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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
Capped licenses in R1 and R2 are first come, first served; 92 capped licenses were left as of Oct 16, 2026.
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 | Allowed with a license; caps apply in the R1 and R2 districts. Renting 14 days or less per year is exempt. Source: www.kiawahisland.gov | www.kiawahisland.gov |
| Permit or license | Annual Town STR license plus a building code inspection for any rental under 30 days. Source: www.kiawahisland.gov |
| Fees | Application fee $500 in capped R1 and R2 areas, $200 elsewhere, plus a gross-receipts license fee (rate unknown). Source: www.kiawahisland.gov |
| Caps or wait list | Caps in R1 and R2, issued first come, first served. As of Oct 16, 2026: 92 licenses left in capped areas (17% of the capped total); 1,377 STR licenses issued this year. Source: www.kiawahisland.gov |
| Owner-occupancy | Not required (none found). Source: www.kiawahisland.gov |
| Occupancy limit | 2 occupants per code-compliant bedroom plus 2 per unit (a 4-bedroom home allows 10); children under 2 not counted. Bedroom count follows Charleston County property tax records. Source: www.kiawahisland.gov |
| Parking | Overnight vehicles limited to the parking spaces listed on the rental application; paved or gravel surfaces only, no grass. Large pickups, big vans, RVs, trailers and boats may not park overnight anywhere on the island. Source: www.kiawahisland.gov |
| Taxes on stays | 13% total (Town packet): 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 2% and Town accommodations 1% (both remitted to Charleston County). SCDOR and County accommodations accounts required. Airbnb collects only the SCDOR taxes here, not the County or Town fees (a PTT line on the Airbnb statement is an amount the host must remit); Vrbo collects and remits all of them. The host reports monthly gross receipts to the County either way. 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 | Licenses expire Apr 30. Twice-weekly backdoor trash service required. Source: www.kiawahisland.gov | www.kiawahisland.gov 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) | Jan 1, 2020: revised STR ordinance took effect. Oct 16, 2026: capped-license count update (92 left). Source: www.kiawahisland.gov | www.kiawahisland.gov |
Printable checklist. Kiawah Island 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 Kiawah Island with the free Keel & Charter calculator.
What will you keep after taxes and fees? Try the free Kiawah Island take-home calculator
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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.
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