Kiawah Island, SC short-term rental limits
Short stays on Kiawah Island run under a town rental license, which the town rations in its most residential districts. The chapter does not apply to a property available for rent 14 calendar days a year or less.[5]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 1, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Kiawah Island?
Limited number allowed
What you apply for: Class 7 rental business license
- Seasonal homes
- 2,171
- Housing units
- 3,865
- Residents
- 2,326
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City ruleCapped
- City fee$200
- Tax on each stay13%
- Seasonal homes562 per 1,000
Kiawah Island short-term rental license
An owner who rents short term on Kiawah Island needs an annual Class 7 rental business license for each property before advertising it. In the R-1 district and listed R-2 areas, licenses are capped at 20% of developed lots. The yearly application fee there is $500, against $200 for other properties. Once the cap is reached, new applicants join a waiting list. Licenses expire on April 30 and do not pass to a new owner, except within a family. Every advertisement shows the license number and the approved bedrooms. It must also give the maximum occupancy and the overnight vehicle limit.[5]
What Kiawah Island asks of you
A short-term rental means an accommodation rented out for stays under 30 consecutive days, in a property assessed as residential for county tax.[5]
The 20% cap covers the R-1 district plus named R-2 areas, Indigo Park and Ocean Oaks among them. Other R-2 areas and R-3 have no limit.[5]
Licenses in good standing renew first, by April 30. A late renewal costs a $1,000 late fee on top of other fees.[5]
In a capped area, the owner of a vacant lot can hold a provisional lot license for three years. It secures a rental license once a certificate of occupancy issues.[5]
A license may not be renewed when the owner reports under $3,000 of annual rental revenue. The exception is a home that was available and advertised all year.[5]
First-time licenses need a rental inspection. So does any change in bedrooms or parking capacity.[5]
Maximum occupancy is two people per code-compliant bedroom plus two per unit. Children under two do not count.[5]
Vehicles park only on paved or gravel surfaces, up to the number of spaces on the application. Large pickups, RVs and trailers cannot stay overnight.[5]
The whole property must be rented. Single rooms cannot be rented on their own. Neither can a guest house or a pool house.[5]
Owners living outside the Charleston metro area name a local contact who can respond within two hours of an emergency.[5]
Rental homes subscribe to back-door trash collection twice a week, with bins kept out of sight from the street.[5]
At renewal, the owner shows proof of the previous year's accommodation tax payments.[5]
Violations carry fines up to $500, up to 30 days in jail, or both, with each day a separate offense.[5]
Three violations in a rolling 12 months are cause for revocation. The owner may reapply no sooner than 12 months later.[5]
What South Carolina asks wherever you host
These rules apply at this address whatever the city decides.
Any stay shorter than 90 continuous days owes South Carolina's 5% sales tax and its 2% accommodations tax. A platform that takes the booking with the payment remits both for you.[1]
Hosts who take any booking themselves need a Department of Revenue license for each rental location. File each return by the 20th of the month that follows its filing period.[1]
A legal residence assessed at 4% moves to the 6% ratio in any calendar year it is rented for over 72 days.[2]
The state's Vacation Rental Act requires each stay under 90 days to come with a written agreement. Guests must leave when authorities order a mandatory evacuation.[3]
What a guest pays on top of your nightly rate in Kiawah Island
Each layer is set by a different authority, and not all of them are collected by the platform.
| Layer | Rate | Remitted to |
|---|---|---|
| South Carolina state sales tax, stays under 90 days[1] | 5% | The state revenue department |
| South Carolina state accommodations tax, stays under 90 days[1] | 2% | The state revenue department |
| Local sales taxes collected by SCDOR[4] | 3% | The state revenue department |
| Charleston County accommodations fee, stays under 30 days[6] | 2% | The county |
| Kiawah Island accommodations fee, stays under 30 days, collected by Charleston County[6] | 1% | The county |
| Total on a taxable stay | 13% |
The town's 1% fee is collected by Charleston County together with the county's own 2% fee. Both fees reach only rooms occupied for less than 30 days.[6]
Airbnb taxes for hostsWhat the census counts
How much of Kiawah Island is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 2,171 of Kiawah Island's 3,865 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 562 out of every 1,000. It ranks Kiawah Island 1st of the 5 South Carolina cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 1st of 5
- Share of housing
- 562 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $2,000,001
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Kiawah Island sits among its neighbors
Charleston, SC
Primary residence only
In your full-time primary residence at the 4% Legal Residence rate. Commercially zoned properties in the overlay are the exception.
Charleston short-term rental rulesFolly Beach, SC
Capped
1,053 seasonal homes, 474 per 1,000 housing units.
Folly Beach short-term rental rulesNorth Myrtle Beach, SC
License required
13,347 seasonal homes, 483 per 1,000 housing units.
North Myrtle Beach short-term rental rulesHilton Head Island, SC
Permit required
7,599 seasonal homes, 252 per 1,000 housing units.
Hilton Head Island short-term rental rulesFAQ
Kiawah Island short-term rental questions
Is there a cap on short-term rentals on Kiawah Island?
How many guests can a Kiawah Island rental sleep?
Can I rent a single room in my Kiawah Island home?
Sources
- Accommodations Tax, South Carolina Department of Revenue, read on October 1, 2026
- S.C. Code § 12-43-220, assessment ratios and the 4% legal residence ratio, South Carolina Legislature, read on October 1, 2026
- S.C. Code §§ 27-50-210 to 27-50-270, South Carolina Vacation Rental Act, South Carolina Legislature, read on October 1, 2026
- ST-575, South Carolina sales tax rates by municipality (revised February 5, 2026), South Carolina Department of Revenue, read on October 1, 2026
- Code of Ordinances, Article 14, Chapter 5, Rental Applications and Regulations, Town of Kiawah Island, via Municode, read on October 1, 2026
- Accommodations Fee Information, Charleston County Revenue Collections, read on October 1, 2026
This page is not legal advice. It summarizes the official sources listed on this page as they read on October 1, 2026. Rules can change after that date, so check with the issuing office before you apply or publish a listing.
Before you list
Free tools for new hosts
Short-term rental agreement generator
Parties, dates, rent, deposit checked against your state's cap, and the house rules clauses you enforce. A signed-ready PDF for direct and Vrbo bookings.
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What Airbnb takes on a booking under the 15.5% host-only fee or the old split fee, what the guest pays on top, and the payout that reaches you.
Airbnb profit calculator
Nightly rate, occupancy, Airbnb fee, management, mortgage, taxes and depreciation. You get cash flow, cash-on-cash return and what is left after the IRS.
Airbnb cleaning checklist generator
Build a printable turnover checklist by room, with restock, photos to take and a place for the cleaner to sign. Free PDF, no sign-up.