Hi everyone,

Thank you again for signing and sharing our petition to protect responsible vacation rentals on Hilton Head. We have an important update:

The Town’s Community Development & Public Services Committee meets Tuesday, Oct 7 at 9:00 AM to review a new Short-Term Rental (STR) ordinance and a proposal to increase permit fees. Council’s first vote is set for Oct 13 with a final vote Oct 21.

Key Proposed Changes

Strict Occupancy Caps: Bedrooms would dictate max guests (1BR = 4, 3BR = 8, up to 10BR = 22).
Parking Restrictions: Only approved driveway spaces — and the Town could deny any added parking areas if they believe the intent is to host more guests.

Fire & Safety Mandates: Smoke/CO detectors, fire extinguisher, and monitored fire alarm system (existing STRs must comply by May 1, 2026).

Posting & Advertising Rules: Permit # in all ads, plus in-home postings of occupancy, noise hours, trash info, and escape routes.

Permit Fees: Jump from $250 to $750 (≤4BR) and $2,500 (5+BR) to fund enforcement, inspections, and beach/visitor safety projects.

Where We Stand
We strongly oppose the proposed occupancy limits and parking restrictions.

Responsible managers and owners already meet fire safety, parking, and posting standards — adding arbitrary guest caps and vague parking restrictions won’t fix the few problem properties but will punish those operating professionally.

The parking rule is especially concerning because the Town would decide case by case if a driveway expansion was “primarily to increase occupancy,” leaving owners uncertain and vulnerable to subjective enforcement.

After attending several council meetings, it’s clear that some decision makers don’t fully understand how professional STR management actually works or the standards we already uphold. This lack of insight is driving unnecessary, harmful rules, and frankly makes them unqualified to make these decisions. 

What You Can Do

Email Town Council before the Oct 13 vote: urge them to keep reasonable safety/parking rules but reject arbitrary occupancy caps and vague parking restrictions.

Attend or watch the Oct 7 meeting to show strong owner, Realtor, and property manager presence.

Here is the link to the town agenda for the meeting:  https://hiltonheadsc.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1049/files/agenda/1436

Together we can protect property rights while maintaining safe, well-managed vacation rentals.

— Steven Wood
Host & Home