Charleston, SC Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Parking Rules (2026)

Charleston's STR parking rule repeats verbatim across all three STR permit categories rather than living in a single citywide section. Sec. 1(a)(5) requires a Category 1 STR, for properties inside the Old and Historic District, to provide one off-street parking space on the subject property, in addition to providing, on the property, required off-street parking for existing uses on the property; the parking space provided for the STR may be situated in tandem with the required spaces for other uses. Sec. 2(a)(5), covering Category 2 STRs on the peninsula outside the Old and Historic District and the Short Term Rental Overlay Zone, and Sec.

3(a)(5), covering Category 3 STRs in all other areas of the city off the peninsula, use the identical text. In every category, the STR space is additive: the zoning administrator checks that the property's existing off-street parking requirement for the principal residence is still met before crediting a tandem space to the STR use, so a single-space driveway serving a house that itself requires one space cannot double as the STR's space without adding a second stall. The parking condition is verified at application through the site plan submitted under Sec.

54-208(c)(1)(d), which must show the location of the proposed STR unit and the required off-street parking spaces and driveways, and it is one of the findings the zoning administrator has to make before issuing any Category 1, 2 or 3 permit.