Athens Reporter

On February 6, 2024, the Mayor and Commission approved amendments to establish short-term rentals (STRs) as a regulated land use under Title 9 of the Code of Athens-Clarke County. Short-term rentals are defined as accommodations for transient guests where a residential dwelling unit is rented for less than 31 consecutive days in exchange for compensation. These accommodations are often advertised on platforms like Airbnb.com, Booking.com, Hometogo.com, and vrbo.com.

Following the adoption of the STR Ordinance, the Planning Department compiled an initial list of STR properties that were operational between September 19, 2022, and September 19, 2023. This list is referred to as the Legal Non-Conforming STR List. Properties on this list do not currently comply with the new ordinance but must do so within two years from when the final list is published.

The initial Legal Non-Conforming STR List was made available on Athens-Clarke County’s website on July 1, 2024. Property owners or residents whose properties were not included had until December 31, 2024, to apply for inclusion during a six-month public review period.

Now that this review period has ended, the Athens-Clarke Planning Department has finalized the Legal Non-Conforming STR List. Properties on this finalized list can continue operating for up to two years from March 1, 2025. Those not listed must adhere immediately to the new ordinance.

Properties that achieve compliance with the ordinance will be removed from this list. Additionally, if ownership changes hands for any property listed as non-conforming, it will lose its status and must comply with current regulations. For more details about this process, contact the Planning Department.

Operators of both compliant and non-compliant STRs are required to pay a local hotel motel excise tax of seven percent and obtain a business occupation tax certificate through the Finance Department. The tax may be collected by third-party lodging facilitators or directly by operators if guests pay them directly.

For further information regarding short-term rental compliance and details about the Legal Non-Conforming STR List visit www.accgov.com/str or contact Athens-Clarke County's Planning Department at 706-613-3515.