The Oswald Group at eXp Realty
Hanahan has no short-term rental permit to apply for and no cap on the number of rentals, based on the city's business license, permit, and planning and zoning pages. What the city does require is a business license for anyone who owns rental property there.
That makes Hanahan simpler than North Charleston next door, but not rule-free. This page covers the license, the tax on guest stays, and what to check on an address before you make an offer.
By Jeremiah Oswald, a Realtor, short-term rental expert and investor with The Oswald Group at eXp Realty, working across the Lowcountry. Rules checked against the City of Hanahan's business license, permit, and planning and zoning pages and the South Carolina Department of Revenue's tax rate chart on 4 November 2026.
The rules
The list is short. There is no short-term rental permit and no rental cap on the city's business license, permit, or planning and zoning pages. These are the rules that do apply.
Anyone who owns rental property in Hanahan, residential or commercial, needs a city business license. New licenses can be applied for online, and existing ones renewed online.
May 1 through April 30. Hanahan uses the 2022 Model Business License Ordinance, so ask the business license office for the current rate on rental property.
A combined 10% state and county sales tax on accommodations, according to the South Carolina Department of Revenue's rate chart for Hanahan. The chart leaves out any local tax a city or county collects directly, so ask the city whether one applies too.
Hanahan's zoning ordinance decides which uses are allowed in each zoning district. The version posted online is codified through December 2020, with one later amendment listed, so ask the city to confirm the use for the specific address.
If the home is in an HOA or POA, its covenants can ban or limit rentals even where the city allows them. Read them before you make an offer.
Building & Codes answers rental license questions at (843) 576-5259, Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.
Sources: the City of Hanahan's business licenses page and the South Carolina Department of Revenue's sales tax rate chart by municipality (Rev. 2/5/26), both checked on 4 November 2026.
Next door
The two cities border each other, but their short-term rental rules are very different.
| Rule | Hanahan | North Charleston |
|---|---|---|
| Short-term rental permit | None listed | Required, with $350 to apply and $250 a year to renew |
| Cap on rentals | None listed | 60 permits per council district, and 4 of the 10 districts are full |
| Business license | Required | Required for each unit |
| When the home sells | No permit to lose | The permit ends at closing, and the buyer applies from scratch |
North Charleston figures are from that city's permit page and live permit data on 4 November 2026. The district-by-district status is on the North Charleston short-term rental rules page.
Before you make an offer
Run them in order. The first three can settle the short-term rental question for a property before you spend anything on it.
Hanahan's license and zoning rules apply only inside the city. Hanahan sits in Berkeley County, and a property outside its limits falls under the county's rules or a neighboring city's instead.
Call Building & Codes at (843) 576-5259 with the address and ask whether a short-term rental fits its zoning district. The city's zoning districts can be viewed on Berkeley County GIS.
Where there is an HOA or POA, a rental ban or a minimum lease term in its covenants settles the question, whatever the city allows.
Budget the business license, and plan for the 10% state and county tax on guest stays, before you trust a revenue estimate.
Run the numbers as a short-term rental and as a mid-term or long-term rental. Hanahan has no cap today, but an HOA vote or a new city rule can change what a property is allowed to do. The full method is on the Charleston STR property analysis page.
More for investors
For properties you can act on now, the Airbnb Investment Hot Sheet lists current Lowcountry investment properties, including homes in Hanahan, with projected cash flow, return and tax benefits for each. How permits compare in Isle of Palms, Mount Pleasant, the City of Charleston and the rest of the area is on the how to buy a short-term rental in Charleston page, and loan options are on the financing page. For how we work with short-term rental investors, start at the Charleston short-term rental investment specialist page.
We will tell you whether it sits inside city limits, what the city requires there, and what the property can earn as a short-term or long-term rental.
Book a ConsultationThe Oswald Group at eXp Realty. Rules on this page were checked against the City of Hanahan's business license, permit, and planning and zoning pages and the South Carolina Department of Revenue's sales tax rate chart (Rev. 2/5/26) on 4 November 2026. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Short-term rental rules change often, so confirm the rules with the city for the specific address before you invest. Revenue projections are estimates and are not guaranteed. Equal Housing Opportunity.