Held Atlanta rental plan would limit unhosted short stays to 90 nights a year

Atlanta's held short-term-rental proposal would limit unhosted rentals to 90 nights per calendar year and require each qualifying unit to be a permanent resident's primary residence. The text defines a permanent resident as someone occupying the home for at least 275 days a year.

Ordinance 26-O-1084 would create an Office of Short-Term Rentals within City Planning, establish a registry and require both owner and operator permits. Its stated purpose includes preserving residential housing stock and limiting short-term rentals to accessory uses of primary residences.

Booking platforms would need city permits and would verify a listing's registration and permits before publishing or booking it. They would recheck at least every 30 days and when host or property information changes. An unverified or illegal listing could bring a $1,000-per-day platform fine, with a defense when the city's verification system was inoperable and the platform made reasonable compliance efforts.

City Council returned the measure as held Sept. 21. The packet establishes proposed restrictions, not enactment of the office, rental limits or platform penalties.