Hilton Head committee directs staff to draft tighter short‑term rental rules, favoring ‘2+2’ occupancy, inspections and stronger penalties

The Hilton Head Island committee on short‑term rentals asked staff on Monday to draft stronger rules aimed at reducing neighborhood disruption and improving safety while preserving the island’s tourism economy. Chair (the presiding committee member) said the council wanted practical, enforceable changes and emphasized residents’ quality of life: "Residents 1st isn't a slogan," she said.

Deputy Town Manager Sean, who led staff’s presentation, told the committee staff would return with code language reflecting the changes discussed. "We need the ability to manage property owners who violate short‑term rental regulations through escalating fines instead of criminal charges," he said, summarizing the enforcement approach staff proposed.

What the committee asked staff to draft

- Occupancy: Members broadly supported moving toward a "2 plus 2" occupancy formula: two occupants per declared bedroom plus two additional occupants per unit (with studios capped at two). Several council members proposed an upper cap (many suggested capping the largest homes around 18 occupants).

- Inspections and submittals: The committee directed staff to require more robust permit submittals (site plan, floor plan showing bedrooms and escape routes, advertised listing) and to inspect new permits and uninspected existing permits; renewals would be placed on a phased or risk‑based inspection rotation.

- Parking: Staff will require a site‑plan count of parking and treat the approved site plan as the enforcement baseline. The committee discussed whether garage spaces should count toward the permitted total; no final change was adopted, and staff was asked to craft clearer language about exterior parking capacity and how enforcement will verify compliance.

- Fire and life‑safety: For larger units staff reiterated a February proposal to require monitored automatic smoke detection and a manual fire alarm for larger homes, and the committee asked staff to include fire exit plans posted in units and to consider propane detectors and other measures; mandatory sprinklers for existing homes was raised but deferred for further study.

- Enforcement and penalties: Staff summarized the stepped administrative citation approach—administrative fines that escalate (e.g., $250, $500, $1,000) and an enforcement path where repeated violations can trigger permit suspension of up to a year and a council hearing on revocation. The committee directed staff to keep the existing educational and appeal steps in place but to bring back clear enforcement language.

Why it matters

Committee members said the goals are to reduce repeated disturbances—noise, parking overflow and trash—that residents say have grown with the island’s STR market while preserving the business and tax revenue the industry supplies. Staff noted most STRs are villas or condos and that the market’s configuration affects what rules are practical to enforce.

What’s next

Staff will draft ordinance language and return to the committee for review before sending any changes to council. The committee also scheduled a separate workshop on moratoriums for the following day; members said location restrictions and permit caps will require additional study in the broader land‑management rewrite or at the moratorium workshop.

The committee did not vote on any ordinance changes at this meeting; it provided direction to staff to prepare draft code that reflects the items above.