Get the data pack
The Coastal SC STR Rules Data Pack: every rule on this site as a spreadsheet (CSV and Excel) with source links, a renewal deadline calendar (.ics) with reminders, and a 1-page quick start. $19.
Get the data packNo pending change foundLast verified 2026-10-25
Three permit types with 72-day and 144-day caps; new Oct 13, 2026 rules tie parking to every bedroom and sleeping area and bar tents, RVs and boats.
Not legal advice. This is a plain-language summary of public sources, last checked 2026-10-25. Rules change, and some items are pending. Always verify with the municipality or county before you buy, list, or renew. Each fact links to its official source.
| Topic | What the official sources say |
|---|---|
| Allowed and where | Limited Home Rental (LHR): RM, AG-15, AG-10, AG-8, AGR, RR, S-3, R-4, MHS, UR (including Goat Island). Extended Home Rental (EHR): AG-8 and AGR (bona fide agriculture plus owner voting or ID address), S-3, R-4, MHS, by Board of Zoning Appeals Special Exception. Commercial Guest House (CGH): RO, GO, NC, RC, CC. Dewees Island is handled separately (Art. 5.16). Tents, RVs, boats, sheds and garages may not be used as STRs. |
| Permit or license | County STR zoning permit (LHR, EHR or CGH) plus a business license; both numbers must appear on every ad. Building Safety Permit required. Max stay 29 consecutive days. |
| Fees | Annual zoning fee per the current renewal packet: LHR $100, EHR $200, CGH $300. An older 2018 fee schedule shows $50, $100 and $150, so confirm the current figure with Zoning. Business license fee: unknown. Source: www.charlestoncounty.org |
| Caps or wait list | No countywide number cap. Day caps: LHR 72 rental days per year per lot; EHR 144 days per year; CGH no limit. |
| Owner-occupancy | LHR must be owner-occupied. EHR and CGH have no owner-occupancy requirement. Source: www.charlestoncounty.gov |
| Occupancy limit | No fixed guest number found. Applications must list bedrooms and designated sleeping areas; using 5 or more bedrooms may trigger additional building code requirements. |
| Parking | 1 off-street space per permitted bedroom and per designated sleeping area, plus the parking the principal use already requires. Source: www.charlestoncounty.gov |
| Taxes on stays | 12% total: state sales 5%, state accommodations 2%, local option 1%, transportation 1%, education capital improvement 1% (10%, remitted to SCDOR per ST-575); Charleston County accommodations fee 2% (Ord. 910, stays under 30 days, remitted to Charleston County Revenue Collections by the 20th). Airbnb and Vrbo collect and remit the state taxes and the County fee here; the host still reports monthly gross receipts to the County. Mandatory cleaning and other required fees are part of the taxable rental charge; optional services the guest can decline are not (SCDOR Sales Tax Manual Ch. 11, Q6 to Q9). |
| Registration and renewal | Renew by Dec 31 each year. Within 15 days of LHR permit issuance or renewal, the county digitally notifies Parties in Interest and Community Interest lists. Gross receipts for license and tax filings. The $19 Airbnb Host Tracker totals your gross rental income by month, for each property or all properties together: rent, cleaning and other guest fees from Airbnb, Vrbo and direct stays, before platform fees. Stays are counted in the month they check in. Take a look |
| Recent changes (dated) | Feb 24, 2026: Ord. 2377 lets the Zoning Director deny STR applications for up to 2 years after enforcement finds unpermitted operation (Post and Courier reported 196 unpermitted properties vs 220 permits issued in 2025). Apr 28, 2026: Ord. 2387 adopted (neighbor digital notice, restated permit table). Oct 13, 2026: Ord. 2409 adopted (bedrooms plus sleeping areas on applications, tents/RVs/boats/sheds/garages barred, parking per bedroom and sleeping area). |
Printable checklist. Charleston County (unincorporated) short-term rental host checklist: the rules above as step by step boxes to tick, with sources.
Estimate the lodging tax on a booking in Charleston County (unincorporated) with the free Keel & Charter calculator.
What will you keep after taxes and fees? Try the free Charleston County (unincorporated) take-home calculator
One email a month: what changed, what is pending, and the dates that matter. Free.
Free, one email a month from Keel & Charter. We send one email to confirm your address first. Every issue has an unsubscribe link, and replying with the word unsubscribe also works.
Simple spreadsheets and printables for running a rental. Instant download.
The Coastal SC STR Rules Data Pack: every rule on this site as a spreadsheet (CSV and Excel) with source links, a renewal deadline calendar (.ics) with reminders, and a 1-page quick start. $19.
Get the data packPick your area and the permit type, renewal rule, tax stack and official link fill in. Type your expiry dates and each renewal turns red at 30 days or less, gold at 31 to 60. A Tax Filing Log and a Renewal Calendar with 17 published deadlines. Excel, works in Google Sheets.
Get the trackerThree tools in one download: the $19 Rules Data Pack, the $24 Permit and Renewal Tracker and the $39 ListingLift Full Report Kit, an offline tool that turns your own listing into a printable fix list. $33 less than buying all three.
Get the bundleIncome tracker, turnover schedule, house rules and Wi-Fi signs in one download.
Get itTurnaround windows, cleaner status and pay, and a supplies reorder list.
Get itGet a free score out of 100 and your top 3 fixes in under a minute with ListingLift by Keel & Charter. Want the full report? The $39 ListingLift Full Report Kit is an instant download that builds title options, an amenity gap list, a house rules check and a 30-day plan. Get it with the Rules Data Pack and the Permit and Renewal Tracker in the $49 Coastal SC Host Bundle.
Score my listing free