Short-Term Rentals in Cherokee County, GA (2026)
3 rules for unincorporated Cherokee County, Georgia.
Verified from official government sources
Short-Term Rental Permits
No one may rent out a home in unincorporated Cherokee County as a short-term rental without an annual certificate from the Development Services Center; the county reviews applications within seven business days and can deny them for tax delinquency, complaint history or code violations.
Cherokee County Short-Term Rental Certificate
Significant RestrictionsCherokee County Code of Ordinances § 18-383(a), (b)
Short-term rental certificate required. No person shall rent, lease or otherwise exchange for compensation all or any portion of a residential dwelling unit as a short-term rental, as defined in this division, without first obtaining a short-term rental certificate pursuant to the regulations contained herein. No certificate issued under this division may be transferred or assigned or used by a...
Taxes & Fees
Short-term rental owners in Cherokee County must collect and remit an 8 percent excise tax on gross rent from every guest, on top of the annual short-term rental certificate fee, with the tax revenue split between the general fund, tourism promotion and tourism-related projects.
Cherokee County Short-Term Rental Lodging Tax
Some RestrictionsCherokee County Code of Ordinances §§ 18-384(a), 54-68(b)
The owner shall collect and remit lodging excise taxes as required by article III of chapter 54 of the Cherokee County Code of Ordinances and the official code of the State of Georgia...There is hereby set and levied on the occupant of a guest room of any hotel located within the special district a tax in the amount of eight percent of the gross rent for such occupancy.
Occupancy Limits
Cherokee County caps overnight guests at a licensed short-term rental to two per bedroom, and total occupancy, including day guests, cannot exceed 16 people on the property, with children ten and under excluded from the count.
Cherokee County Short-Term Rental Occupancy Cap
Some RestrictionsCherokee County Code of Ordinances § 18-383(d)(7)
Occupancy limitation. The number of occupants shall not exceed two persons per bedroom as overnight guests, and in no case shall rental occupancy, including day guests, exceed 16 persons total on the property. Children ten years of age and under do not count toward these occupancy limits.
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