Is short-term rental legal in Charleston, SC?
Charleston permits STRs only inside a defined overlay — largely the Old City / commercial areas — and, in the residential parts of the overlay, only at the owner's own home with the owner present a set share of nights; most of residential Charleston is closed.
Rules checked October 2026
Run the Charleston verdict on your facts
| What counts as a short-term rental | Charleston permits STRs only inside a defined overlay — largely the Old City / commercial areas — and, in the residential parts of the overlay, only at the owner's own home with the owner present a set share of nights; most of residential Charleston is closed. |
|---|---|
| Permit / license | STR Permit (overlay zones only) — issued by City of Charleston |
| Fee | Permit fees per the city schedule (several hundred dollars) |
| Renewal | Annual renewal |
| Primary-residence rule | In the residential overlay, the property must be the owner's primary residence (4% assessment class) and owner-occupancy conditions apply. |
| Whole-home rental | Outside the overlay, whole-home and hosted rentals under 30 days are prohibited in residential districts; inside it, the permit's occupancy conditions govern. |
| Night cap | — |
| Guests / occupancy | Per permit |
| Minimum stay | 30 days outside the overlay |
| Zoning | The overlay map is the verdict — Charleston drew it street by street. |
| Density / scarcity | No density cap found in the current rules |
| Fines | Illegal STR draws city fines and the city actively enforces in the historic districts |
| Taxes | City + county accommodations taxes accompany the permit. |
| Platform duties | Enforcement uses listing addresses against the overlay. |
| State layer | No state preemption. Charleston, Hilton Head, Columbia and the Grand Strand each license differently; state bills to preempt have been debated but not passed. |
What trips hosts in Charleston
- Charleston's 4% (owner-occupied assessment) tie-in means your property-tax classification is part of your STR eligibility.
The private layer still applies
These are the city's rules. Your HOA, condo board, lease or mortgage can say no on top of them — that layer is printed as a warning in the checker, never merged into the city's verdict.
Sources: Charleston Zoning Ordinance (STR overlay, 2018 et seq.) · City of Charleston STR program. Rules checked October 2026.