Rental Rules by City / South Carolina / Bluffton

    Bluffton short-term rental rules & tax calculator

    Beaufort County, South Carolina · Verified against official sources Oct 24, 2026

    📋 The Basics

    Can I rent my place short-term here?
    Yes, with a permit
    Do I need a permit?
    Yes, with a town STR permit and business license.
    What taxes do I pay?
    Total about 10%. Check your Airbnb payout report to see which ones Airbnb collects; you pay the rest yourself.

    Your 3 steps to be legal

    1. Confirm town vs county.
    2. Get the STR permit.
    3. Register for accommodations taxes.

    ⚠️ Biggest risk: Paying the wrong jurisdiction.

    Words confusing? See the glossary. Details and official sources are below.

    Tax calculator

    Rates used: SC state sales tax 5% + SC state accommodations tax 2% + Bluffton local accommodations tax 3% = 10%. Mandatory cleaning fees are included in the taxable total. 10% shown (town limits). Beaufort County local sales taxes: verify. Many Bluffton addresses are unincorporated county (also 3% local).

    What Airbnb collects: Verify in payouts which taxes your platform remits.

    This is the general rule for Bluffton. Does your address qualify?

    The free info covers the city as a whole. Your property can still be different: zoning can change from one street to the next, and an HOA or condo ban can stop rentals even where the city allows them.

    Your $49 Compliance Check looks at your exact property:

    🔎 How we check: official city, county and state sources, a last-verified date on every page, and nothing guessed. Learn more

    Check my address: $49

    🔔 Stay notified: $4.99/month

    Rules don't change every week, but they do change, and nobody emails you when they do. We'll alert you when city rules, tourist taxes, HOA-related laws, or Airbnb/Vrbo policies change in Bluffton. Cancel anytime.

    Stay notified

    Need guest waivers and booking tools too? Click here for more info

    Why use this instead of a web search?

    Instead of scattered, sometimes outdated pages, you get the city, county and state rules on one page, with official sources linked, a last-checked date, and unconfirmed items marked "verify" instead of guessed. How we verify →

    Advanced details (laws, fees, sources)

    Rules

    PermitTown STR unit permit (whole unit under 30 days), renewed yearly, plus business license; $325 annual STR fee (FY2026).
    JurisdictionCheck whether your address is in town limits or unincorporated Beaufort County.

    Items marked "Verify with the city" could not be confirmed from an official source; call the office listed before relying on them.

    Sources

    Free tools

    Free "Is my rental legal?" checklist · Free tourist tax calculator

    Rules can change

    Bluffton's rules, its tax rates and platform policies can change through a council vote, a new state law or a court ruling, often with little notice to hosts. We re-check this page monthly; subscribers get notified. Stay Compliant for $4.99/mo.

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    Get a personalized STR Compliance Check ($49) for your exact address in any US city: the permits, registrations and tax accounts you need, with official sources, delivered by email in 48 business hours. Not legal advice.

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    Stay Compliant: $4.99/month

    Rules, tax rates and Airbnb/Vrbo policies can change without warning, and hosts who miss a change can be fined. Get alerts when your city, county or state changes, deadline reminders, a pending-bill watch list and a monthly host brief (even in quiet months: "we checked on [date]; no changes"). Compare plans.

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    Not legal or tax advice. Last verified Oct 24, 2026. Rules and rates change: confirm with the official sources linked before you rent or file.