Short-Term Rentals in Walton County, GA (2026)
6 rules for unincorporated Walton County, Georgia.
Verified from official government sources
Short-Term Rental Permits
Unincorporated Walton County requires every Short Term Rental to hold an annual Short Term Rental License issued as an Occupational Tax Certificate. The license runs one calendar year, never renews automatically, and terminates the moment the property changes hands, so a new owner must apply again before renting.
Walton County Short-Term Rental License Rule
Some RestrictionsWalton County Land Development Ordinance § 6-1-840(D)
All Short Term Rentals require an annual Short Term Rental License, in the form of an Occupational Tax Certificate. Short Term Rental Licenses are good for one (1) calendar year. ... Short Term Rental Licenses shall not renew, and an applicant must re-apply each year to continue operating as a Short Term Rental. Short Term Rental Licenses are non-transferable, and such licenses automatically te...
Taxes & Fees
Unincorporated Walton County does not set a fixed dollar figure for Short Term Rental licenses in its ordinance text; instead, Section 6-1-840(D) of the Land Development Ordinance requires every applicant to pay whatever license fee the Board of Commissioners has set, in full, every year, with no proration for partial-year operation.
Walton County STR License Fee Rule
Some RestrictionsWalton County Land Development Ordinance § 6-1-840(D)
An applicant must apply each year and pay the license fee set by the Board of Commissioners. The license fee may not be pro-rated.
Short-Term Rental Parking Rules
In unincorporated Walton County, every Short Term Rental must provide one paved off-street parking space per bedroom, each at least nine feet wide and twenty feet long. The Land Development Ordinance caps guest vehicles at the number of available spaces and limits daily vehicle trips to ten, with trailers, boats and RVs each counted separately.
Walton County Short-Term Rental Parking Rules
Some RestrictionsWalton County Land Development Ordinance § 6-1-840(C)
•Parking: Off street parking is required for every Short Term Rental. One (1) paved off-street parking space is required per room qualifying as a bedroom for Short Term Rentals. To qualify as a parking space, the minimum dimensional requirements must include a useable rectangular area of nine (9) feet wide by twenty (20) feet long, exclusive of any other area counted as a parking space. The num...
Night Caps
Unincorporated Walton County caps a licensed short-term rental at fifty-two seven-day bookings per calendar year. LDO Section 6-1-840(B) also blocks back-to-back or overlapping bookings within the same seven-day period.
Walton County Short-Term Rental Annual Cap
Significant RestrictionsWalton County Land Development Ordinance § 6-1-840(B)
The maximum time period a Short Term Rental may be rented is seven (7) days, and the maximum number of such seven-day rentals in a calendar year is fifty-two (52). No Short Term Rental may be rented more than once during the same seven-day period, and seven-day rental periods shall not overlap.
Host Presence Rule
Every licensed short-term rental in unincorporated Walton County must have a local property manager available 24 hours a day. LDO Section 6-1-840(C) requires that contact's name and number be filed with three county agencies and neighbors within 300 feet.
Walton County STR Local Contact Requirement
Significant RestrictionsWalton County Land Development Ordinance § 6-1-840(C)
Property Manager or Local Contact Person: All Short Term Rentals shall designate a local property manager. The local property manager shall be available twenty-four (24) hours a day to respond to tenant and neighborhood questions or concerns. Where a property owner lives within the same community as the Short Term Rental, the property owner may designate him/herself as the local contact person....
Repeat Violator Strikes
Unincorporated Walton County can revoke a Short Term Rental License if the Sheriff's Office cannot reach the property's required local contact person more than three times within any six-month period, a strike-style enforcement tool built into Section 6-1-840(F) of the Land Development Ordinance.
Walton County STR Contact Unreachable Rule
Some RestrictionsWalton County Land Development Ordinance § 6-1-840(F)
The use of property in violation of the provisions of this Article shall constitute a violation of this Ordinance, and the penalties shall be in accordance with Article 15 of the Walton County Zoning Ordinance. Additionally, any violation of this Article may result in the revocation of any Short Term Rental License issued hereunder. If the property manager or local contact person is not able to...
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