York County, SC Short-Term Rentals: Night Caps (2026)
Key Facts
- Annual cap
- 120 days per calendar year
- Governing section
- § 155.551(B)
- Applies to
- unincorporated York County only
- Permit renewal
- annual, rolling from anniversary date
- Max fine
- $500 per day per violation
Summary
York County caps short-term rentals in the unincorporated county at 120 days of overnight occupancy per calendar year under Zoning Ordinance § 155.551(B). The limit applies to any dwelling unit or accessory dwelling unit approved for short-term rental use as a conditional or special exception use, and it resets each calendar year regardless of when the owner's permit was issued.
(B) Annual limit for rentals. A dwelling unit or accessory dwelling unit shall not be rented for overnight accommodations for more than 120 days per calendar year.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-49: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. 3925, passed 6-16-25).
Full Breakdown
550). 551(B) sets a hard annual ceiling: a dwelling unit or accessory dwelling unit cannot be rented for overnight accommodations for more than 120 days in a calendar year. 551(C). 552, the Planning and Development Services Department can track a property's rental activity against the 120-day threshold through the permit's required contact information and renewal documentation. The 120-day limit applies to the unincorporated county only; Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Tega Cay, Clover, and York run their own separate short-term rental rules inside their city limits, and Catawba Indian Nation trust land within county boundaries is not subject to this zoning chapter at all.
Owners who plan to exceed 120 rental days in a year must either convert the property to long-term rental status, which removes it from the short-term rental regulations entirely, or forgo the additional nights.
Violations & Fines
Renting a unit beyond the 120-day cap is a zoning violation under § 155.9999, prosecuted as a misdemeanor under South Carolina law. York County Council, the County Attorney, the Zoning Administrator, or the Planning and Development Services Director can bring enforcement action, and fines run up to $500 per day for each day the violation continues, so days rented past the cap accrue as separate daily violations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the 120-day limit reset every year?
What happens if I rent my house for more than 120 nights?
Does the cap apply inside Rock Hill or Fort Mill?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in York County
Compare York County to another location·View the South Carolina short-term rentals overview
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