Decatur, GA Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Overnight cap formula
- 2 per guest room + 2 per property
- Hard overnight ceiling
- 10 persons, no exceptions
- Daytime visitor cap
- 14 persons or overnight cap + 4
- Advertising duty
- Listings must state max occupancy
- Governing section
- UDO Sec. 6.5.7.B.3.c-d
Summary
Decatur, Georgia's Unified Development Ordinance caps overnight guests at a short term rental at two people per guest room plus two more per property, never more than ten total, under Section 6.5.7.B.3.c. Daytime visitors cannot push the total past 14 or the overnight cap plus four, whichever is lower.
c.Maximum overnight occupancy for short term rentals shall be two persons per guest room or sleeping room, plus two additional persons per property or a maximum occupancy as determined by the fire marshal, but under no circumstances shall the maximum occupancy exceed ten persons. The short term rental owner shall ensure that all contracts and online listings and advertisements clearly set forth the maximum number of overnight guests permitted at the short term rental. ... d.The maximum number of day time guests and visitors allowed at any time in a single short term rental shall not exceed the maximum overnight occupancy plus four additional visitors, or 14 persons, whichever is less.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 28).
Full Breakdown
3 of the Decatur UDO regulates short term rentals as a category of overnight lodging alongside bed and breakfasts, hotels and lodginghouses. Subsection c fixes the overnight occupancy formula: two persons per guest room or sleeping room, plus two additional persons per property, or a maximum set by the fire marshal, but the ordinance is explicit that under no circumstances can overnight occupancy exceed ten persons regardless of how many guest rooms the property has. The short term rental owner is required to make sure every contract, online listing and advertisement clearly states the maximum number of overnight guests allowed.
Subsection d adds a separate daytime cap: the number of daytime guests and visitors present at any one time cannot exceed the overnight occupancy figure plus four additional visitors, or 14 persons total, whichever number is lower, so a rental capped at ten overnight guests tops out at 14 daytime visitors rather than the flat maximum. 3's off-street parking table. The occupancy caps exist to prevent a licensed short term rental from functioning as an unlicensed event venue or overcrowded flophouse in what is otherwise a residential structure inside a four-square-mile city.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding the ten-person overnight cap or the 14-person daytime cap under Section 6.5.7.B.3.c-d is a short term rental standards violation. The short term rental owner is responsible for making sure every contract, listing and advertisement discloses the correct maximum occupancy, and the Zoning Administrator can treat a mismatch between the posted and actual occupancy as a violation of the short term rental use standards.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many overnight guests can stay at a Decatur short term rental?
Can more people visit during the day than stay overnight?
What happens if a short term rental exceeds its occupancy cap?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Decatur
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