Short-Term Rental Regulations · Savannah, GA / Chatham County
Is Savannah short-term-rental friendly?
Savannah permits short-term vacation rentals but tightly controls where they operate: entire-unit stays are limited to 30 consecutive days or fewer, certificates cost $400 to obtain and $250 to renew annually, and rentals are allowed only inside the STVR Overlay District (Downtown, Victorian and Streetcar local historic districts) or in a few business and agricultural zoning districts. The binding constraint is the 20% per-ward cap on new non-owner-occupied certificates in the Downtown and Victorian districts, where the city lists nearly every ward as at cap with a first-come, first-served waitlist. Owners who secure a certificate then remit an 8% city hotel/motel excise tax, 7% state sales and use tax, and the $5 per occupied room-night state hotel-motel fee.
Last updated: . Every fact links to its official source.
Town-by-town rules
| Town | Permit required? | Annual cost | Primary-residence / night-cap limits | Lodging tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Savannah, Chatham County, GA | A short-term vacation rental (an entire dwelling unit rented for 30 consecutive days or fewer) requires a City of Savannah STVR certificate obtained before operating, plus a Business Tax Certificate from the Revenue Department. Properties must lie inside the STVR Overlay District (Downtown, Victorian and Streetcar local historic districts) or in B-C, B-N, B-L or A-1 zoning outside it. Applications require the application form, rental agent written certification, a sworn code compliance verification form, an exemplar rental agreement, proof of ownership, proof of insurance and a non-refundable fee; new applicants must notify adjacent property owners, the certificate number must appear in every advertisement, and the certificate must be posted inside the unit. Certificates are non-transferable and a separate certificate is required per property. Savannah does not use a Tier 1/2/3 system; it regulates STRs through the overlay district and certificate process instead. (City of Savannah STVR - Short-Term Vacation Rentals (opens in a new tab), City of Savannah Short-term Vacation Rental Regulations (opens in a new tab), City of Savannah STVR Application Process (opens in a new tab), City of Savannah STVR overview and FAQ (official city PDF) (opens in a new tab)) | The non-refundable new STVR application fee is $400.00 and the non-refundable annual renewal application fee is $250.00, paid through the city's online Rentalscape portal. The STVR certificate is valid until December 31 and must be renewed annually. A Zoning Confirmation Letter costs $50.00 if the city must confirm zoning eligibility or off-street parking. (City of Savannah STVR - Short-Term Vacation Rentals (fees) (opens in a new tab), City of Savannah STVR Application Process (opens in a new tab), City of Savannah Short-term Vacation Rental Regulations (zoning letter fee) (opens in a new tab), City of Savannah STVR overview and FAQ (official city PDF, annual validity) (opens in a new tab)) | There is no owner-residency requirement, but new non-owner-occupied STVR certificates in the Downtown and Victorian historic districts are capped at 20% of residential parcels per ward; the city lists nearly all wards in both districts as having reached the cap and maintains a first-come, first-served waiting list. Owner-occupied parcels are exempt from the cap, certificates issued before September 28, 2017 are grandfathered, and in the Streetcar district all STVRs on TN-2 parcels must have two or more dwelling units, one of which must be owner-occupied. No annual limit on the number of rental nights per year was located in the cited official materials. (City of Savannah Short-term Vacation Rental Regulations (per-ward cap, occupancy) (opens in a new tab), City of Savannah STVR - Short-Term Vacation Rentals (opens in a new tab)) | Owners remit an 8% City of Savannah hotel/motel excise tax to the Revenue Department by the 20th of the following month (rate effective September 1, 2023 under O.C.G.A. 48-13-51(b)), plus 7% Georgia state use and sales tax to the Georgia Department of Revenue. The $5.00 per occupied room-night State Hotel-Motel Fee is collected by the innkeeper or marketplace platform on each calendar night until a stay reaches 31 consecutive days. Combined, this is 15% of the lodging charge plus $5.00 per occupied room night. (City of Savannah Local & State Taxes (STR tax page) (opens in a new tab), Georgia Department of Revenue State Hotel-Motel FAQ (opens in a new tab), City of Savannah Excise Tax Compliance Unit (opens in a new tab)) |
"Not found" means the restriction was not located in the linked official materials reviewed as of the update date. It does not prove that no later, uncodified, parcel-specific, or special-district rule applies.
Good to know
- City of Savannah, Chatham County, GA: Savannah allows STRs only in a small overlay area plus certain business and agricultural zones, and nearly every downtown and Victorian district ward is already at the 20% non-owner-occupied cap with a waitlist. Occupancy is limited to 4 adults for homes with up to two bedrooms and 2 adults per bedroom for three or more bedrooms, three code violations within a 12-month period triggers certificate revocation, and owners or agents must remit hotel/motel tax monthly. Properties outside city limits in unincorporated Chatham County follow a separate county STR certificate program with a $350 application fee, renewable annually by June 30. (City of Savannah Short-term Vacation Rental Regulations (opens in a new tab), City of Savannah STVR overview and FAQ (official city PDF) (opens in a new tab), Chatham County Building Safety Short Term Rental Certificate Information (opens in a new tab))
FAQ
Do you need a permit to run a short-term rental in Savannah, GA?
Yes. The City requires a Short-Term Vacation Rental (STVR) certificate before operating, and the property must be inside the STVR Overlay District (Downtown, Victorian or Streetcar local historic districts) or in B-C, B-N, B-L or A-1 zoning. A Business Tax Certificate is also required, each property needs its own certificate, the certificate must be posted inside the unit, and the certificate number must appear in every advertisement.
How much does a Savannah short-term rental permit cost?
A new STVR application costs $400 and each annual renewal costs $250, both non-refundable, paid through the city's online Rentalscape portal. The certificate is valid until December 31 and must be renewed every year. A $50 Zoning Confirmation Letter may also be needed to confirm zoning eligibility or off-street parking requirements.
Is there a cap on how many nights per year you can rent?
No annual night cap was located in the city's official materials. The limits are structural instead: stays are defined as 30 consecutive days or fewer, occupancy is capped at 4 adults for homes with up to two bedrooms and 2 adults per bedroom for three or more bedrooms, and new non-owner-occupied certificates in the Downtown and Victorian historic districts face a 20% per-ward cap, with most wards already at cap and a first-come, first-served waiting list.
What taxes do Savannah short-term rental guests and owners pay?
Guests effectively carry a combined 15% lodging charge plus a $5 per occupied room-night state fee: owners remit an 8% city hotel/motel excise tax to the Revenue Department monthly by the 20th of the following month, 7% Georgia state sales and use tax to the Department of Revenue, and the $5.00 per night State Hotel-Motel Fee, which marketplace platforms collect and remit when they book the stay.
General information, not legal advice. Short-term rental rules change, so verify current requirements with the jurisdiction before listing.