Dunwoody, GA Rental Property Rules: Rental Registration (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- 4+ rental units receiving income in the city
- Prerequisite
- Code compliance certificate before initial occupation tax certificate
- State threshold
- Owner must meet O.C.G.A. § 48-13-5 location test
- New construction
- Exempt in first year if permits were obtained
- Renewal cycle
- Filed annually with the business license renewal
Summary
Dunwoody requires owners of four or more rental units to hold an occupation tax certificate, and the city will not issue one until the owner files a code compliance certificate covering every unit. The requirement functions as the city's rental registration mechanism for multifamily housing.
(1)Occupation tax. All owners of multifamily rental dwellings or multifamily rental units within the city that receive income for use of four or more such dwellings or units and meet the requirements of O.C.G.A. § 48-13-5 for having a location or office within the city (i) shall be subject to an occupation tax as provided in this policy and (ii) shall provide to the city, prior to receiving an initial occupational tax certificate under this policy, a code compliance certificate covering 100 percent of the multifamily rental units within the 12-month period immediately preceding the date of the certification.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 49).
Full Breakdown
Section 8-89(b)(1) makes the multifamily rental habitability program double as Dunwoody's rental registration system. § 48-13-5 threshold for maintaining a location or office in the city, must hold an occupation tax certificate and, before that certificate is issued for the first time, must give the city a code compliance certificate covering 100 percent of the units for the 12 months before certification. New construction and rehabilitation projects are exempt from this requirement during their first year, provided the owner has obtained the proper building permits.
Once the initial certificate is on file, the owner keeps the occupation tax certificate current by filing an annual renewal, and the code compliance certificate required for renewal only has to cover 20 percent of the units that year rather than the full inventory, as long as every unit is inspected at least once every five years. Failure to pay the occupation tax is a violation of the City Code subject to the penalties in chapter 1, and the section is explicit that registering under this article does not excuse an owner from separately complying with the state's minimum standard codes.
Because the registration requirement is tied to the occupation tax certificate rather than a standalone rental license, an owner who is denied or has an occupation tax certificate revoked for another reason cannot lawfully continue renting the affected units.
Violations & Fines
Operating four or more rental units without the required occupation tax certificate, or without filing the code compliance certificate that must accompany it, is a violation of the City Code and is subject to the penalties set out in chapter 1. Failure to pay the occupation tax itself is a separate violation under the same chapter, and the city can pursue both the certificate and tax deficiencies independently.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do all Dunwoody landlords need to register with the city?
Is a brand-new apartment building exempt from registering right away?
What happens if an owner never pays the occupation tax?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dunwoody
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