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HomeShort-Term Rental LawsSouth CarolinaFolly Beach

Local guide

Folly Beach Short-Term Rental Laws

Folly Beach, South Carolina STR compliance: Folly Beach requires a business license and STR registration, and applies separate OSTR and ISTR categories plus an inventory cap. Review property eligibility, STR Registration and Business License, South Carolina accommodations tax, and renewal actions from official sources.

  • 100+ U.S. cities
  • Official sources
  • Address used only for local rules

Compliance layers

A Clear Answer, Then a Path Forward.

Critical Finding

See whether the property can operate now, what blocks it, and which exception may apply.

Address Context

Confirm zoning, current land use, jurisdiction, and the rules that actually govern the address.

Required Approvals

Get the permits, licenses, documents, inspections, and tax registrations needed before launch.

Recommended Path

Follow prioritized next steps, deadlines, renewal duties, and viable alternatives when rules change.

Decision rule

Folly Beach: resolve “Determine whether the unit is owner-occupied or investment STR under the City categories” before relying on the STR Registration and Business License

Folly Beach requires a business license and STR registration, and applies separate OSTR and ISTR categories plus an inventory cap.

Determine whether the unit is owner-occupied or investment STR under the City categories. This is the first property-level screen for the Folly Beach filing.

Renew on the City’s published 2026 cycle and recheck category eligibility. Treat renewal status as part of continued eligibility, not an administrative afterthought.

  • STR Registration and Business License

    Folly Beach requires a business license and STR registration, and applies separate OSTR and ISTR categories plus an inventory cap.

    Warning

Local facts that distinguish Folly Beach

Determine whether the unit is owner-occupied or investment STR under the City categories. Only after that result can this address move from research to an active STR Registration and Business License.

Legal posture
Folly Beach requires a business license and STR registration, and applies separate OSTR and ISTR categories plus an inventory cap.
Local approval
STR Registration and Business License
Eligibility boundary
Determine whether the unit is owner-occupied or investment STR under the City categories.
Property or operator condition
Check cap and eligibility status before paying or advertising.
Approval prerequisite
Meet the published renewal deadline to avoid losing a limited registration.
Continuing duty
Renew on the City’s published 2026 cycle and recheck category eligibility.

Test the Folly Beach address against its local rules

Apply “Determine whether the unit is owner-occupied or investment STR under the City categories” to the actual parcel and rental model before opening the Folly Beach government case.

  • Determine whether the unit is owner-occupied or investment STR under the City categories

    Determine whether the unit is owner-occupied or investment STR under the City categories. Retain the official Folly Beach result that proves this condition; a contrary result stops the STR Registration and Business License path.

    Required

  • Check cap and eligibility status before paying or advertising

    Check cap and eligibility status before paying or advertising. Retain the official Folly Beach result that proves this condition; a contrary result stops the STR Registration and Business License path.

    Required

  • Meet the published renewal deadline to avoid losing a limited registration

    Meet the published renewal deadline to avoid losing a limited registration. Retain the official Folly Beach result that proves this condition; a contrary result stops the STR Registration and Business License path.

    Required

Move the Folly Beach decision “Check cap and eligibility status before paying or advertising” into an active STR Registration and Business License

Start with “Check cap and eligibility status before paying or advertising”; the resulting local record keeps the Folly Beach land-use decision distinct from tax registration and renewal.

  1. Determine whether the unit is owner-occupied or investment STR under the City categories

    Determine whether the unit is owner-occupied or investment STR under the City categories. The observable result is a property-specific record supporting this eligibility decision; otherwise correct the address or rental model before filing.

  2. Check cap and eligibility status before paying or advertising

    Check cap and eligibility status before paying or advertising. The observable result is a property-specific record supporting this classification decision; otherwise correct the address or rental model before filing.

  3. Meet the published renewal deadline to avoid losing a limited registration

    Meet the published renewal deadline to avoid losing a limited registration. The observable result is a property-specific record supporting this prerequisite decision; otherwise correct the address or rental model before filing.

  4. Submit after documenting “Meet the published renewal deadline to avoid losing a limited registration”

    Use https://cityoffollybeach.com/short-term-rentals. Keep the Folly Beach case identifier and agency response alongside the evidence for “Meet the published renewal deadline to avoid losing a limited registration”; payment or submission alone is not proof that the STR Registration and Business License is active.

  5. Set up South Carolina South Carolina accommodations tax

    South Carolina has a state accommodations-tax regime for transient room charges. Use the Department of Revenue account and retain gross-rental and exemption records.

  6. Preserve the Folly Beach approval after issuance

    Renew on the City’s published 2026 cycle and recheck category eligibility.

Separate the Folly Beach charge from South Carolina tax

City of Folly Beach does not state a verified fixed fee in this guide; before payment, use its cited application after resolving “Meet the published renewal deadline to avoid losing a limited registration”.

Determine whether the unit is owner-occupied or investment STR under the City categories. The resulting Folly Beach approval and the South Carolina accommodations tax record solve different compliance problems; neither substitutes for the other.

  • South Carolina accommodations tax

    South Carolina has a state accommodations-tax regime for transient room charges.

  • Marketplace and direct bookings

    Local accommodations assessments may add a separate return or rate.

  • State filing control

    Use the Department of Revenue account and retain gross-rental and exemption records.

Keep the Folly Beach approval aligned with the licensed property

Renew on the City’s published 2026 cycle and recheck category eligibility.

  • Retain the active STR Registration and Business License

    Match the issued record to Folly Beach, the property address, and the approved rental class while continuing to satisfy “Determine whether the unit is owner-occupied or investment STR under the City categories”.

    Required

  • Continue to satisfy: Determine whether the unit is owner-occupied or investment STR under the City categories

    Recheck this Folly Beach condition together with the continuing duty “Renew on the City’s published 2026 cycle and recheck category eligibility” before changing ownership, occupancy, unit configuration, or the listing model.

    Required

  • Continue to satisfy: Check cap and eligibility status before paying or advertising

    Recheck this Folly Beach condition together with the continuing duty “Renew on the City’s published 2026 cycle and recheck category eligibility” before changing ownership, occupancy, unit configuration, or the listing model.

    Required

  • Maintain South Carolina records

    Local accommodations assessments may add a separate return or rate. Use the Department of Revenue account and retain gross-rental and exemption records.

    Required

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

STR Registration and Business License. Folly Beach requires a business license and STR registration, and applies separate OSTR and ISTR categories plus an inventory cap.

Determine whether the unit is owner-occupied or investment STR under the City categories.

Check cap and eligibility status before paying or advertising. Meet the published renewal deadline to avoid losing a limited registration.

South Carolina accommodations tax. South Carolina has a state accommodations-tax regime for transient room charges.

Renew on the City’s published 2026 cycle and recheck category eligibility.