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

Light Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Guestroom cap
8 or fewer guestrooms
Overnight guest cap
16 adult guests maximum
Applies to
Agriculture homestay use in A-T district only
Required condition
Must be part of a working farm
Meals allowed
May serve meals/snacks anytime to registered guests

Summary

Spalding County's zoning ordinance does not cap occupancy for short-term rentals generally, but its agriculture homestay definition in Section 206(1) limits that specific farm-based lodging use, in the Agriculture-Tourism district, to eight or fewer guestrooms and a maximum of sixteen overnight adult guests. The dwelling must also sit on a working farm and meet the county's bed-and-breakfast definition.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Spalding County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

1.Agriculture homestay: A single-family detached dwelling that:1.Has eight (8) or fewer guestrooms and is restricted to a maximum of sixteen (16) overnight adult guests;2.Must be located on and be a part of a farm that produces agriculture products; and3.Must also meet the definition of bed and breakfast but may serve meals and light foods or snacks to its registered guests at any time.

Full Breakdown

The agriculture homestay category exists inside Spalding County's Agricultural Tourism Definitions, Section 206, which supports the Agriculture-Tourism (A-T) zoning district created for farm-based visitor uses. Section 206(1) defines an agriculture homestay as a single-family detached dwelling that has eight or fewer guestrooms and is restricted to a maximum of sixteen overnight adult guests, must be located on and be part of a working farm that produces agriculture products, and must otherwise meet the ordinance's separate definition of a bed and breakfast, while being allowed to serve meals or light snacks to registered guests at any time, a broader allowance than a standard bed and breakfast has.

This occupancy cap is specific to the agriculture homestay use and the A-T district; it is the only overnight-guest occupancy number the zoning code's definitions attach to a short-term lodging use. The ordinance separately defines a generic AirBnB as a rental of a residence by the property owner to non-related individuals for compensation for no longer than thirty consecutive days, but that definition, in Section 202, does not carry its own numeric guest cap; only the narrower agriculture homestay use in Section 206 does. A property operating a farm-based homestay outside those eight-guestroom and sixteen-guest limits, or without qualifying as part of a working farm, would not meet the definition and could not lawfully operate under this classification.

Violations & Fines

A dwelling advertised as an agriculture homestay that exceeds eight guestrooms, houses more than sixteen overnight adult guests, or is not part of a working farm producing agriculture products does not meet the Section 206(1) definition and cannot operate under that zoning classification; the Spalding County Community Development Department, through the zoning administrator defined at Section 202(2), enforces zoning-use compliance for uses in the A-T district.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Spalding County limit occupancy for all short-term rentals?
No. The zoning code's only numeric occupancy cap for short-term overnight lodging applies narrowly to the agriculture homestay use defined in Section 206(1), which is tied to the Agriculture-Tourism district and requires the dwelling to be part of a working farm. A general residential AirBnB rental defined in Section 202 carries no such cap.
How many guests can an agriculture homestay host?
Section 206(1) restricts an agriculture homestay to eight or fewer guestrooms and a maximum of sixteen overnight adult guests, and the dwelling must be located on a working farm that produces agriculture products and otherwise meet the ordinance's bed-and-breakfast definition.
Can an agriculture homestay serve food to guests?
Yes. Section 206(1) allows an agriculture homestay to serve meals and light foods or snacks to its registered guests at any time, which is broader than the standard bed-and-breakfast definition the homestay must otherwise satisfy, and it still applies only inside the Agriculture-Tourism district's eight-guestroom, sixteen-guest limit.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Spalding County

All Spalding County rules

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