Athens-Clarke County Planning Commission chooses to extend the sunset period for the county’s short term rental ordinance. This comes as a result of a meeting held on May 1, 2025.

This decision grants owners of short term rental properties more time to make a plan moving forward before this big change is enacted. Short term rental properties are moving towards being prohibited in residential neighborhoods, if the owners do not actively live in said property.

Short term rental properties have been the subject for debate for some time now within the Athens community. Many members of the public feel some type of way towards decisions made towards this ordinance, both in support and in opposition.

“Parking is a problem. Trash is a problem. Calling the police is a problem” said Sid, a member of the public when the floor was open for public comments. Sid was referencing the numerous disturbances dealing with short term rental properties in his neighborhood. “This whole idea of STR [short term rental] has become way too complicated.” says Sid when discussing his confusion regarding the ordinances surrounding short term rental properties. 

This was a point reflected throughout the audience that night as there was a fair amount of confusion about what exactly the solution was going to be.  

“Guests that come in want to visit with their college students, and they don't want to do that in a hotel.” says Kathy, another member of the public that was there to voice her concerns. She was one of the many other members of the public that were there to discuss how these limitations on short term rental properties were affecting more than just the local community.

Athens gets a fair amount of tourists annually for big events such as concerts and football games. Members of the public, such as Kathy, fear that if restrictions were to be placed on the operations of short term rentals, it could have a large effect on people who have income dependent on tourists coming into Athens and renting places to stay.

The decision to extend the sunset period will now give these owners five years, as opposed to the two years decided before, to figure out what the best plan of action will be.

When asked about why the sunset clause is causing so many issues, Taylor Pass had this to say: “As a property owner you should be able to do what you want to do. You shouldn’t have to be forced into something that is going to affect you in a negative way.”