Charleston, SC Rental Property Rules: Rental Registration (2026)

Charleston created its Residential Rental Registration Pilot Program by Ordinance No. 2022-159, codified at City Code Sections 7-125 through 7-134. City council limited the pilot to specific neighborhoods rather than the whole city: it began in the Cannonborough/Elliott neighborhood, chosen after the neighborhood association requested it based on the area's 2021 disturbance-call volume, and was expanded to the Radcliffeborough and Mazyck-Wraggborough neighborhoods because of their concentration of college rental properties. Under Section 7-128, no landlord can operate a residential rental unit inside a designated registration district without registering that specific unit; each unit needs its own, non-transferable registration valid for 12 months, and renewals filed more than 60 days late draw a penalty of 5 percent of the unpaid fee per month.

Section 7-129 sets the annual registration fee by the city's published fee schedule, payable before registration is granted. Section 7-130 requires the director of livability and tourism to register a unit once the landlord attests the premises are safe, sanitary and fit for occupation, is in compliance on any other registered unit, and has paid the fee; landlords who do not live within 30 miles of the city must designate a responsible local representative within that radius. Section 7-131 requires the landlord's name, address and phone number, the unit address, and the local representative's contact information on the application, which can cover multiple units owned by the same landlord.