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

City Code Sec. 5-402(12) makes parking a mandatory condition of every STR permit in the city, not a suggestion: two parking spaces per dwelling unit must be made available and designated on the property, and this applies specifically within residential districts as defined by Sec. 2 of the Unified Development Ordinance. It is not enough to have the spaces exist; the host must affirmatively notify guests of the parking plan and the maximum number of vehicles the property can accommodate, and Sec. 5-402(11)c requires that instructions or a diagram of the designated parking spaces be included in the house manual given to every guest.

If a lot's physical conditions make the two-space minimum impossible, Sec. 5-402(12)a lets the police chief or a designee make an administrative adjustment to the requirement rather than block the permit outright. If that adjustment request is denied, Sec. 5-402(12)b gives the applicant a right to appeal that denial to the Property Maintenance Board of Appeals (PMBoA), the same body that hears STR permit revocation appeals under Sec. 5-408. Because the parking rule sits inside Sec. 5-402's general STR regulations, failing to maintain or disclose the required spaces is enforceable the same way as any other Article IX violation: it can generate points against the permit under Sec. 5-407 and ultimately support revocation once 15 points accumulate within 12 months under Sec. 5-408.