City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Sullivan's Island, SC
How Sullivan's 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.
- Vacation Rentals are a prohibited use townwide (Sec. 21-117)
- only pre-Nov 21, 2000 grandfathered nonconforming vacation rentals may continue
- no by-right whole-home STR anywhere; residential character preservation is the stated purpose
- STR defined as any rental for consideration under 28 continuous days (Sec. 21-203)
Based on: Town Code Appendix A (Zoning), Art. XIII Sec. 21-117 (prohibition); definition Sec. 21-203; Zoning Ordinance as amended
Summary of the rule
Vacation Rentals are prohibited uses on Sullivan's Island. Nothing in this Ordinance shall be construed to permit any Principal Building or other structure to be used as a Vacation Rental. All legally established Vacation Rentals are interpreted to be Nonconforming Uses.
View the ordinance source ↗✓ Verified
Last reviewed Sep 15, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Sullivan's Island · system last checked Oct 25, 2026
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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.