Richland County, SC Rental Property Rules: Rental Registration (2026)

Article VII of Chapter 16, added in 2023, aims to protect neighborhoods from blight by spreading compliance responsibility across owners, tenants, and property managers (Sec. 16-71). Sec. 16-72(a) requires the owner of any non-owner-occupied and habitable residential property or unit to register it with the county's online database within 30 days of the property becoming non-owner-occupied and habitable, where 'habitable' means evidenced by a certificate of occupancy or legal electric supply and running water. Registration must include the property address, the owner's mailing address, phone number and email if any; if the owner lives more than 50 miles from the property and outside Richland County, the same information is also required for an authorized local agent within that 50-mile radius.

Sec. 16-72(b) requires anyone owning more than one non-owner-occupied rental property or unit leased for 30 days or longer to obtain a business license, unless they contract with a properly licensed property manager or management company, in which case the owner is exempt, but the owner becomes responsible for obtaining the license if that manager fails to keep its own license current. Owners, property managers, property management companies and tenants each individually share responsibility for complying with county ordinances on property maintenance, weeds and rank vegetation, zoning, and building safety, though a tenant can only be cited for a zoning or building violation with affirmative evidence the tenant built the structure or created the use (Sec. 16-73(a)).