No pending change foundLast verified 2026-10-25

North Charleston short-term rental host checklist

Work through each step and tick the box when it is done. County: Charleston, Dorchester, Berkeley. Every line comes from the official sources cited under it.

Full North Charleston rules page

Property address Date checked

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.

Step 1. Confirm the property can be a short-term rental

Allowed and where

Legally established dwelling units; RVs not eligible.
Zone list: unknown (see Zoning Sec. 4-21).

Source: www.northcharleston.org

Caps or wait list

Cap of 60 STR permits per Council district (Sec. 4-21(f)(1)); room rentals in owner-occupied homes are exempt.
Districts 5, 6, 8 and 10 are over 60; applications there are processed in order as permits drop below 60.
Existing permits can renew even over the cap.

Source: www.northcharleston.org

Owner-occupancy

Not required for whole-unit STRs; owner-occupied room rentals are exempt from the cap.

Source: www.northcharleston.org

Step 2. Get the permit and business license

Permit or license

City STR permit plus a business license (issued after preliminary approval).
Building and fire inspections required.
STR decal posted at the door; permit number and max occupancy in every listing.
24-hour contact on site within 30 minutes.

Source: www.northcharleston.org

Fees

STR application fee $350 new, $250 renewal (non-refundable).
Business license: amount unknown.

Source: www.northcharleston.org

Step 3. Register for, collect and remit lodging taxes

Taxes on stays

Varies by county part.
The City accommodations tax is 2% citywide (stays under 30 days), remitted monthly to Charleston County.
Charleston County part, 14% total: state sales 5%, state accommodations 2%, local option 1%, transportation 1%, education capital improvement 1% (10%, remitted to SCDOR per ST-575); Charleston County accommodations 2% (remitted to Charleston County).
Berkeley County part, 14% total: SCDOR 10% (state sales 5%, state accommodations 2%, education capital improvement 1%, transportation 1%, local option 1%); City 2%; Berkeley County accommodations fee 2% (Ord. 21-05-28, applies inside municipalities, remitted to the Berkeley County Treasurer by the 20th).
Dorchester County part: at least 10% (SCDOR 8%: state sales 5%, state accommodations 2%, transportation 1%; City 2%); a Dorchester County local accommodations tax is unverified: the SC Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office lists a 2% county rate for FY 2023-24 as reported by the county (unaudited), but no county ordinance confirming the rate or whether it applies inside the city was reachable (the county site blocks automated access; its 2% hospitality tax covers prepared food and beverages only).
Airbnb collects the SCDOR taxes and the City 2%; Vrbo collects in all Charleston County jurisdictions.
Platform collection of the Berkeley County fee is unknown.
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).

Source: www.dor.sc.gov | www.dor.sc.gov | www.northcharleston.org | www.charlestoncounty.gov | www.charlestoncounty.gov | berkeleycountysc.gov | rfa.sc.gov | www.dorchestercountysc.gov | www.dorchestercountysc.gov | www.charlestoncounty.gov | www.airbnb.com | help.vrbo.com | dor.sc.gov

Step 4. Set guest and parking limits in the listing and house rules

Occupancy limit

2 persons per bedroom, maximum 8 (including children).
No events; max 29 consecutive days per stay.
4th Notice of Violation in a year voids the permit.

Source: www.northcharleston.org

Parking

1 off-street or allocated space per 2 bedrooms rented, maximum 4 spaces.

Source: www.northcharleston.org

Step 5. Put renewals and record keeping on your calendar

Registration and renewal

STR permit renews annually by Feb 28; business license by Apr 30.
HOA or POA approval required if applicable.

Source: www.northcharleston.org

Step 6. Check the latest status before you buy, list or renew

Recent changes (dated)

May 26, 2022: ordinance adopted, effective Jan 1, 2023; amended in 2023 and 2025 (exact 2025 date unknown).

Source: www.northcharleston.org

Next step: track your own dates. The $24 Coastal SC STR Permit and Renewal Tracker turns this checklist into your permit list: pick North 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.

Listing ready? Score your Airbnb listing free with ListingLift and get your top 3 fixes.

Online version: https://lowcountry-str-rules.pages.dev/north-charleston-host-checklist

Estimate the lodging tax on a booking in North Charleston with the free Keel & Charter calculator.

What will you keep after taxes and fees? Try the free North Charleston take-home calculator

All 12 area checklists | Coastal SC rules tracker home

Lowcountry Rules Alerts by Keel & Charter

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.

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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.

Get the data pack

Permit and Renewal Tracker: $24

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.

Get the tracker

Coastal SC Host Bundle: $49

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.

Host Bundle

Income tracker, turnover schedule, house rules and Wi-Fi signs in one download.

STR Cleaning and Turnover Schedule

Turnaround windows, cleaner status and pay, and a supplies reorder list.

How does your Airbnb listing score?

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.

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