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Dougherty County staff propose short-term vacation rental certificate and penalties
Summary
County attorney and planning staff presented an ordinance to require a county certificate for short-term vacation rentals, inspection and a registered 24-hour local agent, fees (likely $50–$100), neighbor notification and revocation penalties; commissioners asked about occupancy rules, notification methods and enforcement capacity.
County legal and planning staff on Nov. 25 presented a draft short-term vacation rental ordinance that would require owners of properties offered for stays of 30 days or less to register with Dougherty County and meet safety and administrative requirements.
The county attorney outlined the proposal’s core elements: a short-term vacation rental certificate, proof of ownership, contact information, a designated local agent available 24 hours for complaints and service of notices, and documentation such as homeowner insurance and fire-safety inspection. The draft also makes rentals subject to hotel/motel (occupational) taxes and permits county administrators to revoke certificates for serious violations; three violations in 12 months can trigger a 12-month revocation. The ordinance allows doubled application fees for properties that begin operating after a set date without a certificate.
Angel Gray, planning deputy director, said staff expect to ask for an application fee in a $50–$100 range and that inspections will ensure basic fire and habitability standards. Commissioners pressed staff on enforcement: how the county will detect unregistered listings, whether a public registry should be maintained, and how occupancy rules (two adults per bedroom with square-foot exceptions) apply to properties such as bunkhouses and hunting lodges.
Several commissioners asked staff to extend the compliance window because of the holiday season and raised the need to align processing capacity with a possible surge of applications. Staff said they would coordinate inspections with the fire and treasury departments and provide a recommended fee schedule and enforcement timeline in a follow-up packet. No ordinance vote was taken; commissioners asked staff to return with refined language and implementation details.
