Tybee Island, GA

Unincorporated Chatham County requires every short-term vacation rental (STVR) operator to obtain a Short-Term Vacation Rental Certificate under Article XIII, § 16-1301 of the Chatham County Code (effective July 1, 2020). Only property owners may apply; renters are not eligible. The annual application/renewal fee is $350, with renewals due between May 1 and June 30 each year. Occupancy is capped at two adults per bedroom plus two additional adults. Operators must collect and remit the Chatham County 6% hotel-motel excise tax and the $5/night state hotel-motel fee. The City of Savannah administers a separate STVR program inside its city limits.

Chatham County Code § 16-1304(1)(g) requires every STVR application to outline the parking rules of the rental and how occupants will comply. Parking rules must be posted on a sign inside the unit (§ 16-1303(1)(b)). The ordinance does not set a fixed county-wide off-street space-per-bedroom ratio for STVRs; each license carries its own approved parking limits. Exceeding those limits is a fine of not less than $100 under § 16-1310(1).

Chatham County Code § 16-1302(7) defines the STVR occupancy rate as no more than two adults per bedroom, plus two additional adults. For a recreational vehicle or tent rental, the manufacturer's listed occupancy controls. The maximum advertised occupancy must match the application. Exceeding the cap is a fine of not less than $150 under § 16-1310(3) and is grounds for license revocation under § 16-1308(1)(c)(i)(d).

Unincorporated Chatham County charges a $350 annual STVR Certificate fee under Article XIII, § 16-1304(1)(a), with $350 renewal due by July 1 (§ 16-1305(1)(a)). Operators must collect and remit the Chatham County 6% hotel-motel excise tax (authorized by O.C.G.A. § 48-13-50 et seq.) plus the $5 per night Georgia state hotel-motel fee under O.C.G.A. § 48-13-50.3. Booking platforms (Airbnb, VRBO) acting as marketplace innkeepers may collect and remit on the operator's behalf.

Georgia has no statewide ADU mandate. In unincorporated Chatham County, accessory dwellings and accessory buildings are governed by the Chatham County Zoning Ordinance administered by the Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC). Accessory structures are regulated under Section 3-6 (Location of Accessory Buildings on Residential Lots) and Section 3-6.1, with allowances tied to the underlying residential zoning district. Building permits are issued by the Chatham County Department of Building Safety & Regulatory Services. The City of Savannah administers a separate ADU framework inside city limits.

Georgia incorporates IRC Appendix Q tiny house provisions through its statewide minimum standard codes, providing uniform construction rules for dwellings under 400 square feet.

Chatham County enforces the Georgia State Minimum Standard Swimming Pool and Spa Code (based on the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code) and the residential pool barrier provisions of the Georgia State Minimum Standard Residential Code (based on the IRC), as adopted under O.C.G.A. § 8-2-20 et seq. Any residential pool deeper than 24 inches must be enclosed by a barrier at least 48 inches high on the outside. Gates must be self-closing and self-latching with the release at least 54 inches above the ground. Public pools are additionally regulated by Georgia DPH Rule 511-3-5.

Georgia requires building permits for pool construction statewide under the adopted state minimum codes, issued through local building departments.

Unincorporated Chatham County does not set numeric quiet hours. Code §11-101(h) bans amplified sound audible beyond the premises, and §11-109 caps vehicle traffic noise at 55 dB. Disorderly noise is a misdemeanor.

Aircraft noise in Georgia is governed by federal FAA regulations, not state or local ordinances. Georgia airport zoning law allows compatible land use planning around airports but cannot restrict in-flight aircraft operations.

Georgia regulates industrial noise primarily through O.C.G.A. 12-7 (Erosion and Sedimentation), 12-8 (Solid Waste), and EPD permits, but does not impose statewide decibel limits. Local governments retain primary authority over industrial noise nuisances.

Code §22-103(b) makes it unlawful to permit a dog to run at large in unincorporated Chatham County. Dogs must be under manual control off the owner's property, including in parks and on county facilities.

