Walker County, Georgia
Rossville, GA vacation rental requirements
Rossville requires a city business tax certificate and a short-term vacation rental certificate ($25 a year) for each rental of 14 days or less. You notify adjacent owners before your first certificate, and your agent must reach the property within 2 hours.
Checked against official sources November 6, 2026Download checklist (PDF)Free. A printable version of this guide to tick off, with the official sources.
The code says yearly renewals for parcels that already had a certificate “are subject to denial.” Ask City Hall how renewals work.
Fines are $500, $750, then $1,000 within 12 months.
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.
Walker County, Georgia
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 Rossville
Apply at City Hall
Apply under oath with an owner’s affidavit, your guest rental agreement (posted in the unit), proof of ownership and insurance for short-term rental use, and your agent’s signed agreement.Source
Notify adjacent owners
Before the first certificate, send adjacent owners the address, parking, maximum occupancy, your rental agreement, and your agent’s contact, and give the city proof.Source
Post the certificate
Post it with your agent’s contact, the certificate number, maximum occupancy and vehicles, the noise ordinance, the location of the fire extinguisher, first aid kit, and smoke detectors, and a map of exits.Source
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. Rossville charges a 7% hotel-motel tax; file it with the City of Rossville.Source
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 Rossville (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.