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

Kennesaw's STR ordinance, adopted by the Mayor and Council in July 2025, treats short-term rentals (defined as a dwelling unit, or portion thereof, offered to guests for lodging for less than 30 consecutive days) as a regulated bed-and-breakfast-style use. Operation is permitted only in single-family residentially zoned areas, and each STR is capped at five guest rooms with one off-street parking spot required per guest room. The Business License Division will issue a maximum of 150 STR licenses citywide on a first-come, first-served basis when the application window opens October 1, 2025; no more than two licenses may be held by any single property owner, and there must be at least 250 feet between any two licensed STR properties. Approximately 70 STRs operating before adoption have a 90-day grace period to register and are exempt from the buffer and citywide cap so long as the current homeowner continues to operate the property in good standing. Operators must obtain both a City of Kennesaw business license and a separate Short-Term Rental Certificate before advertising or accepting bookings, pay a $250 application fee plus a $90 inspection fee, post a 24-hour local contact, display the certificate inside the unit, and remit the Cobb County 8% hotel/motel excise tax under O.C.G.A. 48-13-50+ as well as Georgia's 4% state sales tax and $5 per night state hotel-motel fee. Georgia HB 555 (2025) did not preempt local STR regulation, so Kennesaw's occupancy ceiling controls.