LicensedRental

Fulton County, Georgia

Roswell, GA vacation rental requirements

Since June 2025 Roswell requires an occupational tax certificate for every short-term rental and a fire marshal inspection before you list and every year after. Stays pay 7.75% sales tax plus the city’s 8% hotel-motel tax.

Checked against official sources November 6, 2026

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City license
Occupational tax certificate
Not issued for a property that violates the Unified Development Code.Source
Inspection
Fire marshal, before listing and yearly
Contact
Owner or agent on call 24 hours
On every day guests are there.Source
Taxes
7.75% sales + 8% hotel-motel + $5/night

Fines start at $500 for a first violation in 12 months and $1,000 for a second; a third revokes the certificate for 2 years.

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.

Fulton County, Georgia

  1. Find your city

    Nearly every Fulton address is inside a city, and each city sets its own permit, zoning, and hotel-motel tax rules. Check your city on your property tax bill, then pick it below.

  2. Know what the platform collects

    Airbnb collects state and local sales tax, the $5 state fee, and the city hotel-motel tax on its bookings. For direct bookings you file them yourself.Source

City of Roswell

  1. Check your zoning

    The city won’t issue a certificate for a property used in violation of its Unified Development Code. Ask Roswell Planning whether your address allows a short-term rental.Source

  2. Get the occupational tax certificate

    Apply in the owner’s name, list any manager or booking agency, and post the certificate inside the unit.Source

  3. Pass the fire marshal inspection

    The Roswell fire marshal inspects before the first guest and every year after. Occupancy follows NFPA 101, and your ads must state the limit.Source

  4. Taxes on each stay

    Stays here owe 7.75% 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. Roswell’s hotel-motel tax is 8%. For direct bookings, file it with the city.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.