The city made this hard. We’ll help you through it.
The Short Term Rental Operational Permit, plus a City business licence is real work — forms, documents, fees and a lot of small requirements that are easy to miss. Plenty of owners never start. We’ll sit with you and get the package together at no charge, because a directory where every listing is permitted is worth more to us than a subscription.
Tell us about your place and where you are in the process.
We send you Charleston’s checklist and a folder to drop your documents into.
We help you get the package complete and organised.
You sign it and file it with the city.
Send us the permit number and your listing goes up free.
What the city asks for
- A notarised application — You must initial all 14 sworn affidavit items, then sign and date in front of a notary.
- A site plan or survey drawn to scale — Showing buildings, driveways and every required off-street parking space.
- Complete floor plans for the entire building, drawn to scale — Every room labelled, and clearly marking which rooms are for guests and which you live in.
- Exterior photographs — Current views of the building.
- Proof the property is your primary residence — Charleston enforces owner-occupancy strictly.
- A fire inspection — Booked after the permit application.
Source: City of Charleston, Department of Planning, Preservation and Sustainability (Zoning) · City of Charleston Code and Zoning Ordinance, as amended by Ordinance 2018-043
Worth knowing
- Charleston runs a tiered system by zone, and the rules differ sharply between the Old City and the rest. Which category you fall in is determined by the city, not by us.
- Incomplete applications are denied outright rather than held, so the package has to be right the first time.
- Charleston enforces aggressively. Check the current penalty schedule before operating.
Lodging tax
South Carolina state accommodations tax applies, plus local accommodations and hospitality taxes, and a separate SCDOR retail licence may be required. Confirm with the city and SCDOR.