To run a short-term rental legally in unincorporated Charleston County, you need a zoning permit under one of three categories, a separate county business license, at least $1,000,000 in liability insurance, and registration for state and local accommodations taxes. The Charleston County short-term rental rules live in Article 6.8 of the Zoning and Land Development Regulations, and they treat any residential stay of 29 consecutive days or fewer as a short-term rental.1Charleston County. Short-Term Rental Brochure Which category applies to you depends on your zoning district, whether the home is your primary residence, and how many days a year you want to rent.
Pick Your Permit Category First
Everything else follows from the category. Your Tax Map Sequence (TMS) number, available on the Charleston County Assessor’s website, tells you the zoning district your property sits in, and that district limits which categories are open to you.
Limited Home Rental
The LHR is the entry-level permit and the only option in most residential zoning districts. You have to live in the home as your primary residence for at least eight months of the year, and you can rent for no more than 72 days per calendar year.2Charleston County Zoning and Land Development Regulations. Charleston County Code 6.8.4 – Use Limitations and Requirements That works for a spare room or a whole-house rental while you travel. It does not work for a property owned as an investment.
Extended Home Rental
The EHR doubles the cap to 144 rental days per year and drops the primary-residence requirement.2Charleston County Zoning and Land Development Regulations. Charleston County Code 6.8.4 – Use Limitations and Requirements The trade-off is a much longer approval path: a staff-level site plan review plus a Special Exception from the Board of Zoning Appeals.1Charleston County. Short-Term Rental Brochure The BZA hearing gives neighbors a chance to speak, and approval is not guaranteed. EHRs are allowed in the Agricultural Residential district and other residential zones once the BZA signs off. Properties in the AGR or AG-8 districts still need proof of primary residence even under an EHR.
Commercial Guest House
A CGH has no day cap and no primary-residence rule.2Charleston County Zoning and Land Development Regulations. Charleston County Code 6.8.4 – Use Limitations and Requirements It is only available in the commercial zoning districts listed in the county’s use table, and it requires a site plan review before the permit issues.1Charleston County. Short-Term Rental Brochure If you own commercially zoned property and want to run a year-round vacation rental, this is the route.
Check Restrictions and Gather Documents
Before you spend time on the application, check your HOA or deed restrictions. If the county has notice that a restrictive covenant prohibits short-term rentals, the permit cannot be issued no matter what your zoning allows.3Charleston County. Extended Home Rental Short-Term Rental Property Zoning Permit Application Packet Every applicant signs a notarized affidavit about covenants as part of the packet.
Every category also needs the same core documents:
- A site plan drawn to engineer’s scale showing existing and proposed conditions and all required parking. Parking is one off-street space per rented bedroom on top of the dwelling’s own parking requirement.3Charleston County. Extended Home Rental Short-Term Rental Property Zoning Permit Application Packet
- Sleeping capacity details: number of bedrooms you plan to rent, maximum guests per bedroom, and any non-bedroom sleeping areas like sleeper sofas or lofts.3Charleston County. Extended Home Rental Short-Term Rental Property Zoning Permit Application Packet
- General liability insurance with at least $1,000,000 in coverage for rental activity.2Charleston County Zoning and Land Development Regulations. Charleston County Code 6.8.4 – Use Limitations and Requirements
- Proof of primary residence for LHR permits, and for EHR properties in the AGR or AG-8 districts. The county accepts a voter registration or driver’s license showing the property address.4Charleston County. Limited Home Rental Short-Term Rental Property Zoning Permit Application Packet
Apply, Pay the Fee, and Get a Business License
Applications go to the Charleston County Zoning and Planning Department, in person or by mail. Zoning permit fees, set in Ordinance 2126, are:5Charleston County. Charleston County Ordinance 2126
- LHR: $100
- EHR: $200, plus separate site plan review and Special Exception fees
- CGH: $300, plus the site plan review fee
An LHR can move quickly. An EHR won’t. Plan for several months on the EHR path because you need a pre-site-plan meeting with staff, site plan review approval, and then a BZA hearing.
The zoning permit is only half of it. You also need a Charleston County business license before you can advertise or accept bookings.3Charleston County. Extended Home Rental Short-Term Rental Property Zoning Permit Application Packet Skipping the business license is the most common way hosts end up out of compliance on day one.
