Union County Short Term Rental Code Enforcement

03/31/2026

As we come to a close on the 1st Quarter of 2026, I have a short-term rental (STR) license update!

As of today, March 31, 2026, Union County has 516 active licenses. The Union County STR Ordinance caps the maximum number of licenses at 5% of the total county residential units.

01/15/2026

I am retiring from this position effective January 30th, 2026. It has been my honor to serve the residents and STR owners of Union County during my time as the Short-Term Rental Enforcement Officer.

With that being said, I'd like to introduce my replacement, Megan Kimsey. Megan brings a wealth of knowledge regarding Union County residents as well as businesses. She has been a member of the Downtown Development Authority Board for 5 years, and you may also recognize her from her time as the CEO of Grandaddy Mimm’s Distilling Co. in downtown.

The following information will be helpful when you need to contact her regarding any STR-related questions.

• Changes to the STR Office:
o The Short Term Enforcement (SEO) email will NOT change. Please continue to send all communication to [email protected].
o The SEO phone numbers (Office: 706-439-6122 and Cell: 706-897-3786) will no longer be active after January 30th, 2026. Beginning February 2, please call 706-439-6000 and ask to speak to Megan Kimsey.
o The STR Office will now be located at the Commissioner’s Office at 65 Courthouse Street, Suite 1. Megan will be available Monday-Friday 8:30AM-4:30PM.
o Duties: Megan has been hired into a dual role. Along with STR duties, she will also be an administrative assistant in the Commissioner’s Office. Please be patient as she works to keep all the plates spinning at the same time. 😊

After training Megan for just a few weeks, I already know that I am leaving all STR-related "stuff" in excellent hands!

09/10/2025

Did you know that out of 473 short term rentals in Union County, 60% have a max occupancy of 6? And 90% have a max occupancy of 8!

34 short term rentals can sleep 10, nine can sleep 12 and only five can sleep 15 (which is the max for all STR in Union County).

Tourist Accommodations such as Killin Tyme cabins or Misty Mountain Inn do not have occupancy limits.

08/22/2025

As of today, Friday August 22, we have 457 active STR permits in Union County. The cap on permits is 5% of total housing units, which means we can have up to 760 active STR units. With over 300 permits still available, I don't think we'll reach that cap anytime soon!

01/02/2025

As of today, Jan. 2, 2025, Union County has 470 actively licensed short term rental (STR) houses. The ordinance caps total licenses available at 5% of total housing units, which equates to 760.

12/03/2024

As of today, Dec. 3, 2024, Union County has 473 actively licensed short term rental (STR) houses. The ordinance caps total licenses available at 5% of total housing units, which equates to 760.

11/01/2024

As of today, Nov. 1, 2024, Union County has 477 actively licensed short term rental (STR) houses. This is down from 486 at the beginning of last month. With the cap set at 760, which is 5% of total housing units, I think it will be a LONG time before we run out of licenses!

10/03/2024

As of today, Oct. 3, 2024, Union County has 486 actively licensed short term rental (STR) houses. Compare that number to this same day last year, when we had 572 actively licensed STR. Most owners who didn't renew this year told me if was for 1 of 2 reasons: 1.) managing an STR is harder than they thought it would be, and 2.) they weren't seeing the returns they expected.

09/13/2024

Campfire season is HERE! I thought I would take this opportunity to educate and remind everyone about fire safety. The following is from our Fire Department Chief, David Dyer. He also serves on our STR Governance Board.

There is nothing in the STR ordinance concerning outdoor burning or fire pits. Most of the regulations or guidelines below are from the Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC).

Each property or homeowner is responsible for the fire safety of their own property. If homeowners are concerned about wildfires in their area, they should follow the practices of Firewise to protect their own property. Homeowners have the option of having a free Firewise Assessment performed by the local Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) by calling 706-781-2398.

Recreational fires, such as fire pits/campfires, are allowed in Georgia and Union County unless there is a county burn ban. There is not a county burn ban currently. Those are rare and are determined by the fire department and county government with the guidance from Georgia Forestry Commission and the National Weather service. Most of this is determined by the fire danger and draught. This information can be found online every day. We are currently classified as D1 (Moderate Drought) Data valid: September 10, 2024, at 8 a.m. EDT. The scale is from D0 (Abnormally Dry) to D4 (Exceptional Drought).
Fire bans are usually not considered until D3. The last burn ban that we declared was in 2016-2017 season.

