Forsyth County, GA Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)
Short-term rental permit rules in Forsyth County, GA, also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration, list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Key Facts
- License issuer
- Business License Department
- Application fee
- $250.00, nonrefundable
- Review window
- 30 days from complete application
- Eligible zoning
- A1 or Ag-Res with CUP only
- Expiration
- December 31 annually
- Renewal deadline
- Second Monday in December
Summary
Forsyth County requires an annual short-term rental license before anyone rents a property for less than 30 days, layered on top of the standard occupation tax. Only Agricultural or Agricultural Residential zoned properties with a conditional use permit qualify, and apartments are never eligible.
(a)Required licenses:(1)The owner shall pay the required occupation tax and shall comply with all applicable provisions of article II of chapter 22 of this Code for business licenses and regulations;(2)The owner shall timely pay all property taxes owed for the real property on which the short-term rental is located;(3)No owner or local contact person of a short-term rental shall rent, lease, or otherwise exchange for compensation all or any portion of such short-term rental without first obtaining a short-term rental license from the county;(4)A separate short-term rental license shall be required for each structure used for short-term rental;(5)No short-term rental license shall be issued for apartments;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 43).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 22-267(a) makes it unlawful for an owner or local contact person to rent, lease, or exchange a short-term rental for compensation without first obtaining a county short-term rental license, in addition to paying the occupation tax under chapter 22, article II, and keeping current on the property's property taxes. A separate license is required for each structure used as a short-term rental, and no license is ever issued for apartments. Under Sec. 22-264, the article only applies to properties in the Agricultural (A1) or Agricultural Residential (Ag-Res) zoning districts holding a short-term rental conditional use permit under UDC Sec.
33. 00 application fee (Sec. 22-267(a)(6), (b)(1)). The business license manager must issue or deny the license within 30 days of a completed application, and must issue it unless the applicant had a license revoked in the prior 12 months, owes delinquent property taxes, has an inadequate septic system flagged by the health department, or the application is incomplete (Sec. 22-267(a)(8)). Licenses expire December 31 each year, and renewal applications are due by the second Monday in December; missing that date requires a brand-new application (Sec. 22-267(b)(2)). Licenses are non-transferable upon a change of ownership (Sec. 22-267(b)(3), (d)(1)).
Violations & Fines
Operating a short-term rental without a valid license, or providing false information on the application, is enforced under Sec. 22-270's progressive scale: up to $250.00 and a written warning for a first violation in 12 months, up to $500.00 with a 30-to-90-day suspension for a second, and up to $1,000.00 with revocation and a 12-month reapplication bar for a third. Fraudulent applications can also trigger immediate suspension or revocation by the board of commissioners under Sec. 22-269(2), and a denial may be appealed to the board of commissioners.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where in Forsyth County can I legally operate a short-term rental?
How much does a Forsyth County short-term rental license cost?
How long does Forsyth County take to approve a short-term rental license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Forsyth County
How Forsyth County compares: Most Airbnb-Friendly Cities in America·Compare Forsyth County to another location·View the Georgia short-term rentals overview
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