Is Kennesaw, Georgia Good for Airbnb Investment?

Use the City business-license guidance and its online property map to confirm that the address is inside Kennesaw. Tell Planning and Zoning how you plan to rent the property. Get written confirmation that the City permits short-term rental use at that address, the maximum number of guests, the required number of parking spaces, and whether the address requires a zoning approval, a permit, special permission to depart from a zoning rule, or a public hearing.

The City short-term-rental page states that no more than two short-term-rental properties are allowed. The page does not clearly say whether that limit applies citywide, per owner, per applicant, per parcel, or in another way. It also lists both a 250-foot distance and a 500-foot distance. Ask the Business License Office to state in writing what the two-property limit means, which distance controls, the exact locations where measurement starts and ends, how the distance is calculated, and whether this address qualifies. Some properties used for short stays before January 1, 2025 may have a City authorization to continue under the rules in effect before that date. Ask for that City document and the ordinance section supporting it. The City states that a sale, 12 months without short-term-rental use, or damage at or above the amount stated in the ordinance can end the prior authorization. Get a written City decision for the buyer’s planned ownership and use before purchase.

Kennesaw requires a Business License before issuing a Short-Term Rental Certificate, the City approval certificate for operating a short-term rental. Use the City’s current application page and portal. Ask which requirements apply when the owner is an individual, company, trust, or other entity. Review the City forms to identify who must sign under oath or before a notary, what notice must be given, who must receive it, and when proof is due. Prepare identification, proof of ownership, liability insurance, and company formation documents, called articles of organization or articles of incorporation, when required. The City says it issues the certificate after application review, payment, and required inspections. Ask where the certificate must be displayed.

The City says a property must pass its required fire and building inspections before it issues a short-term-rental certificate. Ask the City to identify each inspection, the office that performs it, the items inspected, the fee, and when the inspection is required for a new application, renewal, sale, or request to continue under earlier rules. Ask Planning and Zoning about permitted use. Ask Building Services for any certificate of occupancy and for permits, inspection records, and notices of required repairs. Ask Planning and Zoning to confirm the property’s permitted use and short-term-rental eligibility in writing.

The City short-term-rental page states that Kennesaw charges an 8% tax on short-stay charges covered by the City lodging tax rules. It also describes tax records needed for renewal. Ask the Business License Office which charges are taxed, who files and pays, which monthly tax forms are required, whether a form is required when no tax is due, when forms are due, which exemptions apply, what records to keep, and whether a reservation website or app such as Airbnb or Vrbo pays any part. The Georgia Department of Revenue says the state hotel and motel fee is generally $5 for each rented room for each night when the lodging provider, room, and stay meet its current rules. Ask the Department to confirm the fee, exclusions, exemptions, filing duty, payment duty, and whether the host or reservation platform collects and pays it.

The City page requires a named contact who can receive and respond to calls at all times. Ask the Business License Office whether this means 24-hour telephone availability, whether the person must remain within a stated distance, how quickly the person must respond or arrive, and when contact changes must be reported. Get written City confirmation of the maximum number of guests, the required number and location of parking spaces, applicable quiet hours or noise limits, and the ordinance sections that set those rules. Add the confirmed rules to the listing, house rules, and written instructions for the owner, manager, cleaners, and other workers.

Use Cobb County flood guidance and FEMA’s current official flood map to see whether the property appears in an area with a designated flood-risk level. Ask Kennesaw which office keeps grading, drainage, site-work, permit, and building records. Ask Cobb County Stormwater for County flood and drainage records. If a map shows a flood-risk area or records show flooding, drainage complaints, permit conditions, or drainage work, ask a qualified surveyor or engineer what property-specific work is needed. Get written confirmation that insurance covers short-term-rental use, the allowed number of guests, and features such as a pool, hot tub, deck, fireplace, trampoline, or water access.

Use the Cobb County Board of Tax Assessors and County property search to compare the owner name, parcel number, street address, assessed value, and land description. Follow the Cobb Superior Court Clerk’s instructions to find deeds, claims for unpaid debts, rights allowing others to use part of the property, and recorded limits on renting or using the property. Hire a Georgia real-estate attorney or qualified title examiner to verify the owner and identify filed claims or limits affecting the purchase. Ask the closing attorney whether to obtain a current survey showing property lines, legal access, rights to use the land, and the locations of buildings, additions, driveways, fences, pools, and other structures. Ask a Georgia real-estate attorney to review homeowners association rules, deed restrictions, leases, and loan terms for rental limits.

Create a buyer estimate using identified, dated evidence for the amount charged for one guest night and the number of nights expected to be booked and paid. Label every figure as an assumption and identify its source. Include the purchase, repairs, furniture, City license and certificate, required safety work, taxes, utilities, cleaning, maintenance, insurance, money set aside for repairs and emergencies, management, financing, and periods when the property cannot be rented. For a stated period, subtract operating costs and financing payments from assumed rental income. Show one estimate using the buyer’s stated assumptions and a second using fewer paid nights, lower prices, and higher expenses. Use both estimates only as planning scenarios.

Direct questions about whether the address qualifies, the rental certificate, the business license, and City lodging tax to the Business License Office through the City rental page. Direct questions about permitted use to Planning and Zoning. Direct permit and inspection-record questions to Building Services. Direct state-tax questions to the Georgia Department of Revenue. Use the Board of Tax Assessors for tax records, Cobb County Stormwater and FEMA for flood information, and the Cobb Superior Court Clerk for filed property records.