Is short-term rental legal in Savannah, GA?
Savannah issues Short-Term Vacation Rental (STVR) certificates in the wards where STVR is allowed — with ward-level caps (20% of units in the Victorian District wards) that close whole neighborhoods when they fill.
Rules checked October 2026
Run the Savannah verdict on your facts
| What counts as a short-term rental | Savannah issues Short-Term Vacation Rental (STVR) certificates in the wards where STVR is allowed — with ward-level caps (20% of units in the Victorian District wards) that close whole neighborhoods when they fill. |
|---|---|
| Permit / license | STVR Certificate — issued by City of Savannah |
| Fee | Certificate about $250 (city schedule) |
| Renewal | Annual renewal |
| Primary-residence rule | No primary-residence rule; the ward cap and zoning do the limiting. |
| Whole-home rental | Whole-home rental is the standard certificated form where the ward is open. |
| Night cap | — |
| Guests / occupancy | Occupancy by certificate |
| Minimum stay | None |
| Zoning | Ward caps (20% in the Victorian District) + the STVR-eligible map decide availability. |
| Density / scarcity | Ward-level caps (20% of units in Victorian District wards) |
| Fines | Operating without a certificate draws city fines and certificate ineligibility |
| Taxes | City occupational tax + state/local hotel taxes accompany the certificate. |
| Platform duties | Certificate numbers belong in ads. |
| State layer | No state preemption; Atlanta licenses STRs (primary residence), Savannah certificates them by ward, most suburbs regulate lightly or not at all. |
What trips hosts in Savannah
- Savannah's ward caps make the certificate itself a scarce asset — lapsing one in a full ward is a business-ending clerical error.
The private layer still applies
These are the city's rules. Your HOA, condo board, lease or mortgage can say no on top of them — that layer is printed as a warning in the checker, never merged into the city's verdict.
Sources: Savannah Code (STVR ordinance) · City of Savannah STVR program. Rules checked October 2026.