Mount Pleasant, South Carolina · verified 2026-09-04

Permits, rules & who to call

Two things cost new Mount Pleasant owners real money in year one. The first is assuming a house here can be a short-term rental — the town regulates it and the neighbouring islands do not share its rules. The second is removing a tree without checking, because Mount Pleasant protects grand trees and fines for it.All 122 entries below link to the town or county's own page.

The short-term rental cap is nearly full

Mount Pleasant caps short-term rental permits at 400 town-wide— not per district — under Zoning Code § 156.518. When the town's own public STR portal was checked on 3 September 2026 it showed 399 licensed properties. One under the cap. New applicants go on a waiting list with no published length and no guarantee a permit comes free in any given year.

Two more things that catch buyers: a permit does not transfer when the house sells (§ 156.519(A)(3)) — the new owner starts over, subject to the cap — and the ordinance itself enforces HOA covenants, so a neighborhood whose restrictions prohibit short-term renting is prohibited under town law too (§ 156.521(B)). If rental income is part of why you are buying, confirm both before you write the offer.

Figures as published on 3 September 2026; code current through the 2026 S-77 supplement. Confirm with the town — this changes.

What this page is not

It is a directory, not advice. Ordinances change, fees change yearly, and your HOA's covenants can restrict things the town permits — the two are separate and the stricter one governs. Confirm anything you are about to act on with the department, and take anything consequential to your attorney.

Short-term rentals

The rule buyers most often get wrong, and the neighbouring islands do not share it. Read this before you count on rental income — and check the HOA covenants separately, because they can prohibit what the town permits.

Permits & inspections

What needs a permit and what does not — including tree removal, which catches new owners constantly.

Utilities

Who to call to turn things on. Not every Mount Pleasant address has the same water or electricity provider, which surprises people.

Move-in checklist

Trash, vehicle registration, the SC vehicle property tax nobody expects, voter registration and the rest of week one.

The water

Tides, landings, licences and seasons — from NOAA and SC DNR. This is a big-tide coast and newcomers underestimate it.

Everyday civic

Trash, noise, dogs, golf carts, council meetings and how to report a problem.

Who to call

Town and county departments, with the numbers that actually reach a person.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by the Town of Mount Pleasant, Charleston County, or any agency named here. Fees, thresholds and deadlines are as published on the date above.

How buying works here → · Schools →

Who keeps this record

Jim Deutsch

Charleston REALTOR® · eXp Realty LLC – Charleston (SC)

Jim farms seven Mount Pleasant neighborhoods specifically — not “the Charleston area.” That is the whole point of this index: one agent who knows which street floods, which floor plan appraises, and what the last eleven sales actually closed at, because he keeps the record himself.

SC License #102254 · james.deutsch@exprealty.com

CallTextSchedule a showing