May 1.Source
Maximum guests
8

Your agent must live in DeKalb, Gwinnett, Fulton, Cobb, Rockdale, or Clayton County whenever guests are there.

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.

DeKalb County, Georgia

  1. Find out who governs your address

    DeKalb’s county license covers only unincorporated areas. If you are in a city, that city’s rules and hotel-motel tax apply instead. Pick your area below.

  2. Know what the platform collects

    Airbnb collects state and local sales tax, the $5 state fee, and the local hotel-motel tax on its bookings.Source

City of Pine Lake

  1. Get a special use permit

    Apply for the special use permit first; it lapses if you don’t get a license and start renting within 12 months.Source

  2. Apply for the license

    Apply to the city manager with the $100 fee once any past-due city or county bills are paid. Post the permit, license number, agent contact, occupancy, and house rules inside. No signs.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. Pine Lake isn’t on the state’s hotel-motel tax list; ask the city what lodging tax applies and where to file it.

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.