Gwinnett County, Georgia
Snellville, GA vacation rental requirements
Snellville allows short-term rentals in every zoning district but requires a separate city business license for each one, plus a city hotel-motel tax registration and a state sales tax number. Guests are capped at 2 per bedroom, with up to 6 daytime visitors.
Checked against official sources November 6, 2026Download checklist (PDF)Free. A printable version of this guide to tick off, with the official sources.
Penalties: a warning, then up to $500, then up to $1,000 and suspension, then revocation (all within 12 months). Operating without a license: $1,000.
Homes for more than 10 overnight guests must meet commercial life safety codes.
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.
Gwinnett County, Georgia
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 Snellville
Register for taxes first
The license application needs your city hotel-motel tax registration certificate and a Georgia sales tax number from the DOR.Source
Apply for the business license
List bedrooms, square footage, and maximum guests; sign the code compliance form for bedrooms (escape window at least 5.7 sq ft, 8-foot ceilings); and include a diagram or photo of the paved parking spaces. Landscaped areas don’t count.Source
Post the notice by the front door
Show the local contact’s 24-hour number, maximum guests and vehicles with a parking sketch, daytime visitor limit, trash day, and noise rules. Post the license and conditions inside.Source
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. File the City of Snellville’s 8% hotel-motel tax with the city; failing to remit it is grounds to revoke the license.Source
Inspection checklist
What the inspector looks for, from City of Snellville’s published checklist.
- Interconnected, hard-wired smoke alarm system, working at all times
- An escape window or door in every bedroom
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 · City of Snellville (Municode)
- 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.