Georgia criminalizes animal cruelty and neglect statewide under O.C.G.A. 16-12-4, applying uniformly regardless of local ordinances and covering hoarding situations.

Georgia regulates livestock and poultry through the Department of Agriculture, but generally allows municipalities to set local zoning rules for backyard chickens and other animals.

Georgia statewide law prohibits possession of most exotic and inherently dangerous wild animals without a special permit, preempting local rules that would allow them.

Chatham County Zoning Ordinance Sec. 5-1.3 limits residential fences to 6 feet in front and side yards and 8 feet in rear yards. Business district fences may reach 8 feet; industrial up to 10 feet. Permits required.

Georgia adopts the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) and International Residential Code Appendix G statewide, mandating minimum 48-inch barriers around residential swimming pools with self-closing, self-latching gates.

Georgia requires home-based cottage food producers to obtain a state license from the Department of Agriculture, follow allowable-foods lists, and label products under uniform statewide standards that cities cannot relax or override.

Georgia law requires registration or licensure of family day care homes through the Department of Early Care and Learning and limits how strictly local zoning can ban these uses in residential areas.

Georgia state plumbing code expressly authorizes rainwater harvesting for outdoor non-potable uses, preempting any local prohibition on residential rain barrels and cisterns.

Georgia's Water Stewardship Act sets a uniform statewide outdoor watering schedule, allowing daily landscape irrigation between 4 p.m. and 10 a.m. without local override.

Georgia law sets uniform procedures for removing abandoned vehicles from public and private property, requiring notice to owners, lienholders, and a mandatory report to the Georgia Department of Revenue before disposal or sale.

Georgia requires public electric vehicle charging stations to comply with statewide measurement and disclosure rules administered by the Department of Agriculture, ensuring uniform pricing units and accuracy regardless of city.

Georgia state law (O.C.G.A. §6-1-4) preempts local governments from regulating private drone operations, so Tybee Island cannot pass its own drone ordinance. The Tybee Island Light Station has private no-fly periods (Mon-Sun 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.) during operating hours. FAA Part 107 and recreational rules apply: stay under 400 feet AGL, keep visual line of sight, and register drones over 250g.

Georgia defers to FAA Part 107 rules for commercial drone operations and preempts local licensing or operation requirements, while still allowing privacy and trespass laws to apply to commercial flights.

Chatham County is a low-lying coastal county on the Atlantic Ocean and Savannah River with extensive FEMA-designated A, AE, and VE flood zones and significant hurricane storm-surge exposure. Unincorporated Chatham County participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and is a Class 5 community in FEMA's Community Rating System, providing a 25% flood insurance premium discount in high-risk zones and a 10% discount in moderate-risk X zones. The County's Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance (FDPO) requires a permit for any development in a Special Flood Hazard Area, requires the lowest finished floor of new and substantially improved structures to be elevated at least 3 feet above Base Flood Elevation, and applies a 50% substantial-improvement rule based on the structure's Fair Market Value.

Georgia's Coastal Marshlands Protection Act and Shore Protection Act require state permits for development affecting marshes, beaches, and dunes, with authority concentrated in the Coastal Resources Division.

The Georgia Erosion and Sedimentation Act sets minimum land-disturbing-activity standards, certified-personnel requirements, and stream buffers that apply statewide whether or not a local issuing authority has adopted them.

Georgia delegates Clean Water Act stormwater authority to the Environmental Protection Division, which issues NPDES permits and minimum standards that all municipal separate storm sewer systems must follow.

Georgia's Zoning Procedures Law (O.C.G.A. 36-66) requires local governments to adopt zoning, including setbacks, through specific notice and hearing procedures. The state itself does not impose universal residential setback distances.

Georgia's State Minimum Standard Codes (O.C.G.A. 8-2-20) adopt the International Building Code statewide, setting height and area limits by construction type and occupancy that cities must enforce, though local zoning may impose stricter ceilings.

Georgia restricts cannabis-related retail sales to state-licensed independent pharmacies and dispensary locations approved by the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission, with caps on the number of statewide licenses.

