Charleston County, South Carolina Short-Term Rental Rules 2026

LawfulStay tracks short-term rental rules for 5 places in Charleston County, South Carolina. Each city and town sets its own rules, so select a place below for its permit, tax and other rules, or see all of South Carolina.

1 Active 4 Restricted

Charleston County at a glance

Places tracked
5 places: 1 active, 4 restricted
License or registration
Required in all 5 local places
Tax on stays
Applies in all 5 local places
County law
No county record yet; each place below has its own page.

Charleston County short-term rental questions

Are short-term rentals legal in Charleston County?

In all 5 places we track in Charleston County, short-term rentals are allowed, 4 of them with permit conditions or limits.

Do I need a license for a short-term rental in Charleston County?

All 5 local places we track in Charleston County require a license, permit or registration. Check your city's page for its rules.

Which places in Charleston County have the strictest rules?

On our records: Charleston, Folly Beach, North Charleston, Kiawah Island.

Charleston County Airbnb & Vacation Rental Regulation Overview

The short-term rental regulatory landscape in Charleston County encompasses 5 tracked jurisdictions: 1 with active regulations, 4 with restrictions. Hosts operating on platforms like Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com should verify local requirements before listing, as rules vary significantly between cities and regions.

All 5 tracked jurisdictions in Charleston County require some form of permit, license, or registration for short-term rental operations. Requirements range from simple online registration to comprehensive permit applications with inspections.

Tax obligations apply in 5 of 5 jurisdictions. Common taxes include occupancy taxes, tourist levies, and sales taxes. Many jurisdictions require hosts to register for tax collection, and some platforms like Airbnb collect and remit taxes automatically in select locations.

Cities with significant restrictions on vacation rentals include Charleston, Folly Beach, North Charleston. These jurisdictions typically impose permit caps, zoning limitations, or primary residence requirements.

LawfulStay monitors Charleston County STR regulations daily and updates this page as rules change. Each city page includes detailed permit requirements, fee schedules, tax rates, zoning rules, and penalty information sourced from official government websites.

Charlestonalso in Berkeley County
Charleston allows short-term rentals only in owner-occupied homes, except Commercial STR permits on commercial lots in the STR Overlay Zone
Restricted
Folly Beach
Folly Beach caps investment (ISTR) short-term rental licenses at 800 and keeps a waitlist; owner-occupied (OSTR) licenses are not capped but are limited to 72 rental nights a year
Restricted
Kiawah Island
Kiawah Island is a private gated community
Restricted
North Charlestonalso in Berkeley County, Dorchester County
North Charleston requires a separate STR permit and business license for each unit, and caps permits at 60 per council district
Restricted
Isle of Palms
Isle of Palms is one of the more permissive STR markets in the Charleston metro area, with no density cap and no prohibition on non-owner-occupied STRs
Active