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

552, titled 'Owner Registration Required,' governs how a property owner obtains authorization to run a short-term rental in York County's unincorporated area. Subsection (A) makes clear that short-term rental use 'may not be initiated, established, or maintained without a valid permit,' and that the permit issues only once the applicant completes the application and pays the required filing fee. Subsection (B)(1) spells out what the application must include: the owner files a zoning compliance application with the Planning and Development Services Department describing the rental's location and giving contact information for the owner or a property manager, along with the filing fee amount the County Council sets.

Subsection (B)(2) adds a second requirement beyond the basic application, written documentation from the York County Assessor's office confirming the dwelling serves as the owner's primary residence, which is the subject of the county's separate primary-residence restriction. 552(C) requires annual renewal with verified contact information on a rolling basis measured from the anniversary of the initial permit's issuance. 552 works together with the underlying zoning approval, meaning a property must already carry the correct zoning classification before the Planning and Development Services Department will issue the short-term rental permit.