Florence County, SC Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)

Section 30-93 treats bed and breakfast inns as a narrow, conditionally permitted exception to residential zoning, not a general short-term-rental category. To qualify, the operator must be the resident owner of the property, and the structure must already be recognized by the Florence County Historical Commission as architecturally, historically or culturally significant, so newer homes cannot be converted. Food service is limited to breakfast only; no other regularly scheduled meals may be served. The inn cannot add guest rooms beyond the number of bedrooms already in the original structure, and both the interior arrangement and the exterior appearance of the building and grounds must stay architecturally consistent with their historic character, with exterior changes allowed only when compatible with the surrounding area.

Parking must be provided at one space per guest room plus two additional spaces for the resident innkeeper, and enough on-site parking must be available to cover any private gatherings the applicant proposes to host. Signage is limited to a single non-illuminated identification sign no larger than four square feet. Because the use is a conditional use rather than a by-right use, it still requires approval through the county's Table I/II zoning process before operation can begin. Anyone renting rooms nightly without meeting every one of these conditions, including the historic-recognition requirement, is operating outside the zoning ordinance and subject to code enforcement.