GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Gwinnett County commissioners have approved a new ordinance that requires every short-term rental in unincorporated parts of the county to carry an annual license, pass a safety inspection and keep a local agent on call around the clock to handle complaints.
The ordinance, passed last week, marks the county’s latest attempt to regulate an industry that has grown quickly in recent years.
“We also have provisions where if they violate the ordinance repeatedly, we can suspend or revoke the license,” said Chris Hayward, assistant director of Gwinnett County Planning and Development.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson learned that the ordinance is the product of a task force the county set up in late 2023.
A group of 10 residents spent nine months digging into what was actually going wrong in neighborhoods. They reviewed data, heard from homeowners, looked at how other cities handle the same problems, and held two public forums that drew more than 80 residents.
What they heard was familiar.
Neighbors were dealing with parking headaches, late-night noise and a revolving door of strangers next door. Owners who lived out of state were often impossible to reach when something went wrong. The county looked to improve ways to know whether the homes being rented out were even safe.
“Property is expensive, so you want people in those homes that value the property and value your investment,” said Debrosia Griffin, a Gwinnett County realtor and homeowner.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Suspect police say killed woman while riding scooter on the run after officer-involved shooting
- Former Braves minor league player charged in deadly I-75 hit-and-run
- Drugs hidden in dolls, candy as dozens arrested at Atlanta pop-up marijuana event
Hayward said the license is the hook that makes every other rule stick. Without it, the county could issue citations but had little leverage. With it, repeat offenders can lose the ability to rent at all.
“What we put in place we feel like are very reasonable regulations that are really a way for us to be able to track where short-term rentals are and ensure that if there are code violations, if there are public safety issues, we have a mechanism to quickly address them,” Hayward said.
The county is now bringing in a third-party vendor to help run the licensing program and figure out how many short-term rentals are actually operating in Gwinnett County. Recent estimates put the number around 1,300.
“You have to have a standard to uphold the neighborhood and respect your neighbors,” Griffin said.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2026 Cox Media Group
