Proposed Mableton rules would ban short-term rentals in backyard units and require owners to live on site
The Planning Commission is scheduled to take up the zoning changes, which also cover gas pump distances and stalled rezonings, on Nov. 5.
Mableton homeowners with a backyard cottage or other accessory unit could not rent it out as a short-term rental, and would have to live on the property, under a proposed zoning amendment, according to minutes of an Oct. 26 City Council work session.
The Mableton Planning Commission is scheduled to consider the amendment, TEXT-2026-002, at its Nov. 5 meeting.
City staff briefed the council on the proposal on Oct. 26. The minutes record no vote on the item. According to the minutes, Planning and Zoning Manager LeDarius Scott said the amendment would tighten the city's existing limits on accessory dwelling units. It would also clarify how the public is notified about variance requests and temporary land use permits, add a "reversion clause" for rezonings and set distance requirements for gas pumps.
Accessory dwelling units
The city code calls these units "habitable accessory dwelling units," or HADUs. The minutes say they are allowed on single-family residential property in the R-12, R-15, R-20, R-40 and R-80 zoning districts.
According to the minutes, the proposal says a HADU "shall not be utilized as a short-term rental property," and the owners "shall reside in either the primary single-family residence or the HADU."
The size limit would not change. A unit could be no larger than half the main house's gross square footage, up to 1,000 square feet. Scott said the 16-foot height limit in the current code would still apply.
It is not clear that the zoning ordinance defines "short-term rental." When Mayor Michael Owens asked where the definition was, Deputy Community Development Director Tina Garver said it was in the licensing regulations and that she would check whether the zoning code has one. Owens described short-term rentals as stays of less than 30 days. He also said the council should discuss the ban before the amendments went to the Planning Commission.
Gas pumps and stalled rezonings
The council reviewed Section 7.09, which covers gasoline pumps, electric car charging stations and canopies. The minutes record discussion of "the 600-foot from the property line and 1000 foot buffer of the proposed fuel-related use wording." They do not explain how the two figures relate or which one is in the draft.
The reversion clause would apply to rezonings that the mayor and council did not apply for. If no land development permit, building permit or certificate of occupancy has been issued within 12 months of approval, the council could start a review of the property's zoning.
Stream buffers
Garver described an erosion and sediment control ordinance as "the second portion of the text amendments," according to the minutes. She said it is not a zoning measure, so it will go straight to the council without a Planning Commission review. She had no draft at the session. She said it would combine the city's existing ordinance with a regional model ordinance and Cobb County's rules. It would also clarify the 50- and 75-foot stream buffers, keep Cobb's larger buffers on some creeks and set out how to apply for variances.
What's next
The Planning Commission agenda lists the Nov. 5 meeting for 6:30 p.m. at 5656 Mableton Parkway. A clerk's note in the Oct. 26 minutes, written about a different item, says the Nov. 5 hearing will be "at Cobb Works." The documents do not say whether these are the same place. The documents reviewed did not include council dates for TEXT-2026-002. Hello Mableton has not seen the full draft text of the amendment, so details may differ from the minutes' summary.