If you’re at your property doing some outdoor clean-up, there is no need for a burning permit for outdoor burning as long as the property owner is burning hand piled, natural materials and they are following the safety guidelines of the GFC.

For more information on these subjects and how to protect your home...
https://gatrees.org/fire-prevention-suppression
https://www.nfpa.org/education-and-research/wildfire/firewise-usa

NFPA's Firewise USA® program teaches people how to adapt to living with wildfire and encourages neighbors to work together and take action.

09/10/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/RcwmT4hFa9oTUfBR/

Commissioner’s Q & A originally published by the North GA News on July 16, 2024:

Short-Term Rentals (STR) – Part 1.

My office has received some inquiries about Short-Term-Rentals (STR) in Union County. The next two week’s Q & A will discuss this topic through questions that have been posed to my office.

Q1. What is a Short-Term-Rental (STR)?

A1. Every county defines STR differently. The current Union County Ordinance defining and outlining STRs went into effect back in April 2024.
The State of Georgia passed legislation that defines a Short-Term Rental (STR) as any shelter rented for less than 30 days. This includes tents, campers, RVs and treehouses as well as traditional dwellings. Union County’s ordinance aligns with the State guidelines pertaining to STRs.

Q2. Do we have any STR or Lodging Accommodations in Union County?

A2. According to our current licensing data, we have around 558 STRs in Union County. Here’s what many people don’t know: In 2013, we began requiring these Lodging Accommodations to register with the Union County Commissioner’s Office by purchasing a business license in order to operate. This license does several things, but most importantly, it allows Union County Government to collect Hotel/Motel taxes on rental revenue. Why is this important? The taxes help to offset additional infrastructure costs that might be associated with having more visitors in our county. It also allows the Union County Government to monitor how many rental units are operating within the County.

Q3. Is it possible that someone could have a local STR without reporting it to Union County?

A3. Yes, it is possible for a short period of time. However, recent Georgia legislation requires all third-party organizations (VRBO, AirBnB, etc.) to collect state and local taxes and to remit those taxes to the appropriate governmental agency. In other words, for any rental property located in Union County that is advertised through VRBO, AirBnB, etc., the third-party agency collects Union County Hotel/Motel taxes and remits that money to the Union County Tax Commissioner’s Office.

Q4. I have a vacation rental next door to me. I don’t think they have applied for a business license. How can you identify some of the STRs that are slipping through the cracks?

A4. Union County has recently contracted with a company that is in business to do this exact thing. The company releases data crawlers (Internet searches), which locate and identify rental properties in Union County that are mentioned on the Internet. The company continuously builds on an STR database based on the data collected about STR properties in Union County. This information will provide valuable contact information so that we can ensure that local vacation rentals are registered with the Union County Government.

Q5. I don’t really understand the role that VRBO, AirBnB, Vacasa, and Homeaway play in this situation. Can you clarify how it all works?

A5. Here’s how it works: These companies market homes on their website – letting the public know about their availability. Vacationers want to know about property location, availability, bedrooms, bathrooms, amenities, restrictions, etc. These sites provide vacationers with this type of information so that educated choices can be made about where they might stay. Potential vacationers can also see photos of properties. Vacation homes can then be reserved through the third-party website. Most third-party websites require payment by credit card, so the entire transaction is done online. Vacationers show up during their scheduled week. That’s a simple example of how these companies play a role in helping people find available properties and helping owners to rent their properties.

You will learn more about Short-Term Rentals in next week’s Q & A.

09/05/2024

All STR licenses were set to expire on July 31, 2024. There is a 30 day grace period until Aug. 31, after which a $75 late fee was added. Renewal notices were sent weekly to all license holders beginning on June 4. As of today, Sept. 5, we have processed 467 renewals.

08/02/2024

STR LICENSES AVAILABLE AS OF AUGUST 2: 235
I post the number of licenses still available at the beginning of each month. You can always call me at 706-439-6122 and ask how many are available.
As of August 2, there are 444 active STR licenses in use, and 81 pending. They are pending because they haven't completed the renewal process. There is a 30 day grace period with no late fee.