Short-term rentals in Columbia, South Carolina

Columbia is a state capital with a flagship university, and its visitors come for reasons a beach town never sees. University of South Carolina football weekends pack the city every autumn; legislative sessions, state agencies and courts bring professionals from January to May; Fort Jackson, the Army's largest basic training post, sends thousands of families to graduation ceremonies nearly every week of the year. Prisma Health and the VA medical center add clinicians and patients' families. Houses and cottages near the campus, Five Points, the Vista and Shandon suit game-day groups and graduation families alike.

The city's permit system

Columbia has required short-term rental permits since its 2023 ordinance and has since revised how they interact with zoning. The distinctions to know:

• Owner-occupied rentals, verified through the county's 4% legal-residence assessment, are allowed in residential districts with a registration.
• Non-owner-occupied rentals in residential zones face a location test: according to the current ordinance, the parcel must front a major street classified as an arterial or collector. In commercial and mixed-use districts, both types are allowed.
• Permits run on a July-to-June cycle and are renewed annually, with a higher fee for non-owner-occupied units and a late fee after July 1.
• Owners living beyond a set distance must name a local representative who takes calls and accepts legal service, and overnight occupancy is capped by bedroom count.

The rules were amended again in early 2026, when the city repealed a moratorium and adjusted the owner-occupied treatment, so confirm the current text before you rely on any summary, including this one.

Taxes

South Carolina's 5% sales tax and 2% accommodations tax apply to stays of under 90 days, plus Richland County's local option tax and the city's own accommodations charge. Platforms remit the state layers on their bookings; the local ones may be yours to file.

Our advice

For an investment purchase in a residential neighborhood, check street classification before anything else: two otherwise identical houses a block apart can have opposite answers. Near Fort Jackson, graduation demand is dependable, so short minimum stays around Thursday and Friday ceremonies pay off. We study every request and tell you honestly whether and how we can help.