Georgia law prohibits home cultivation of marijuana for any purpose, including by registered low-THC oil patients, and this prohibition preempts any conflicting local ordinance attempting to authorize personal grows.

Georgia prohibits local governments from setting minimum wages above state or federal levels under Title 34 preemption enacted through HB 234.

Georgia preempts local governments from requiring private employers to provide paid leave, sick time, or other employment benefits beyond state and federal law.

Georgia preempts local predictable scheduling and fair workweek ordinances, preventing cities and counties from regulating employer shift practices for private workers.

Georgia is a permitless concealed carry state under SB 319 (2022), allowing lawful weapons carriers to carry concealed handguns statewide subject to statutory location restrictions.

Georgia broadly preempts local firearms regulation under O.C.G.A. 16-11-173, reserving authority to the General Assembly while permitting limited local rules at government buildings and parks.

Georgia permits lawful weapons carriers to openly carry handguns in most public places, with statewide preemption limiting local restrictions on open carry.

Georgia permits any lawful weapons carrier or eligible person to carry a handgun in a private vehicle without a permit under O.C.G.A. 16-11-126.

Georgia requires statewide mobile food service permits issued by county health departments under uniform Department of Public Health rules.

Georgia requires private employers with 11 or more employees to use E-Verify under O.C.G.A. 36-60-6, with annual affidavit certification tied to business licenses.

Georgia prohibits sanctuary policies under O.C.G.A. 36-80-23 and HB 1105, requiring local governments and law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

The Georgia Outdoor Lighting Act (O.C.G.A. 12-6-220 et seq.) requires state-funded outdoor lighting to use full-cutoff or shielded fixtures to reduce light pollution. The act applies to state appropriations, not private property.

Georgia has no statewide light trespass statute. Excessive light spilling onto a neighbor's property is addressed under O.C.G.A. 41-1-1 nuisance law and local outdoor lighting ordinances, which cities may adopt freely.

Georgia law uniformly governs landlord-tenant evictions through dispossessory proceedings without any just-cause requirement, and local just-cause ordinances are unauthorized.

Georgia state law expressly prohibits any county or municipality from enacting rent control on private residential or commercial property, fully preempting local regulation.

Georgia counties retain zoning authority for agricultural operations, balanced against the Right to Farm Act's nuisance protections for established farms.

Georgia's Right to Farm Act in O.C.G.A. 41-1-7 protects established agricultural operations from nuisance lawsuits brought by neighbors and changing land uses.

Georgia state law restricts placement of political and outdoor advertising signs on state highway rights-of-way and regulates them under the Outdoor Advertising Control Act, while local sign regulation must respect First Amendment limits.

Georgia does not prohibit plastic carryout bags statewide and has not enacted express preemption barring local action, though local bag restrictions remain rare.

Georgia imposes no statewide ban on polystyrene foam food service containers, leaving foam cups, plates, and clamshells widely available across the state.

Georgia has no statewide ban or upon-request rule for plastic straws, leaving food service operators free to provide single-use straws under standard health rules.

Georgia's primary solar-rights statute is O.C.G.A. 44-5-60.4 (Solar Easements). The statute authorizes voluntary solar easements between neighbors to protect access to sunlight but does NOT, by its own terms, broadly prohibit homeowners associations from restricting rooftop solar panels. HOA covenants in Georgia generally remain enforceable unless a specific provision of the recorded declaration or a separate statute limits them. Georgia is one of the minority of states without a comprehensive HOA solar-access preemption like Florida's or Texas's.

Georgia requires charitable organizations and paid solicitors to register annually with the Secretary of State before soliciting donations, applying uniformly across all municipalities.

Georgia prohibits the sale of tobacco, vapor, and alternative nicotine products to anyone under 21, aligning state law with the federal Tobacco 21 standard.

Georgia does not impose a statewide ban on flavored tobacco or flavored vapor products, leaving sales lawful subject to age, licensing, and federal restrictions.

Georgia regulates vape and alternative nicotine retail sales under Title 16 Chapter 12 Article 8, requiring licensing, age verification, and product compliance for retailers.