Tybee Island, Georgia

Tybee Island requires an annual Short-Term Rental Certificate for any accommodation rented to transient guests for fewer than 30 consecutive days. Certificates run the calendar year and must be renewed each year between January 1 and March 31, though the deadline was extended to May 31 for 2026. Fees are a $200 base annual fee plus a per-person occupancy fee, $10 per person for 1 to 5 occupants, $15 per person for 6 to 10, and $20 per person above 10, plus an Occupational Tax Certificate (business license) costing an additional $135 where required. Operators must remit a 7% local hotel/motel tax to the city Finance Department by the 20th of each following month, and monthly returns must be filed even when no tax is due. A June 2024 ordinance sharply tightened rules: it banned new STR certificates in residential zones R-1, R-1-B, and R-2 and prohibited transferring certificates when a property sells, effectively phasing out rentals in those neighborhoods over time; commercial and beach-area zones remain open to new certificates. The city runs an aggressive enforcement program monitoring online booking platforms, with fines reported to range from roughly $500 to $5,000 and repeat or egregious violations risking suspension or revocation of the certificate. Property owners sued the city over the rules in January 2026, and in May 2026 the city proposed replacing the phase-out with a four-zone cap system, up to 60% of homes in beach and commercial zones and 30% in residential zones, plus a waiting list and extended weekend code-enforcement hours; the proposal is pending planning commission review. Enforcement overall is classified as strict. Investors should verify a property’s zoning and existing certificate status before purchasing, since the transfer ban means an existing STR right may not survive a sale in restricted zones.