Hilton Head Island
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort
STR is the local economy on Hilton Head Island (~4,500 active listings, plantation HOAs built around STR). May 2026 ordinance moves HHI to $150/bedroom fee + HOA-letter requirement + natural-person applicant rule. Bluffton caps at 1 STR/lot in 9 named zoning districts. City of Beaufort caps at 6% of residential parcels per neighborhood with no waitlist. Beaufort County (unincorporated) requires STRP permit. Composite YELLOW with HHI plantations functionally GREEN. RBC Heritage (April) + summer beach = two ADR peaks.
HHI is functionally GREEN at the zoning/HOA level (no ban, no cap, no owner-occupancy) but the May 2026 fee restructure + HOA letter + natural-person applicant rule + 3-strikes revocation drag the composite down. Bluffton 1-STR/lot zoning gate and City of Beaufort 6% per-neighborhood cap (no waitlist, $1,000 unpermitted-op penalty) further constrain. Beaufort County unincorporated allows STR as Special/Permitted Use across most T-transects with STRP permit.
Hilton Head Island deep-dive: full report ships with your first pack.
Permitted zones, banned zones, HOA-permissive buildings, friendly PMs, ADR/LTR benchmarks, seasonality, and red flags — all delivered alongside your 50 ranked leads.