LicensedRental

Laurens County, South Carolina

Laurens (city), SC vacation rental requirements

The City of Laurens requires every rental unit, including ones rented by the day or week, to register with the city and name a local agent who lives or works in the city. The city adds a 3% accommodations tax to 9% state-collected 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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Rental registration
Required
Covers rentals by the day, week, month, or year; fee set by council, billed yearly.Source
Local agent
Lives or has an office in the city
Taxes
9% state + 3% city

For registered rentals, the city shortens property-maintenance correction periods to 7 days.

Airbnb collects the state-collected tax on its bookings here, but its South Carolina tax article doesn’t list this area’s county or city accommodations tax. File that one yourself for every booking.

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.

Laurens County, South Carolina

  1. Then your city or area

    Pick your area.

City of Laurens

  1. Register the rental and name a local agent

    Register with the city’s building and zoning department and pay the registration fee and any business license fee before guests arrive. Update the registration within 30 days of any change. The city may inspect.Source

  2. Register for state and local taxes

    The state-collected tax on stays here is 9% (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 city’s 3% local accommodations tax with the City of Laurens by the 20th of each month.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.