South Beach & the Pier Property Management

Yes, and it is the structural reason the South End trades differently. Tybee's freeze since October 2022 applies to the R-1, R-1-B and R-2 residential districts — it does not close off the business-zoned core here. That distinction survives the overhaul too: from 1 January 2027 the sector system permits up to 60 percent of homes in the eastern and southern sectors, which take in the beach and commercial district, against 30 percent in the western and northern residential sectors. Even so, certificates are specific to an address rather than to a zone, so we confirm the position on the actual parcel before anyone commits to a purchase.

Certificates run the calendar year, 1 January to 31 December, and renew annually. Occupancy is two adults per bedroom plus two additional adults for the dwelling. The fee is a $200 base regulatory charge per applicant plus a further occupancy-based amount scaled to the unit. A 7 percent local Occupational Room Tax is remitted monthly, due by the 20th of the following month. Vehicles may not exceed the property's permitted parking capacity, must display a parking pass and must sit in the driveway or designated area rather than on the street — on an island this constrained, parking is a genuine enforcement issue rather than a formality. These are the rules as they stand today; a significant amendment takes effect on 1 January 2027 and is described below.

Yes, and it is worth planning around now. In August 2026 the council passed an amendment, reported as a 4-1 vote, that replaces the blanket residential freeze with a sector system from 1 January 2027. The island is divided into four sectors: the eastern and southern sectors covering the beach and commercial district may have up to 60 percent of homes operating as short-term rentals, while the western and northern residential sectors are capped at 30 percent, explicitly to protect neighbourhood character. The amendment also adds an emergency contact requirement with a fine for failing to designate one. We have not been able to confirm the final ordinance number or whether every element of the proposal survived into the adopted text, and the city has said it will run public workshops before the effective date. Treat the numbers as the shape of what is coming and confirm the detail closer to the time — we will be doing exactly that for the properties we manage.

On this end, yes, and it is where flat pricing costs the most. The pier drives fishing and fireworks traffic, Tybee Island Pirate Fest fills the island every October and books out well ahead, and New Year's Eve fireworks at the pier create a genuine winter peak on an island that would otherwise be dead in January. A property four blocks from all of that priced at a flat nightly rate through the year is leaving the easiest money on the table.