Rock Hill, SC Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)

19(C), a short-term rental permit issued on or after November 29, 2023 goes through the same review process as a conditional use in the subject zoning district. If the person hosting the rental does not own the property, the owner must give the city a written statement authorizing the short-term rental use as part of the application, and the host must file a permit application and pay the application fee listed in Appendix A to the Zoning Ordinance. 19(C)(5)(a). Permits do not run with the land: a new owner or a new host must apply for a fresh permit rather than inherit one.

The city treats a permit as a revocable license, not a property right, and every permit expires annually. Starting in 2024, the host must apply to renew both the short-term rental permit and the business license before April 30 each year to keep operating past the end of the current permit period, and the renewal application must show compliance with the Zoning Ordinance as currently amended. A separate transition rule lets short-term rentals that already held a valid permit on November 28, 2023 on property that the updated Table of Primary Uses no longer allows for the use continue operating on an amortization schedule through April 30, 2029, after which those permits expire for good and cannot become a protected nonconforming use.

York County permit holders seeking annexation into Rock Hill must go through the city's own permit review and meet these standards before the short-term rental use is approved, contingent on annexation.