City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Isle of Palms, SC
How Isle of Palms regulates short-term rentals: the rules that apply, their sources, and pending changes.
Short-term rentals here operate under a registration or permit system with ongoing operating rules.
- STR business license required for any residential rental
- Rental Revenue Affidavit and year-end statements required
- 24/7 contact reachable within one hour required
- Fire-safety and code-compliance acknowledgment required
- Whole-home / absentee STR permitted; no owner-occupancy requirement
- No hard cap on number of STR licenses (1,600-license cap referendum rejected by voters Nov 2023)
Based on: Code of Ordinances Title 5, Ch. 4, Art. 9 (Short-Term Rental of Residential Property); base-fee increase per Ord.
Summary of the rule
All property owners who rent residential units (houses, condos, apartments, hotel rooms) for any length of time must obtain an Isle of Palms short-term rental business license.
View the ordinance source ↗✓ Verified
Last reviewed Sep 14, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Isle of Palms · system last checked Oct 25, 2026
Owners in Isle of Palms
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City Watch tracks changes from public sources — council agendas, state bills, local news — not a complete legal compendium.
A city permit is not the whole picture — HOA, condominium, deed, or lease rules may be stricter.
City Watch provides good-faith summaries of publicly available information as of the review date shown. Rules, enforcement, and permit availability can change, and summaries may contain errors or omissions. Ratings describe the general regulatory environment; they do not establish whether a particular property or stay is permitted. This is general information, not legal advice. Before buying, listing, or hosting, verify applicable requirements with the responsible authorities and review any HOA, condominium, deed, or lease restrictions.