Barrow County, GA Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)

Section 26-155(a) sets binding occupancy math for every permitted short-term rental in unincorporated Barrow County, and the owner or local contact person must lock in the specific numbers by written agreement with the responsible person renting the unit. m. For rentals on sewer service, overnight occupancy cannot exceed two persons per bedroom plus two additional persons per residence, capped absolutely at 12 overnight persons, with children under ten excluded from the count. For rentals on an onsite septic system, the cap is two persons per bedroom with no additional per-residence allowance, also capped at 12 overnight persons total, but on septic systems every occupant counts regardless of age.

Daytime occupancy is governed separately: it can exceed the overnight number by up to four additional guests, but total daytime occupancy at a short-term rental can never exceed 16 persons under any circumstance. These numbers must match what the owner declared in the permit application, and the posted in-unit notice required by Section 26-155(b) must state the maximum overnight and daytime occupant counts so guests and neighbors can see the limit. Because the rental is capped at five rentable bedrooms under Section 26-154, the occupancy math tops out well before any RV-park-style crowd could form on a single lot.