LicensedRental

Rabun County, Georgia

Clayton, GA vacation rental requirements

Clayton requires a city occupational license for each short-term rental ($150 to start, $100 a year), a yearly fire and life safety inspection, and a local contact who can be on site within an hour. Daytime visitors are capped at 20 on top of overnight guests, and no more than 30 people total.

Checked against official sources November 6, 2026

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City license
$150 first year, $100 renewal
Expires December 31; renew by the second Tuesday in December or start over.Source
Inspection
Fire and life safety, every year
Local contact
On site within 1 hour, 24/7
A manager serving as contact must live within 25 miles.Source
Maximum guests
Bedroom standard + 2
50 square feet per occupant per bedroom, beds, and egress; daytime visitors up to 20 more, 30 total.Source
Taxes
8% sales tax + 5% hotel-motel tax + $5/night

Rent to a named responsible person and keep a copy of their ID and a signed acknowledgment for a year.

A rental unused for 7 consecutive months loses its license.

Changing your local contact means a revised license ($25).

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.

Rabun County, Georgia

  1. Then your city or area

    Permits, zoning, and the hotel-motel tax depend on whether you’re inside a city. Pick your area.

City of Clayton

  1. Get the code compliance form

    The zoning administrator certifies that extinguishers, detectors, and egress meet the city’s fire and safety codes. Every bedroom needs a smoke detector and an operable window or door to the outside; add CO detectors if any fuel-burning appliance is present.Source

  2. Apply for the occupational license

    Include the parcel number, all owners, your local contact, bedrooms and square footage, a health department approval if required, and proof of insurance with a short-term rental rider.Source

  3. Post the notice and evacuation diagrams

    Post the city’s notice by the front door or kitchen (contact, nearest hospital, maximum guests and vehicles with a parking sketch, quiet hours). Permanently mount an evacuation diagram on every floor showing exits, extinguishers, a north arrow, and a gathering spot.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. Clayton charges a 5% hotel-motel tax; report and pay it to the city clerk by the 20th of each month.Source

House rules for guests

Quiet hours
10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Source
Vehicles
Up to 2 per bedroom
No parking on road rights of way; keep a vehicle log.Source
No camping
No tents or occupied RVs on the property
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.