6 rules for unincorporated Forsyth County, Georgia.
Verified from official government sources
Forsyth County allows short-term rentals only in Agricultural (A1) and Ag-Res zoning, and only with a conditional use permit plus an annual $250 county STR license under Ordinance No. 129. STRs are effectively barred from standard residential subdivisions.
Forsyth County short-term rental guests must obey the county noise ordinance, Code Chapter 34, Article IV. Under Ordinance No. 129, guest noise violations count against the STR license and can trigger suspension or revocation.
Forsyth County, GA, Code of Ordinances § 34-153
No person shall permit, operate or cause any source of sound to create a sound level in a residential zone or within any residential building during the hours between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. in excess of 70 dB(A) or ten dB(A) above ambient levels (whichever is more), when measured at or outside the property boundary. The operation of a radio, phonograph, or other machine or device between the ...
Forsyth County short-term rentals owe an 8% county hotel/motel excise tax on the rent, plus Georgia's 4% state sales tax and roughly 3% local sales tax. Platforms like Airbnb collect much of it; the $250 STR license is separate.
Forsyth County, GA, Code of Ordinances ch. 22 (Hotel/Motel Excise Tax); Ord. No. 86
There shall be paid a tax of eight percent (8%) of the rent for every occupancy of a guest room in a hotel, motel, inn, lodge, tourist camp, tourist cabin, or campground in Forsyth County.
Forsyth County caps short-term rental parking at one vehicle per bedroom, or the property's actual paved capacity, whichever the site allows. Guests may not park on lawns, yards, or county rights-of-way under Ordinance No. 129.
Forsyth County limits short-term rental occupancy to two persons per bedroom plus two more per residence, and never more than 15 overnight guests total, under Ordinance No. 129. The cap must be posted in the listing and inside the home.
Forsyth County, GA, Code of Ordinances § 22-267 (Ord. No. 129)
The number of overnight occupants shall not exceed two persons per bedroom plus two additional persons per residence, but in no case shall rental occupancy exceed 15 overnight persons total.
Forsyth County requires short-term rental applicants to show proof of an appropriate insurance policy as part of licensing under Ordinance No. 129, but the county sets no specific coverage dollar minimum. Georgia imposes no statewide STR insurance mandate.
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