Decatur, GA Short-Term Rentals: Taxes & Fees (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- UDO § 6.3.7.B.3(q), (r)
- Business license required
- Under Code Ch. 22, Art. II
- Occupancy tax required
- Under Code Ch. 94, Art. III
- Compliance window for existing STRs
- 120 calendar days
- Enforcement
- Permit revocation by City Commission
Summary
Decatur, Georgia's Unified Development Ordinance requires every short-term rental owner to hold both a business license under the city's occupation tax chapter and to pay the city's hotel/motel excise tax, on top of the short-term rental use permit itself. The UDO folds licensing and tax compliance directly into the zoning permit condition.
q.The owner of a short term rental shall obtain a business license for the short term rental and comply with all applicable provisions of Chapter 22, Article II, Occupation Taxes. r.The owner of a short term rental shall pay a hotel/ motel occupancy tax for the short term rental and comply with all applicable provisions of Chapter 94, Article III, Hotel Motel Excise Tax. ... s.Where a short term rental exists at the time of the effective date of Section 6.3.7.B.3, Short term Rental, the short term rental owner shall become compliant with this ordinance within 120 calendar days.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 28).
Full Breakdown
3 lists the standards a short-term rental (a dwelling rented for temporary occupancy of less than 30 consecutive days) must meet to operate in the city, and two of those standards are financial. Subsection (q) states that the owner of a short term rental shall obtain a business license for the short term rental and comply with all applicable provisions of Chapter 22, Article II, Occupation Taxes, meaning the STR is taxed as a business under the city's occupation tax scheme, not simply registered. Subsection (r) separately requires the owner to pay a hotel/motel occupancy tax for the short term rental and comply with Chapter 94, Article III, Hotel Motel Excise Tax, which sets that tax at eight percent of the gross rent collected on each stay (§ 94-53).
Before any of this, subsection (k) requires the owner to obtain a short term rental permit in the first place, post a copy of it with all applicable standards within six feet of the front door, and include those standards in every rental agreement. 3 took effect were given 120 calendar days to come into compliance under subsection (s). Failure to comply, including failing to pay the required occupation and hotel/motel taxes, is enforced through the same permit-revocation process that covers other short-term rental violations: the City Commission can revoke or suspend the short term rental permit for good cause after a hearing on at least ten days' written notice.
Violations & Fines
Operating a short-term rental in Decatur without the required business license and hotel/motel excise tax registration violates UDO § 6.3.7.B.3(q) and (r). The City Commission may revoke or suspend the short-term rental permit for good cause after a hearing with at least ten days' written notice, and existing operators who were not in compliance within 120 days of the section's effective date are likewise in violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Decatur short-term rental need a business license?
Do I still owe hotel/motel tax if I only rent occasionally on Airbnb?
What happens if my existing rental wasn't licensed when this rule took effect?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Decatur
How Decatur compares: Cities with the Highest Short-Term Rental Taxes·Compare Decatur to another location·View the Georgia short-term rentals overview
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