Short-term rentals in Columbus, explained properly.

Sec. 4.9.7(G) treats a minimum stay as twenty-four (24) hours and says short-term rental units shall not be rented for less than 24 hours. Article 9 applies to occupancy for compensation for a period not to exceed 30 consecutive days.

Sec. 4.9.3 provides that no permit may be transferred or assigned or used by any person other than the one to whom it is issued, or at any location other than the one for which it is issued. If the short-term rental agent is replaced, the owner must apply for a new short-term rental permit naming the correct agent within 30 days of the change (Sec. 4.9.5(C)).

Both the owner and the rental agent consent to a criminal background check, reviewed by the department before the application is accepted for processing. If the check shows felonies within the last ten years or a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude within the last five years, the application will not be accepted for processing (Sec. 4.9.4(A)). The City's page says the check comes from the Columbus Police Department ($20 each), is required for the homeowner, the applicant and the 24/7 contact person, and must be done less than 30 days before submission.

The owner names a short-term rental agent on the permit application with 24-hour contact information. The agent must be available for and responsive to contact at all times. A property owner may serve as agent; otherwise the agent is a natural person over age 18 who is customarily present at a location within the city for purposes of transacting business. The agent's duties are to be reasonably available to handle problems, keep his or her name and emergency phone number posted in a readily visible place in the unit, receive and accept service of any notice of violation, and monitor the unit for compliance. The application includes the agent's written certification that he or she agrees to perform those duties.

All of-record property owners adjacent to a proposed short-term vacation rental must be notified before the initial certificate is issued. The applicant sends the notice and provides proof to the city. It must give the street address, the location of any on-site parking, the maximum occupancy, a copy of the exemplar rental agreement, the name of the property owner(s), and the name and contact information of the rental agent. The City's checklist lists proof of neighbor notification under Sec. 4.9.6 as a required submission and links a notification form, which was not opened.

Sec. 4.9.7(E) limits each rental unit to no more than two (2) occupants per bedroom plus one additional occupant per unit. The posted permit must show the unit's maximum occupancy and the maximum number of vehicles that may be parked at the unit.

A legible copy of the short-term rental permit must be posted within the unit showing the agent's name, address, telephone number and email address, the permit number, the maximum occupancy and the maximum number of vehicles that may be parked at the unit. The current business license must also be posted in the unit. A window/door sticker provided by the Inspections and Code Department goes on the front door for public safety. The agent's name and emergency phone number must be posted in a readily visible place in the unit.

The permit holder must publish the short-term rental permit number in every print, digital, or internet advertisement and any property listing in which the short-term rental is advertised (Sec. 4.9.4(C)).

Sec. 4.9.7 says there shall be no change in the exterior appearance of the dwelling and premises, or other visible evidence of the conduct of a short-term rental unit, and that units must be properly maintained and regularly inspected by the owner to ensure continued compliance with applicable zoning, building, health and life safety code provisions.

With the application the owner provides a written exemplar agreement between owner and occupants. It must contain the occupants' agreement to abide by the article, other City ordinances and state and federal law, and acknowledgement that their rights cannot be transferred or assigned; their acknowledgement that it is unlawful to make noise exceeding the limits of the City's noise ordinance; the owner's and occupants' acknowledgement that the unit is not leased, advertised, promoted or equipped to provide adult entertainment or escort services; and their agreement that violation may result in immediate termination of the agreement and eviction, as well as liability for fines levied by the city.

The application is made under oath on a City form and lists the owner(s) of record (every partner, officer and director if the owner is not a natural person), the unit address, the agent's 24-hour contact information, the owner's sworn acknowledgement of the article, the number and location of parking spaces, and the owner's agreement to use best efforts to avoid disrupting the neighborhood. Attached are the owner's sworn code compliance verification form, the exemplar agreement, proof of current ownership, and proof of insurance satisfactory under administrative guidelines published by the Columbus Consolidated Government. The City's page checklist adds a completed Certificate of Occupancy application, a copy of a valid homeowners insurance policy with a minimum of $500,000 liability insurance on the property, a digital floor plan, the police background check, proof of neighbor notification, and, if the applicant leases the property, a lease signed by both parties that states it can be used for a short-term vacation rental. The application PDF itself could not be opened.

The City's Schedule of Permit Fees, effective July 1, 2024, lists a Short Term Vacation Rental permit at $40.00 per unit and a background check for the permit at $20.00 per person, and notes that STVR permits must be renewed every year. Sec. 4.9.4 sets a non-refundable application fee of $40.00 or as revised in the city's annual budget ordinance or another ordinance. The City's page says every house or unit needs its own permit and its own $40 fee, and that a batch of houses submitted together needs only one background check. The business license fee and any Certificate of Occupancy fee are not covered on this page.

Owners submit the permit application on an annual basis (Sec. 4.9.4), and the fee schedule says STVR permits must be renewed every year. If the short-term rental agent is replaced, the owner applies for a new permit with the correct agent within 30 days.

Violations of Article 9, including operating a short-term rental without a short-term rental permit and a business license, are heard by the recorder's court of Muscogee County. The fines are $500.00 for a first violation, $750.00 for a second violation within the preceding 12 months and $1,000.00 for a third violation within the preceding 12 months. They may not be waived or reduced and may be combined with any other legal remedy available to the City. Nothing in the section limits enforcement of the City code, or state or federal law, by any other lawful means, including abating a public nuisance.

The Department of Inspections and Code keeps a record of code violation charges, founded accusations and convictions for each rental location. When an owner has accumulated three code violations for a property within 12 consecutive months, the Department revokes any pending permits and rejects all applications for that property for 12 consecutive months. An owner cited for a zoning, building, health or life safety violation must show compliance before becoming eligible for a permit. False statements in the application are grounds for revocation, suspension and/or penalties, including denial of future applications. A person aggrieved by a decision to revoke, suspend or deny a permit may appeal in writing to the city manager within 30 calendar days; a timely appeal stays the revocation, suspension or denial pending a decision. The city manager considers the appeal within 30 days after receipt unless the City and the appellant agree in writing otherwise, and the determination is the final ruling on the application.

Georgia charges sales tax on accommodations. The state rate is 4%, and each county adds its own local sales taxes; the Georgia Department of Revenue publishes the combined rate for every county in a quarterly rate chart.

Georgia charges a $5.00 State Hotel-Motel Fee for each night an accommodation is rented, including short-term rentals. It is a flat amount per night, not a percentage of the rent, and is collected from the guest.

The $5 state fee does not apply once a stay becomes an extended stay: from the 31st day of uninterrupted occupancy by the same guest, the fee is no longer collected. If the guest checks out and checks back in, the count starts again.

If you list your home with an online booking platform that handles payment (a "marketplace innkeeper"), the platform must collect and remit the state hotel-motel fee for each night of those stays. For stays you book yourself, you collect and remit the fee.

Owners who collect the state hotel-motel fee must register on the Georgia Tax Center for a sales tax number and a state hotel-motel fee number, and file the fee return electronically by the 20th of the following month. A return is due every month, even when no rooms were rented and even if sales tax is filed quarterly or yearly.