LicensedRental

Henry County, Georgia

Unincorporated Henry County, GA vacation rental requirements

In unincorporated Henry County, every short-term rental in a residential zone needs a county occupational tax certificate, a building inspector’s affidavit, and a local contact within 20 miles. Parties are banned and every ad must say so.

Checked against official sources November 6, 2026

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County certificate
$60 administrative fee + tax
Plus the gross-receipts rate class and any inspection fees. Valid one year.Source
Local contact
Within 20 miles
If you travel or can’t respond.Source
Parking
One car per bedroom
Or what the garage, carport, and driveway hold; hard surface or gravel, off the street.Source
Taxes
8% sales tax + 5% hotel-motel tax + $5/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.

Henry County, Georgia

  1. Then your city or area

    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.

Henry County (unincorporated areas)

  1. Get an inspector’s affidavit

    A licensed building inspector must sign an affidavit that the home meets building and life safety codes. The county may also inspect.Source

  2. Apply for the occupational tax certificate

    List bedrooms and square footage, and include written HOA approval if your subdivision has an active HOA. One certificate covers up to three units.Source

  3. Notify neighbors

    Give your managing agent’s or local contact’s name, address, and phone to all owners within 300 feet. If it changes, send certified mail to owners within 100 feet within 10 days.Source

  4. Follow the operating rules

    Post the contact, maximum guests and vehicles, and noise and parking rules inside. Keep a guest register with names, addresses, phones, and license plates. Every ad must say the home can’t be used as a party venue.Source

  5. 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. Operating without paying the hotel-motel tax is a violation. For direct bookings, file Henry County’s 5% hotel-motel tax with the county.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.