Bartow County, GA Short-Term Rentals: Host Presence Rule (2026)

Bartow County Code § 18-133, adopted July 12, 2023, sets standards for short-term rentals of privately owned single-family homes rented to transient guests for between one and 30 nights in unincorporated Bartow County. Under § 18-133(a)(3), the owner or another designated person must be able to respond to the rental location 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and must respond within one hour after the county notifies them of a violation of the article, any other Code provision, or any disturbance or complaint requiring immediate remedy involving the condition, operation, or conduct of the rental's occupants.

The same section caps overnight occupancy at two persons per bedroom plus two, never more than 15 total absent a director-approved increase to 24, and requires the owner to maintain a visible street-facing house number under § 18-133(b)(5). Community development, the sheriff's office, the fire department, and the board of health may all enforce the article and may inspect the property when there is probable cause or reasonable cause to believe a violation exists under § 18-133(c)(3)-(4). If an owner or occupant refuses entry, personnel pursue the remedies allowed by law to secure it.

The community development director administers the program and investigates whenever there is reason to believe an owner or local contact failed to meet the article's requirements, drawing on inspections, law enforcement reports, online listings, citations, or neighbor documentation such as photos or recordings.