LicensedRental

Oconee County, Georgia

Unincorporated Oconee County, GA vacation rental requirements

Oconee County allows a short-term rental only as an accessory use in its agricultural and residential zones, and only if the owner lives there and stays overnight while guests are present. You need a yearly license, an annual inspection, and one paved parking space per bedroom.

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
AG, AR-3, AR, R-1, R-2, R-3
Prohibited in all other districts.Source
Owner on site
Required during every stay
License
Yearly, with your occupation tax certificate
Not prorated, doesn’t renew automatically, ends on sale.Source
One booking per 30 days
Outside AG zones
No rental may be rented more than once in the same 30-day period, except on AG-zoned land.Source
Taxes
8% sales + 6% county hotel-motel + $5/night

We didn’t find the license fee amount; it is set by the Board of Commissioners.

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.

Oconee County, Georgia

  1. Then your city or area

    Permits, zoning, and the hotel-motel tax are set by each city, and by the county outside city limits. Pick your area.

Oconee County (unincorporated areas)

  1. Apply with floor plans and a site plan

    Only the owner can apply. Include floor plans drawn to scale marking the guest rooms, a site plan showing the rental and parking, photos, your deed, and the notarized acknowledgement of §352.Source

    Oconee County STR application →

  2. Pass the annual inspection

    The property is inspected every year before the license is issued.Source

  3. Notify the county and neighbors

    Give your name, address, and phone to Planning and Code Enforcement, the Sheriff, the Fire Department, the nearest volunteer fire station, and owners within 300 feet, and post it in the rental.Source

  4. 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. The county’s 6% hotel-motel tax applies outside city limits; file it with Oconee County for direct bookings.Source

Inspection checklist

What the inspector looks for, from Oconee County (unincorporated areas)’s published checklist.

  • One 10-lb ABC fire extinguisher on each level, certified yearly
  • Interconnected smoke detectors in each bedroom and on each level
  • One paved 9-by-19-foot parking space per bedroom

House rules for guests

Vehicles
No more than the parking spaces
Trailers, boats, and RVs count as vehicles.Source
Trash
Up to 3 rolling cans; no dumpsters
Source
Meals
Breakfast only
Source
Guest register
Names, addresses, phones, dates
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.