Short-term rentals are required to have a license as of July 1 in Gilmer County.
The ordinance was put into effect after a few deadline delays to allow for training and the website infrastructure to be built.
“We’re hitting some snags, but we are dealing with it,” said Gilmer County Chair Charlie Paris. “I think it is going to be OK.”
A big challenge was the online presence which was created by a contractor GovOS, according to Paris.
“It turned out to be more complex than what we thought it was going to be,” said Paris. “Or, more to the point, more complex than what GovOS thought it was going to be.”
Gilmer County Finance Officer Sandi Holden ended up being one of the primary points of contact for short-term rental owners.
“We were extremely busy the last couple of weeks,” she said. “It is going about as well as new implementations do. Most people are very understanding.”
Letters were sent to all identified short-term rental owners in Gilmer County.
“Everyone should have received a letter with login credentials,” Holden said.
If a short-term rental owner did not receive a letter, they should call Holden’s office at 706-635-4361.
As of July 7, there are 1,835 active short-term rentals licensed in Gilmer County. This year, the fee was prorated to $150 for six months. In 2026, the first full year, the cost of the license will be $300.
Holden said they found some properties sending taxes to Gilmer County which were actually in Fannin County and vice versa.
“We’re just asking people to be a little patient with us,” she said. “As with all things like this, you have some growing pains.”
Nicole Jones Tinker of Blue Sky Cabin Rentals said the properties they manage are signed up.
“Everything is in place,” she said. “On our end, everything feels like it is pretty smooth. It’s all doable.”
One piece which is not in place is the ability to remit taxes online.
“We’re adjusting,” Tinker said. “We will really know when the remitting system gets in place.”
Short-Term Rental FAQs click here: