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/STAY · LOCAL RULES · SAVANNAH, GA

Savannah short-term vacation rental rules

Short-term vacation rentals in Savannah are allowed only in the Downtown, Victorian and Streetcar historic districts, and each one needs a city certificate renewed every year. Downtown and Victorian wards cap non-owner-occupied rentals at 20%, and many wards are full.

Checked on Nov 11 2026 against the official pages below

The three things to know

PERMIT

A yearly STVR certificate: $400 new, $250 to renew, plus a city business tax certificate. Non-owner-occupied rentals are capped at 20% of the ward in the Downtown and Victorian districts, with a waiting list. Neighbors next door get notice before the first certificate.

DOOR NOTICE

A copy of the certificate posted inside with the agent's name, address, phone and email, the business tax certificate number, the most guests and the most vehicles. Your sample rental agreement is posted too. No outside sign or other visible sign of the rental is allowed.

TAX

8% city hotel-motel tax to the city by the 20th, Georgia sales tax (7% in Chatham County) and the state's $5 a night fee. Georgia says marketplaces collect the $5 fee on their bookings; the city's pages don't say platforms collect its 8%.

Print the door notice

Savannah asks for a posted copy of the certificate that shows these four things (sec. 8-11016). This prints them on one page to hang with the certificate copy and your sample rental agreement.

Type what you know. Anything left empty prints as a line to write on, so it works as a blank form too. What you type stays on this phone.

CITY OF SAVANNAH SHORT-TERM VACATION RENTAL

Rental information

Posted with the STVR certificate as required by Savannah City Code sec. 8-11016.

    Savannah City Code sec. 8-11016(a). Page made free at headedin.com/stay/rules/savannah/

    Prints one letter page. Post it inside with a copy of your STVR certificate and your sample rental agreement.

    What the rules say

    Who needs a certificate, and the ward cap
    • A whole home rented for 30 days in a row or less (sec. 8-11011), only inside the Downtown, Victorian and Streetcar historic districts.
    • Cap: "For parcels of land that are not owner-occupied, the short-term vacation rental use is limited to no more than 20% of residential parcels within the ward" (zoning sec. 7.5). Owner-occupied homes don't count toward it. Full wards keep a first-come waiting list.
    • Streetcar district (TN-2): only on parcels with two or more units where one is owner-occupied.
    • Fees (2026 Revenue Ordinance): $400 to apply, $250 a year to renew. Not refundable.
    • Apply in the city's online portal (upgraded Sept 28 2026), then get a business tax certificate; the STVR certificate comes after. Re-file the sworn package every year (sec. 8-11013).
    • Before the first certificate, notify the owners next door and give the city proof (sec. 8-11015). Certificates can't be transferred.
    What has to be posted
    "A legible copy of the short-term vacation rental unit certificate shall be posted within the unit and include all of the following information"Sec. 8-11016(a)
    1. The agent's name, address, phone and email.
    2. The business tax certificate number.
    3. The most guests.
    4. The most vehicles that may park there.

    Your sample rental agreement is "posted in the short-term vacation rental unit" too (sec. 8-11013(b)(2)), with the guest's acknowledgement of the noise limits, possible eviction and fines, and the guest and parking limits.

    Outside: nothing. "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 vacation rental" (zoning sec. 7.5).

    Guests, agent, ads and fines
    • Guests: "four (4) adults for dwelling units with no more than two bedrooms," otherwise "two (2) adults per bedroom" for certificates issued after Sept 28 2017.
    • Agent: reachable at all times and on site "within two hours following notification from the city" (sec. 8-11014). Tell the city within five business days if the agent changes.
    • Ads: the certificate number and the sample rental agreement go in every print, digital or online ad and listing (sec. 8-11013).
    • Fines (sec. 8-11017): $500, $750, then $1,000 within 12 months; three violations in 12 months revokes the certificate.
    • The city's 24/7 STVR complaint line for neighbors: 912-226-0320.
    Taxes
    "The new Hotel/Motel Excise Tax Rate is 8 percent (8%) effective September 1, 2023."City of Savannah, local and state taxes
    • City hotel-motel tax due to the Revenue Department by the 20th of the next month, on the first 30 days of a stay. The city's return has a line to deduct lodging taxed by a third party.
    • Georgia sales tax: 7% combined in Chatham County; register on the Georgia Tax Center.
    • $5 a night state fee for stays under 31 days. Georgia: "The marketplace innkeeper must collect and remit" for marketplace bookings; you file monthly for direct ones, zero months too.

    House rules go in your listing

    For bookings made from Nov 20 2026, Airbnb wants every house rule in the listing itself; signs in the house can only repeat them. This notice only carries what Savannah requires, so it adds no new rules. Put quiet hours, parking and the rest in your listing first.

    Official sources, read Nov 11 2026

    Plain-words summary, not legal advice. Rules and fees change, and the official page always wins. Checked Nov 11 2026.

    Help us get it right

    Host in Savannah? If a rule, fee or form here has changed, or we missed something, tell us. We check every note against the official source before we change a page, and we put the new checked date on it.

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