Short-term rental rules · Savannah, Georgia
Short-term rentals in Savannah, explained properly.
Short-term vacation rentals (STVRs) are allowed only within a designated overlay district covering the Downtown, Victorian, and Streetcar historic districts plus a handful of business and agricultural zones. Non-owner-occupied rentals in the Downtown and Victorian historic districts are capped at 20% of residential parcels per ward, and the city currently lists 43 wards in those districts (29 Downtown, 14 Victorian) as at the cap, where new non-owner-occupied applicants can only join a waitlist.
At a glance
What you need to know before you buy or list
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Are short-term vacation rentals allowed? | Only within the STVR Overlay District: Downtown Historic District, Victorian Historic District, Streetcar Historic District, and B-C, B-N, B-L, and A-1 zones [1] |
| Non-owner-occupied ward cap | 20% of residential parcels per ward in the Downtown and Victorian Historic Districts; owner-occupied units are exempt [2] [3] |
| Streetcar Historic District rule | Parcels zoned TN-2 need two or more dwelling units, at least one of which must be owner-occupied [2] |
| Registration required? | Yes — an STVR Certificate must be obtained before operating [4] |
| Application and renewal fees | $400 new application (non-refundable); $250 annual renewal (non-refundable) [4] |
| Maximum stay length | 30 consecutive days or fewer qualifies as an STVR [5] |
| Maximum occupancy | 4 adults for units with 2 or fewer bedrooms; 2 adults per bedroom for units with 3+ bedrooms [2] |
| Penalty for violations | $500 (1st violation), $750 (2nd within 12 months), $1,000 (3rd within 12 months) — a third violation in 12 months triggers certificate revocation and a 12-month re-application ban [5] [6] |
| Typical combined guest tax | ~15% (7% combined sales tax + 8% city hotel/motel excise tax), plus a flat $5/night Georgia state hotel-motel fee (waived after 30 continuous nights) [7] [8] |
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Detailed rules
The full picture, section by section
Eligibility & zoning
| Where STVRs are permitted | STVR Overlay District only: Downtown Historic District, Victorian Historic District, Streetcar Historic District, and B-C, B-N, B-L, and A-1 zones [1] |
|---|---|
| Grandfathered certificates | Applications submitted before September 28, 2017 are grandfathered and remain renewable regardless of the current ward cap [1] [2] Certificates are non-transferable, but when a parcel with a pre-existing (grandfathered) certificate is sold, the buyer's new application will not be denied on ward-cap grounds if filed within six months of the title transfer. |
| Waiting list for capped wards | Owners can apply for a first-come, first-served waiting list in wards that have reached the 20% non-owner-occupied cap [2] |
| Condominiums | Condo association declaration must explicitly permit (or not prohibit) short-term rentals [2] |
Licensing & application
| Application process | Apply online (transitioning to Rentalscape software); after approval, a Business Tax Certificate from the Revenue Department must be obtained and forwarded to Planning and Urban Design before final certification [1] [4] |
|---|---|
| Adjacent owner notification | New applicants must notify adjacent property owners with specific property details before certification [2] |
| Optional zoning confirmation letter | A $50 Zoning Confirmation Letter is available to confirm parking or zoning eligibility in writing before applying [2] [9] |
| Public verification tools | The city's Short-Term Rental (STR) Public Portal maps licensed STVRs and is updated daily [10] An older city page said a complaint portal and 24/7 hotline would arrive with the city's Rentalscape system; the current portal page only confirms the licensed-rental map. |
Operations & requirements
| Insurance requirement | Proof of insurance that specifically names short-term vacation rental use is required — a standard homeowner's policy alone is not sufficient [2] [5] [3] |
|---|---|
| Advertising requirement | The certificate number and rental agreement must appear in all advertisements for the unit [2] |
| Local agent response time | A responsible agent must appear on the premises within two hours of notification from the city [5] |
| Parking disclosure | Application must state the number and location of parking spaces allotted; the certificate must display the maximum number of vehicles that may be parked at the unit [5] |
Taxes & fees
| Combined state and local sales tax | 7% (Georgia state sales tax plus Chatham County local sales tax) [11] [12] |
|---|---|
| City hotel/motel excise tax | 8%, raised from 6% effective September 1, 2023 [7] [13] |
| Georgia state hotel-motel fee | Flat $5 per night, collected by marketplace platforms on the operator's behalf; stops applying after 30 continuous nights by the same guest [8] |
| Human-trafficking-awareness training (new statewide requirement) | Georgia SB 570 (effective July 1, 2026) requires human-trafficking-awareness training within 60 days of employment and annually thereafter for STRs managed by a third-party property manager; STRs managed directly and exclusively by the owner, or rented fewer than 15 days a year, are exempt [14] [15] Applies to: STRs managed by a third-party property manager Covered properties must also meet the posting requirements of O.C.G.A. 16-5-47. The enrolled text sets administrative penalties for willful violations of $500 (first), $1,000 (second) and $2,000 (third or subsequent). |
Changes
Recent and pending changes
We re-checked the city's STVR Regulations, program and application pages, the Chapter 11 ordinance text (2014 and 2017 revision), the Article E hotel/motel tax ordinance (8% since September 1, 2023), the Georgia DOR sales-tax rate chart for October–December 2026, the enrolled text of SB 570, and news from the last year. We found no City Council STVR ordinance or fee change and no new hotel/motel tax change in that period; the city's Agenda Center and its 2026 Revenue Ordinance could not be loaded automatically and are queued for a manual check. The city lists 43 wards in the Downtown and Victorian Historic Districts as at the 20% non-owner-occupied cap, so any loosening would need a council ordinance change. Georgia's SB 570 training mandate (effective July 1, 2026) applies to Savannah STRs run by third-party property managers, not to owner-managed ones.
Signed into law May 11, 2026 as Act 519; requires human-trafficking-awareness training within 60 days of employment and annually thereafter for short-term rentals managed by a third-party property manager. Owner-managed STRs and those rented fewer than 15 days a year are exempt.
The city's first hotel/motel tax increase in nearly three decades took effect September 1, 2023, raising the rate from 6% to 8% of taxable lodging charges.
City council adopted the 20% per-ward cap on non-owner-occupied short-term vacation rentals in the Downtown and Victorian Historic Districts, along with the grandfathering cutoff of September 28, 2017 for existing applications.
Sources
Every rule above links to one of these
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This page is general information compiled from public sources, not legal or tax advice. HOA rules, deed restrictions and zoning for a specific property can be stricter. Confirm with the local permitting office and a qualified professional before buying or listing a property.