Henry considering short-term rental ordinance for county

Henry County is considering creating an ordinance to regulate short-term rentals.

Henry County is considering creating an ordinance to regulate short-term rentals.

Henry County is considering an ordinance that will put rules around turning a home into an Airbnb or other short-term rental property.

The south metro Atlanta community is looking at making it illegal to hold parties at short-term rentals, to have more than one-car per bedroom in houses dedicated to the sector and to implement licenses and fees.

In an effort to avoid large corporations buying multiple houses to turn into short-term rentals, the county also is considering limiting how many houses a homeowner can put on the short-term rental market.

“At this time the Henry County code ordinances does not address and regulate short-term rentals,” county planner Kenta Lanham told the Henry Board of Commissioners at its meeting Wednesday. “Right now it is sort of a free-for-all. We are hoping to address that with this ordinance.”

A growing number of municipalities in the metro area have created ordinances to oversee short-term rentals, including Atlanta, East Point, Smyrna, Stockbridge and Hall County. Their numbers have grown as residents in communities with large numbers of short-term properties have complained about noise, parties and parking issues.

Several Henry residents supported an ordinance Wednesday during a public hearing, saying that short-term rentals in their communities had become nuisances.

Henry leaders emphasized that they are at the beginning of discussions on an ordinance governing short-term rentals and that Wednesday’s presentation for discussion-only. They did not say if or when a formal ordinance would come before the board for adoption.