HostReady$175 Annual License, 30-Day Clock, and an 8% Tax: DeKalb County's STR Crackdown Is Live
As of May 20, 2026, every short-term rental operator advertising a property in DeKalb County, Georgia has 30 days to obtain a new annual license or risk enforcement action. The county launched its formal Short-Term Rental program that day, setting a hard deadline of approximately June 19, 2026 for existing operators to come into compliance. The license fee is $175 per year, and operators must simultaneously register to remit an 8% hotel-motel tax on the 20th of every month. This is not a soft rollout: the county has explicitly flagged unlicensed advertising on platforms including Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com as a violation.
The Numbers
Every material data point from the DeKalb County STR program is consolidated below.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| License fee | $175 per year |
| Renewal frequency | Annual |
| Program launch date | May 20, 2026 |
| Compliance deadline for existing operators | 30 days from May 20, 2026 (approx. June 19, 2026) |
| Hotel-motel tax rate | 8% of gross rental revenue |
| Tax remittance due date | The 20th of every month |
| State lodging tax rate | 4% |
| Maximum rental period covered | 30 consecutive days or fewer |
| Maximum overnight occupancy | 10 persons total (2 per sleeping room plus 2 additional) |
| Maximum daytime guests | Overnight occupancy plus 4 visitors, or 14 persons, whichever is less |
| Local contact response time | 60 minutes, including on-site visit if necessary |
| Local contact minimum age | 21 years old |
| Permit cap | 150 permits countywide |
| Permit transferable | No |
| Historic district properties | Not eligible for a license |
| Insurance required | Yes |
| Noise restrictions | Yes; outdoor amplified sound (beyond household speakers) prohibited |
| Application portal | portal.deckard.com/ga-dekalb-str-portal |
| Program information page | engagedekalb.dekalbcountyga.gov/short-term-rental |
Regulatory Context
DeKalb County's new framework is one of the more comprehensive STR regimes in the Atlanta metro area. The combined lodging tax burden on a DeKalb STR is 12% when the county's 8% hotel-motel tax is stacked on top of Georgia's 4% state lodging tax. That means a property generating $3,000 per month in gross rental revenue owes $360 in county tax alone, due by the 20th of the following month, every month.
The ordinance defines a short-term rental as any room, lodging, or overnight accommodation rented for 30 consecutive days or fewer, explicitly including listings on Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com. Owner-occupancy is not required, meaning investment properties and non-owner-occupied homes are fully subject to the rules. Primary residence status is also not a prerequisite for licensing.
A hard countywide permit cap of 150 licenses is in place. Permits are non-transferable, meaning a sale of the property does not carry the license to the new owner. Properties located in historic districts are categorically ineligible. Accessory structures, non-habitable structures, and temporary structures such as RVs, tents, and yurts cannot be licensed. In duplexes and stacked flats, no more than one unit per building may operate as an STR at any given time.
Enforcement is currently characterized as complaint-driven rather than proactive. The practical risk of detection is highest for operators who generate neighbor complaints, particularly those who have marketed properties as party venues or event spaces, which is now explicitly prohibited.
What Changed and Why
The county's own news release points directly to "party houses" as the catalyst. DeKalb had documented a pattern of residential properties being advertised on STR platforms specifically as party venues, generating noise complaints, parking conflicts, and nuisance calls that disrupted neighborhoods. The new ordinance directly bans advertising any licensed STR as a party house or event venue.
The program was formally launched on May 20, 2026, with the application portal going live the same day at portal.deckard.com/ga-dekalb-str-portal. The county explicitly warned operators not to use its existing ePermitting system for STR applications, indicating this is a purpose-built, standalone compliance infrastructure. The 30-day grace period for existing operators to apply reflects a structured rollout rather than an immediate enforcement sweep, but the clock is running.
The 150-permit cap adds urgency: operators who delay risk being locked out of the program entirely if the cap fills before they apply. Permits are issued on a first-come, first-served basis with no grandfather provisions for operators who were running before the ordinance took effect.
What Operators Must Do Now
- Apply for your DeKalb County STR license immediately. The application portal is live at portal.deckard.com/ga-dekalb-str-portal. The deadline for existing operators is 30 days from May 20, 2026 (approximately June 19, 2026). The fee is $175. Do not use the county's standard ePermitting system; it will not process STR applications.
- Designate a qualified 24-hour local contact before submitting your application. This person must be at least 21 years old, available around the clock, and able to physically reach the property within 60 minutes of being contacted. Their name, address, and phone number must appear in every online listing.
- Register for and begin remitting the 8% hotel-motel tax. Tax is due on the 20th of every month based on the prior month's gross rental revenue. At a combined county-plus-state rate of 12%, a $2,000 booking generates $240 in total lodging tax. Registration information is available through the DeKalb County tax commissioner's office.
- Audit your listings for prohibited content and missing disclosures. Remove any language marketing the property as a party house or event venue. Add required disclosures to every listing: maximum occupancy (10 persons overnight), maximum vehicles, noise ordinance notice, outdoor amplified sound prohibition, and the local contact's full name, address, and phone number.
- Confirm your property's eligibility before applying. Properties in historic districts are categorically ineligible. Accessory structures, RVs, tents, and non-habitable structures cannot be licensed. If your property is in a duplex or stacked flat, verify no other unit in the building is already licensed. If your property is governed by an HOA, obtain written authorization from the association before submitting your application.
- Secure STR insurance coverage. The ordinance requires insurance. Confirm your existing homeowner's or landlord policy covers short-term rental activity; most standard policies do not. Obtain a rider or a dedicated STR policy before your license is issued.
Bottom Line
The cost of compliance in DeKalb County is $175 per year for the license plus 8% of gross revenue in county hotel-motel tax every month. On a property earning $30,000 annually, that is $2,400 in county tax plus the $175 license fee, totaling roughly $2,575 per year in direct compliance costs before state tax. The cost of non-compliance is harder to quantify precisely because the county has not published a per-day fine schedule, but operating without a license exposes operators to enforcement action, potential delisting pressure from platforms, and permanent ineligibility if the 150-permit cap fills while they wait. Given that the cap is a hard ceiling and permits are non-transferable, the operators most at risk are those who assume the 30-day window is a soft deadline. It is not.
For the complete Decatur compliance guide including tax calculator, checklist, and daily monitoring, see Decatur, GA STR Regulations.
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