City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Seabrook Island, SC
How Seabrook Island regulates short-term rentals: the rules that apply, their sources, and pending changes.
Rules here limit which homes may operate as short-term rentals, how many, where, or for how many nights a year.
- hard numeric townwide cap/quota on total STR permits (557 inside STR Overlay District + 110 outside)
- new permits available only up to the cap; existing operators grandfathered — supply is closed once cap is reached
- STR treated as a specific/conditional use under Development Standards Ordinance Art. 9 §9.4.O with a mapped STR Overlay District (Ord. 2024-07)
- permit tied to business license, annual renewal via CitizenServe
Based on: Development Standards Ordinance Art. 8 (STR Overlay District) & Art. 9 §9.4.O; Ord. 2024-06, 2024-07, 2024-08 adopted
Summary of the rule
Inside STR Overlay District — Cap: 557 permits (currently issued 499; available 58). Effective with the license year beginning May 1, 2025.
View the ordinance source ↗✓ Verified
Last reviewed Sep 15, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Seabrook Island · system last checked Oct 25, 2026
Owners in Seabrook Island
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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.