LicensedRental

Charleston County, South Carolina

Seabrook Island, SC vacation rental requirements

Seabrook Island requires a town short-term rental permit and caps them at 557 in its rental overlay district (condos, townhomes, cluster homes, and listed streets) and 110 everywhere else. The rules include a 2-night minimum, 2 guests per bedroom plus 2, at most 4 overnight vehicles, and a local contact who can arrive within 2 hours. A standard permit is $150. Stays pay 13% tax.

Checked against official sources November 6, 2026

Download checklist (PDF)Free. A printable version of this guide to tick off, with the official sources.

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Town permit
Required; capped
557 in the Short-Term Rental Overlay District, 110 in the rest of town, from May 1, 2025.Source
Permit fee
$150 standard
Provisional or temporary permits $50; owner, agent, or contact changes $25.Source
Minimum stay
2 nights
Maximum guests
2 per bedroom + 2
Bedrooms counted from Charleston County tax records.Source
Taxes
13%
10% state-collected + 2% Charleston County + 1% town, filed with Charleston County.Source

Most sales from May 1, 2025, through April 30, 2027, are exempt transfers. Starting May 1, 2027, only family, inheritance, court-ordered, and similar transfers count as exempt. Ask the town how a sale affects the permit.

Charleston County says VRBO remits the county and city accommodations fees everywhere in the county, and Airbnb only in unincorporated areas, Charleston, North Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Folly Beach, and Isle of Palms. Even when a platform pays, you must still report your monthly gross receipts to the county.

Your licensing checklist

In order: the state, the county, then the town.

State of South Carolina

  1. Get a retail license for direct bookings

    If you take bookings yourself, you need a SCDOR retail license for each rental property and must file and pay electronically through MyDORWAY. If you rent only through a property manager or an online travel company that takes the payment, they remit the state tax and you don’t need a license. Rent no more than one week a quarter and you can file once a year instead.Source

    MyDORWAY →

  2. Know what the platform collects

    Airbnb collects the 5% sales tax, 2% accommodations tax, and the local sales taxes the state collects, on its bookings. It also collects some county and city accommodations taxes, but only in the places it lists. Everything else is yours to file.Source

  3. Register for local taxes

    Many counties and cities charge their own accommodations tax (up to 3%), a hospitality tax, or a beach preservation fee. They collect these directly, so you register with the county or city even if a platform pays your state tax.Source

  4. Check your property tax rate

    A home that is your legal residence keeps the 4% assessment ratio only if it is rented out 72 days or less a year. Rent it more and it is taxed as a 6% rental property. Ask your county assessor.Source

  5. Then your county and city

    Business licenses, rental permits, and zoning are where South Carolina towns differ most. Pick your area.

Charleston County, South Carolina

  1. Open a county accommodations account

    Apply online with Charleston County Revenue Collections for a local accommodations tax account. The county collects its own 2% fee and the town fees for eight towns. Monthly returns are due the 20th; small accounts can file quarterly or yearly.Source

    County accommodations tax application →

  2. Check what your platform pays

    Charleston County says VRBO remits the county and city accommodations fees everywhere in the county, and Airbnb only in unincorporated areas, Charleston, North Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Folly Beach, and Isle of Palms. Even when a platform pays, you must still report your monthly gross receipts to the county.Source

  3. Then your city or area

    Permits, owner-occupancy rules, and caps differ in every town. Pick your area.

Town of Seabrook Island

  1. Check whether you’re in the overlay

    The overlay covers multi-family, townhome, and cluster zones plus listed streets in R-SF2 and R-SF3. Outside it, only 110 permits are allowed townwide.Source

  2. Apply for the permit

    Apply to the Zoning Administrator for each unit. Only a whole, conforming dwelling unit qualifies: no ADUs, pool houses, or rooms over a garage on their own. If you live more than 50 miles away, name a local contact who can reach the unit within two hours and shut off the water.Source

  3. Post the placard and file your log

    Post the town’s placard inside the main door and give guests the information packet. Each year, file a rental activity report with check-in and check-out dates along with your business license renewal by April 30.Source

  4. Register for state and local taxes

    The state-collected tax on stays here is 10% (state sales and accommodations tax plus local sales taxes). Airbnb collects it on its bookings; for direct bookings, get a SCDOR retail license and file through MyDORWAY. File the 2% county fee and the town’s 1% with Charleston County. Charleston County says Airbnb doesn’t remit these here; VRBO does. You must show proof of these payments when you renew your business license.Source

House rules for guests

Overnight vehicles
1 per bedroom, 2 to 4
11 p.m. to 7 a.m.; limited by available off-street spaces.Source
Ads
Permit number, occupancy, vehicle limit
Source
Safety
Extinguisher and smoke alarms
A 1A:10B:C extinguisher, a smoke alarm in each bedroom and outside each sleeping area, and one on every level.Source

Sources

A plain-language summary to help you prepare, not legal advice. Rules and fees change; confirm with the office before you apply. Spot something out of date? Email hello@licensedrental.com.