Walton County, GA Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)

Section 6-1-840 of the Walton County Land Development Ordinance makes Short Term Rentals a conditional use limited to the A (Agricultural) and R3 zoning districts, and every operator in those districts must hold a Short Term Rental License before renting. Section 6-1-840(D) structures the license as an Occupational Tax Certificate good for a single calendar year; it does not roll over, so the operator must file a fresh application and pay the license fee again each year to keep renting. The license is non-transferable and automatically terminates the moment ownership of the property changes, meaning a buyer of a former rental cannot simply continue operating under the seller's license.

Section 6-1-840(E) sets the standards Planning and Development uses to grant or deny the application: the applicant must prove ownership, show the property sits in a district (or holds a conditional use permit) where Short Term Rentals are allowed, and submit to inspection of books and records demonstrating compliance with the Article. Applicants with a moral turpitude conviction within the prior ten years, or a conviction for violating this Ordinance or the county's general Code within the prior eighteen months, can be denied. Before the license issues, Section 6-1-840(C) also requires an annual inspection by the Walton County Building Inspection Department confirming ADA guidelines and the property's compliance with the parking, fire-extinguisher, smoke-detector and local-contact rules built into the same Article.