Renew Every Year by December 31
Short-term rental zoning permits expire annually and must be renewed on or before December 31.6Charleston County. Annual Renewal Short-Term Rental Property Zoning Permit Application Packet Renewal requires the fee, your existing permit, and a notarized affidavit confirming that nothing about the property or your operation has changed. If anything has changed, file a new application instead of a renewal. LHR renewals also need updated proof of primary residence. Your business license renews separately on its own schedule. If either lapses, you cannot legally host until both are current.
Rules That Apply Every Time You Rent
The permit gets you to the starting line. The ordinance imposes operating requirements that apply on every stay.
Occupancy and Listings
Maximum overnight occupancy is two adults per bedroom, subject to any lower limit set by the building code or the septic permit for the property.2Charleston County Zoning and Land Development Regulations. Charleston County Code 6.8.4 – Use Limitations and Requirements Every listing, on Airbnb, Vrbo, or anywhere else, must clearly state the maximum guest count and display both your zoning permit number and your business license account number.7Charleston County Zoning and Land Development Regulations. Charleston County Code 6.8.2 – Operating Requirements Inside the home, a tenant notice must be posted in each sleeping room with your contact information, the zoning permit number, trash collection schedules, and fire evacuation routes.8Charleston County. Charleston County Ordinance 2023
Parking, Signs, and Noise
Guest parking has to be entirely off-street, one space per rented bedroom on top of what the dwelling itself requires.8Charleston County. Charleston County Ordinance 2023 Advertising signs are prohibited in residential zoning districts. In commercial districts, one flat-mounted sign no larger than two square feet is allowed.9Charleston County Zoning and Land Development Regulations. Charleston County Code 6.8.3 – General Standards The county’s general noise ordinance applies; guests get no special latitude.
24-Hour Agent Requirement
The owner, a resident occupant, or a designated Short-Term Rental Agent must be reachable by phone or email 24 hours a day during every rental. When a complaint comes in, the agent has 15 minutes to notify the guest.9Charleston County Zoning and Land Development Regulations. Charleston County Code 6.8.3 – General Standards That’s tight. Whoever you designate has to actually be monitoring their phone at all hours, not just listed on the paperwork.
Accommodations Taxes
The permit process does not enroll you in the tax system. You have to register, collect, and remit on your own.
South Carolina imposes a 7% sales tax on gross proceeds from renting sleeping accommodations to transient guests.10South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Title 12 Chapter 36 – Section 12-36-920 There is an exemption for owner-occupied homes with fewer than six sleeping rooms, which covers many LHR operators, and another that mirrors the federal 14-day exclusion. You register with the South Carolina Department of Revenue.
Charleston County adds its own 2% local accommodations fee on any transient rental of fewer than 30 days.11Charleston County. Local Accommodations Tax Application The ordinance requires every short-term rental owner to register for and remit this fee separately.9Charleston County Zoning and Land Development Regulations. Charleston County Code 6.8.3 – General Standards Some booking platforms collect and remit accommodations taxes in certain jurisdictions, but do not assume yours does. Confirm with the county and the Department of Revenue exactly which taxes are being remitted for you and which are not.
At the federal level, if you rent your primary residence for fewer than 15 days in the year, the income is excluded from your gross income entirely, and you cannot deduct expenses tied to those days.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 280A – Disallowance of Certain Expenses in Connection With Business Use of Home For LHR hosts who only rent during a couple of major event weekends, this can make the income tax-free federally. Cross 14 days and everything becomes reportable.
Penalties for Operating Outside the Rules
The Zoning and Planning Department can deny, suspend, or revoke your permit for operating without valid authorization, blowing past your day cap, exceeding occupancy, or missing the complaint response window. South Carolina state law authorizes civil penalties of $500 to $2,000 for each seven-day period a property was rented illegally, which compounds quickly for hosts who have been operating unpermitted for months.
The county also tracks complaints against individual permit numbers. A pattern of noise or parking complaints can be grounds to deny your annual renewal, which shuts you down regardless of whether you’re willing to pay fines. The 15-minute agent notification rule is one the county enforces when neighbors push.