Chatham County Caps Short-Term Rentals at 5% Per District

If you operate a short-term rental in unincorporated Chatham County, your market just got a hard ceiling. County commissioners voted unanimously on September 25, 2026 to cap non-homesteaded rentals at 5% of housing stock in each district, effective immediately for new license applications. The vote also lifted the county's existing moratorium on new applications, meaning the race to claim one of those limited slots has already begun.

What the New Rules Actually Say

The ordinance divides unincorporated Chatham County into short-term rental districts drawn along police response neighborhood boundaries. Non-homesteaded rentals, meaning properties where the license holder does not live on-site, are capped at five percent in each district. Homestead rentals, where the owner lives on the property, are exempt from the cap entirely.

Beyond the cap, the rules set firm operational limits. No rental may host more than 15 occupants. For homes on private septic systems, occupancy drops further, to two adults per bedroom. Every rental must provide one onsite parking space per bedroom, and street parking does not count toward that requirement. Owners must also designate two local points of contact who can respond to complaints within three hours, and rental notices must display the license number, allowable occupancy, parking rules, and noise restrictions.

The Deadline That Actually Matters

If you already hold a license, you have a runway, but it is shorter than it sounds. Existing licenses remain valid through June 30, 2027. Starting July 1, 2027, every renewal must comply with the new rules, including the district cap. If your district is already at or above 5% when you go to renew, you may not get your license back. The amendment applies to new license applications beginning immediately, so the clock is running for anyone who has been waiting out the moratorium.

Why Commissioners Acted Now

The pressure to act came from residents in areas like Talahi Island, which County Chairman Chester Ellis specifically named as a flashpoint. At a public hearing, resident Bob Burrows described a rental on his street advertised online for up to 23 guests with 17 beds. "They put bedrooms in the garage. All of a sudden, like a five bedroom house, they try to sell it to you as an eight bedroom house. So they try to jam like 16 or 17 people in there every day," Burrows told commissioners.

Ellis cited a separate case where a rental booked for 10 guests was occupied by a 20-person lacrosse team, causing the septic system to malfunction. District 4 resident Diana Graham put the neighborhood impact plainly: "Just over 10% of the houses on my street are short term rentals, and at that amount it can be really disruptive, to say the least."

The real estate industry pushed back. A representative for Savannah Area Realtors asked commissioners to raise the cap slightly to protect operators already holding licenses near the threshold. Ellis acknowledged the concern, telling WJCL, "We took in what she said, and we're going to look at that. And so that's what I mean by we'll be doing some tweaking." That signals the 5% figure could shift, but hosts should plan around the current rule until any change is official.

Enforcement Is Not Optional

The county is not relying on self-reporting. Building Safety and Regulatory Services will investigate complaints, and the county has hired a third-party vendor specifically to identify unlicensed rentals. Chairman Ellis urged neighbors to report problem properties, warning that unreported issues will not be addressed. An interactive map of short-term rentals in the unincorporated area has already been published by county officials.

For hosts operating in the City of Savannah rather than unincorporated Chatham County, separate city rules apply, including a 15% total tax rate on short-term rental revenue, with a 7% state component and an 8% local component, due monthly by the 20th of each month.

What to Do Right Now

• Check whether your property is in unincorporated Chatham County or within a city limit. These new rules apply only to unincorporated areas.
• Find out your district's current STR saturation using the county's interactive map before applying for or renewing a license.
• Audit your occupancy setup. The 15-person hard cap and the septic-based two-adults-per-bedroom rule could require changes to how you list and market your property.
• Count your parking spaces. Street parking does not count, and you need one onsite space per bedroom.
• Line up two local contacts who can respond within three hours. This is a licensing requirement, not a suggestion.
• Mark July 1, 2027 as your hard renewal deadline and begin compliance review well before then.

For the complete Savannah compliance guide including tax calculator, checklist, and daily monitoring, see Savannah, GA STR Regulations.