York County, SC Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Overnight guest cap
- 8 people
- Daytime guest cap
- 20 people
- Governing section
- § 155.551(C)
- Enforced as
- condition of short-term rental permit
- Max fine
- $500 per day
Summary
York County limits short-term rentals in the unincorporated county to eight overnight guests and 20 daytime guests under Zoning Ordinance § 155.551(C). The cap applies to every dwelling or accessory dwelling unit operating as a permitted short-term rental, regardless of the number of bedrooms or the size of the lot.
(C) Restrictions on number of guests. A short-term rental shall not be occupied during the day by more than 20 guests or overnight by more than eight guests.
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
' The daytime figure covers visitors and day guests who are not staying overnight, while the eight-person overnight cap governs how many people can actually sleep at the property. 552, so the Planning and Development Services Department can enforce the occupancy limit as a condition of the annual short-term rental permit rather than through a separate licensing process. 551. Property owners hosting weddings, reunions, or other day events at a short-term rental must keep the total day-guest count at or under 20, even if only a handful of those guests plan to stay overnight within the eight-person sleeping limit.
Because the standard is written into the zoning code rather than a separate noise or nuisance ordinance, code enforcement can cite an overcrowded rental directly under this chapter.
Violations & Fines
Hosting more guests than § 155.551(C) allows is a zoning code violation enforceable under § 155.9999 as a misdemeanor, with fines of up to $500 per day the overcrowding continues. The County Council, County Attorney, Zoning Administrator, or Planning and Development Services Director can initiate court proceedings, and repeated occupancy violations can jeopardize the property's short-term rental permit at its annual renewal under § 155.552(C).
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people can sleep overnight at a York County short-term rental?
Can I host a daytime event with more people than are staying overnight?
Does the guest limit apply to accessory dwelling units too?
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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