Hapeville STR Regulations: Chance of getting a permit

[Eric Erby]

I was wondering if anybody had any advice on how to determine the number of owner occupied STR's in an area? More details about my specific situation below.

I am a first-time homebuyer under contract for a SFH in Hapeville,GA. My plan is to househack the property and rent out the top unit as a STR. Starting Dec 1st Hapeville will be rolling out new regulations and require STR's to have a permit. You must be an owner occupant and have a current homestead exemption, so I won't be able to apply for the permit until next year. The city of Hapeville shared data that they estimate there were 109 STR's in 2019 and only plan to issue 100 permits. I believe that the # of STR's in the area should have increased since 2019, but all of them may not be owner occupied. Does anybody have any advice on what I should do to better understand my chance of getting a future permit?

Thank in advance for any advice. I am new posting on the forum so apologies for any mistakes or oversight I may have made. 

[Eric Erby]

Thanks for the advice @Michael Baum. The city was able give me info on the process but not the future demand for permits. I checked AirDNA and only counted 101 active properties in the area. Since I assume some of those will not be owner occupied, I feel comfortable going forward with the transaction.