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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 packChange pending or in fluxLast verified 2026-10-25
In most residential zones the owner must live on site and be present while guests are registered; a clarifying UDO rewrite was workshopped Oct 15, 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 | Permitted uses in D-MX, UC-MX, N-B and G-B. Conditional uses in N-R, N-MX, GR-2, GR-3, GR-5, MF-R and MH-R; GR-3 and GR-5 also need a Board of Zoning Appeals Special Exception. Source: summervillesc.gov | www.summervillesc.gov |
| Permit or license | Lodging Conditional Use permit and/or Special Exception plus a business license, via CitizenServe. Initial Town safety inspection. Liability insurance required for each unit. Source: summervillesc.gov |
| Fees | unknown Source: www.summervillesc.gov |
| Caps or wait list | No cap found. Source: summervillesc.gov |
| Owner-occupancy | Required in the conditional residential zones: at least 50% of record owners must reside there (voting, license or ID address and 4% assessment), live there at least 183 days a year, and be on site whenever guests are registered. Source: summervillesc.gov |
| Occupancy limit | Current UDO: unknown. Proposed (Oct 15, 2026 draft): 2 persons per bedroom (minors excluded) plus 2 per unit, up to 5 guest rooms for STR-1 and 10 for STR-2. Source: summervillesc.gov |
| Parking | Proposed (Oct 15, 2026 draft): 1 off-street space per guest room. Current: unknown. Source: summervillesc.gov |
| Taxes on stays | Total unverified: the Town local accommodations tax rate is not confirmed by a Town ordinance. The Town levies a local accommodations tax under Town Code Chapter 8, Article IV, Division 2 (remittance and penalties in Secs. 8-122 to 8-124, per Feb 10, 2022 Council minutes); the SC Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office lists the Town rate as 2% for FY 2023-24 as reported by the Town (unaudited, one figure for the whole Town, not split by county part). Known parts by county (SCDOR per ST-575): Dorchester part 8% (state sales 5%, state accommodations 2%, transportation 1%); Berkeley part 10% (plus education capital improvement 1% and local option 1%) plus Berkeley County accommodations fee 2% (Ord. 21-05-28, applies inside municipalities, remitted to the Berkeley County Treasurer), so at least 12%; Charleston part 10% plus Charleston County accommodations 2% (remitted to Charleston County), so at least 12%. Dorchester County local accommodations tax: unverified (the state office lists a 2% county rate as reported by the county, but no ordinance confirming it or its reach inside the Town was reachable; the county 2% hospitality tax and the Town 2% hospitality tax cover prepared food and beverages, not lodging). Confirm the Town rate and remittance schedule with the Town Finance office before listing. Airbnb collects the SCDOR taxes only here. 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 | Owner keeps 2 years of records on residency, days occupied, days rented and insurance. Source: summervillesc.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) | Oct 10, 2019: UDO adopted with STR rules (announced Feb 10, 2020). Oct 15, 2026: Council planning workshop on Chapter 3 STR clarifications (annual STR permit renewal, permit number in ads, max occupancy, covenant prohibition). Status: proposed, not adopted. Source: summervillesc.gov | summervillesc.gov |
Printable checklist. Summerville 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 Summerville with the free Keel & Charter calculator.
What will you keep after taxes and fees? Try the free Summerville 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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