LicensedRental

Tift County, Georgia

Tifton, GA vacation rental requirements

Tifton’s hotel-motel tax ordinance covers short-term rentals (30 days or less), including homes listed on Airbnb or VRBO. Owners must register with the city clerk and list the platforms they use. Stays owe 8% sales tax and the city’s 7% hotel-motel tax.

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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City registration
Required, no fee stated
Register each rental with the city clerk; the clerk issues a certificate of authority without charge.Source
Zoning permit
None found
Taxes
8% sales tax + 7% hotel-motel tax + $5/night

The ordinance treats a platform like Airbnb as an innkeeper that collects the tax, but you still register your rental with the city.

The tax ordinance applies “within the special district”; ask the city whether your address is inside it.

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.

Tift County, Georgia

  1. Then your city or area

    Pick your area.

City of Tifton

  1. Register with the city clerk

    Give the name you rent under, the address of each rental, and the platforms (such as Airbnb or VRBO) you list on. File an amendment within 15 days if you change platforms or the number or location of your rentals.Source

  2. 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. Tifton’s 7% hotel-motel tax return is due to the city finance director by the 20th of the next month for bookings the platform doesn’t collect.Source

  3. Ask about zoning and a business license

    Ask the City of Tifton whether zoning allows a short-term rental at your address and whether you need a business license (occupation tax certificate). Check your HOA rules too.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.