Mount Pleasant, SC Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Overnight cap
- 2 persons/bedroom + 2 (whole house)
- ADU-only rental cap
- 3 persons maximum
- Posting required
- Max occupancy shown with license number
- Event ban
- Parties exceeding cap prohibited, § 156.521(D)
- 4th occupancy strike
- Permit revocation
Summary
Town of Mount Pleasant STR permits cap overnight occupancy at two persons per bedroom plus two more for a whole-house rental, an accessory dwelling unit rented alone is capped at three, and § 156.521(D) separately bans hosting weddings, parties or similar events that exceed that same overnight cap.
(e) The maximum overnight occupancy, which shall not exceed two persons per bedroom, plus two additional people for a whole-house rental; ... (D) The hosting of events such as, but not limited to, weddings, parties, or similar gatherings, consisting of more than the maximum overnight occupancy of each STR, which shall not exceed two persons per bedroom plus two additional people per rental dwelling, are prohibited.
Full Breakdown
519(B)(1)(e) fixes the ceiling at two persons per bedroom, plus two additional people if the entire house is rented as a single unit. 519(B)(1)(b)3 caps ADU occupancy at no more than three persons, and if the owner does not live on site the ADU and the principal dwelling cannot be rented out separately at all. 520(A)(2) requires the operator or local agent to get a signed document from every rental party certifying the actual number of occupants for that stay. 521(D) closes an obvious workaround by prohibiting the STR from being used to host weddings, parties or similar gatherings that bring in more people overnight than the unit's permitted occupancy allows, even as a one-time event rather than a rental.
Because the cap is tied to bedroom count, expanding the advertised or actual capacity of a unit requires filing for a new permit rather than simply renting to more guests under the existing one.
Violations & Fines
Renting to more guests than permitted, or expanding allowable occupancy without a new permit, is a violation under § 156.522(A)(2). Notifications for exceeding maximum occupancy count toward the four-strike scale in § 156.522(A)(4): warnings on the first two violations, a $500 penalty on the third, and STR permit revocation with business-license proceedings on the fourth within a rolling year.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many overnight guests can a Mount Pleasant STR host?
Can I rent my STR for a wedding or party?
What happens if my STR is repeatedly over capacity?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mount Pleasant
Compare Mount Pleasant to another location·View the South Carolina short-term rentals overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Occupancy Limits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Charleston County handle occupancy limits.