Zoning
Hilton Head Island enacted a formal STR permitting program effective April 2024 after years of de facto permissive operation. STR is permitted in essentially all residential, resort, and commercial zones — the new ordinance does not restrict use by zoning class, instead requiring all operators to obtain a city STR permit covering life-safety, occupancy, parking, and 24/7 contact requirements. The bulk of Hilton Head STR inventory sits within the gated resort plantations (Sea Pines, Palmetto Dunes, Shipyard, Hilton Head Plantation, Wexford, Long Cove, Indigo Run) each of which has its own HOA-level STR rules layered on top of the city ordinance. Sea Pines and Palmetto Dunes broadly authorize STR; some plantations (notably Long Cove, Wexford) restrict to ≥7-day stays or prohibit STR entirely.\n\nNo zoning-class STR ban. The city permit requirement (effective April 2024) applies citywide. Gated plantation HOA covenants are the binding operational gate — confirm covenants before any offer. Sea Pines, Palmetto Dunes, Shipyard, and Hilton Head Plantation are the most STR-permissive; Long Cove, Wexford, Indigo Run more restrictive. Off-plantation neighborhoods (Mid Island, Spanish Wells, Squire Pope corridor) typically have lighter or no HOA-level STR restrictions but still require the city permit.