City of Charleston short-term rental host checklist
Work through each step and tick the box when it is done. County: Charleston (part Berkeley). Every line comes from the official sources cited under it.
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.
Rules in flux. At least one change is pending or proposed here. Step 6 lists the dated status from official sources; recheck it before you act.
Step 1. Confirm the property can be a short-term rental
Allowed and where
Residential STRs only in the owner's primary residence (4% legal residence assessment).
Three category areas: Category 1 is the Old and Historic District (building individually listed on the National Register); Category 2 is the peninsula outside the overlay (building at least 50 years old); Category 3 is off-peninsula (West Ashley, James Island, Johns Island, Cainhoy, Daniel Island).
In the STR Overlay (Cannonborough-Elliotborough) a Commercial STR permit applies on commercial zoning and a Bed and Breakfast permit on residential zoning.
$200 zoning and application review; fire inspection $40 base plus $32.21 plan review plus $32.61 per floor; business license $64 base plus $3.90 per additional $1,000 of gross receipts.
Application packet and process (City application guide)
Create a Customer Access Portal (CAP) account to apply and schedule the safety inspection online, or apply in person at the Permit Center in the Gaillard Center.
Notarized application.
Site plan or survey drawn to scale, showing all buildings, driveways, the STR unit and each required off-street parking space.
Photographs showing current views of the building.
Floor plans drawn to scale with every room labeled and all doorways shown, marking the STR rooms and the owner's rooms.
Category 1 only: documents showing the building is listed in the National Register. Category 2 only: documents showing the building is at least 50 years old.
Proof of residency: driver's license or state ID plus a County Assessor letter showing the 4% status.
Before applying, confirm no recorded covenant or HOA rule restricts STR use.
After you apply: zoning review, a 15-day posting of the property, then a 5-day period to appeal to the Board of Zoning Appeals.
After approval: Fire Marshal fire and safety inspection (a $32.61 re-inspection fee may apply if the first one fails).
Pick up the permit and pay for the business license, then put the permit number in every online ad.
Step 3. Register for, collect and remit lodging taxes
Taxes on stays
14% total (Charleston County part): state sales 5%, state accommodations 2%, local option 1%, county transportation 1%, school 1% (remitted to SCDOR); Charleston County accommodations 2% and City accommodations 2% (remitted to Charleston County).
Failure to collect accommodations tax carries a civil penalty of $500 to $2,000 per 7 days rented.
Oct 21, 2026: Planning Commission agenda item to amend Secs. 54-208 and 54-227 (bedroom-based limit, max 8 guests, 4-bedroom cap on new conversions, one unit per ad, automatic suspension on a 3rd violation in 1 year, $1M liability insurance, owner overnight residency, grandfathering for overlay units over 4 bedrooms).
Oct 27, 2026: City Council public hearing scheduled (agenda item E-2).
Next step: track your own dates. The $24 Coastal SC STR Permit and Renewal Tracker turns this checklist into your permit list: pick City of Charleston and the permit type, renewal rule, taxes and official link fill in, then each renewal counts down and turns red at 30 days.
Want every rule as data? The $19 Coastal SC STR Rules Data Pack has all 12 areas as a spreadsheet with source links, plus a renewal deadline calendar (.ics) with reminders. Or get the data pack, the tracker and the ListingLift Full Report Kit in the $49 Coastal SC Host Bundle.
This checklist is only as good as the last council meeting. Get a free, dated alert when an ordinance, a vote or an effective date moves in any of the 12 areas, plus one brief a month with every deadline in the next 90 days. Free. You confirm by email first.
One email a month: what changed, what is pending, and the dates that matter. Free.
Free, one email a month from Keel & Charter. We send one email to confirm your address first. Every issue has an unsubscribe link, and replying with the word unsubscribe also works.
Host templates from Keel & Charter
Simple spreadsheets and printables for running a rental. Instant download.
Get the data pack
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.
Pick 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.
Three 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 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.