Spalding County, GA Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (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.
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?
How many guests can an agriculture homestay host?
Can an agriculture homestay serve food to guests?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Spalding County
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