Houston County, GA Building Safety: Carbon Monoxide Detectors (2026)
Key Facts
- Requirement
- Working CO detector in every bedroom/floor (§19-24(a)(1))
- Scope
- Short-term rentals only, effective July 1, 2025
- Certification
- Owner must affirm compliance (§19-27(a)(12))
- First offense fine
- $250.00 (§19-30)
- Repeat offense fine
- $500 then $1,000 (§19-30)
- Certificate risk
- Suspension/revocation after 3 violations/yr (§19-31)
Summary
Every short-term rental in unincorporated Houston County must have working carbon monoxide detectors in each bedroom and on every habitable floor, under Sec. 19-24(a)(1) of the county's short-term rental standards, adopted by Ordinance No. 2025-001 on May 20, 2025. The same rule requires a working smoke detector alongside the CO detector in each location.
Short-term rentals, as defined in section 19-22, shall be subject to the following general requirements in addition to the zoning district regulations for the zoning district in which the short-term rental is located:(a)Short-term rentals shall meet all applicable building, health, fire, and related safety codes at all times. Each short-term rental shall also have:(1)Working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in every bedroom and on all habitable floors;
Full Breakdown
Sec. 19-24, part of Article III's short-term rental standards adopted by Ordinance No. " The same detector requirement is repeated as a certification the owner or managing agent must affirm when applying: Sec. 19-27(a)(12) requires the applicant to "affirm that the short-term rental has an operable fire extinguisher in every dwelling unit being used as a short-term rental and working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in every bedroom and on all habitable floors thereof" before the county's financial director issues an accommodation excise tax certificate.
That certificate, required by Sec. 00 if filed after. Sec. 19-24 sits alongside separate short-term-rental rules on parking, occupancy hours, a required 24-hour local point of contact, and posted emergency notices at the front door.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 19-30 makes any violation of the short-term rental article, including missing carbon monoxide detectors, an offense enforceable against the accommodation excise tax certificate holder: $250.00 for a first offense within a rolling 12-month period, $500.00 for a second, and $1,000.00 for a third or later offense. Sec. 19-31 lets the director of administration also suspend or revoke the certificate once a property accumulates three violations of the article in 12 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are carbon monoxide detectors required in Houston County short-term rentals?
What happens if a short-term rental doesn't have the required detectors?
Does the county require this for every rental, or just short-term ones?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Houston County
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