No pending change foundLast verified 2026-10-25

Seabrook Island short-term rental rules

Caps of 557 permits inside the STR Overlay and 110 outside; 55 and 7 left as of Oct 21, 2026, with no wait list.

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.

The rules at a glance

TopicWhat the official sources say
Allowed and whereAllowed with a permit inside and outside the STR Overlay District (map in Ord. 2024-07), with separate caps.
Permit or licenseSTR Permit (Class A Standard, Class B Provisional for construction or major renovation as of Apr 30, 2025, Class C Temporary for sales with existing bookings) plus an annual business license. Apply online via CitizenServe; a permit is needed before advertising.
FeesPermit: Class A $150, Class B $50, B to A conversion $100, Class C $50; modifications $25 to $50; reinstatement $50. Business license class 9.2A: $500 on the first $2,000 plus $2.95 per additional $1,000 (9.2B $10 minimum, 9.2C $150 minimum).
Caps or wait listInside overlay: cap 557, 502 issued, 55 available. Outside overlay: cap 110, 103 issued, 7 available. Wait list 0 for both (as of Oct 21, 2026).
Owner-occupancyNot required (none found).
Occupancy limitOvernight: 2 occupants per code-compliant bedroom plus 2 for the unit; children under 2 not counted. Entire-unit rentals only, minimum stay 2 nights.
ParkingAt least 1 off-street space. Overnight vehicles: 1 per code-compliant bedroom, never fewer than 2 or more than 4, and never more than the spaces actually available.
Taxes on stays13% total (Town FAQ): 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 tax 1% (Ord. 2022-05; both remitted to Charleston County). 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 renewalLicense year May 1 to Apr 30; a stay log and annual rental activity report are due by Apr 30 with renewal. Standard permits stay valid until modified, suspended, revoked, abandoned or cancelled. Fines up to $500 or 30 days per violation, each day a separate offense.
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)Dec 17, 2024: Ords. 2024-06, 2024-07 and 2024-08 adopted. May 1, 2025: caps, permit classes and new fees took effect.

Printable checklist. Seabrook 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 Seabrook Island with the free Keel & Charter calculator.

What will you keep after taxes and fees? Try the free Seabrook Island take-home calculator

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