No decision on moratorium for Hilton Head short-term rentals, timeshares & SDVs
Amidst efforts to update short-term rental regulations and development standards, the Hilton Head Town Council discussed whether a pause on new short-term rentals, subdivisions, and timeshares could help roll out new regulations more smoothly.
The meeting marked the first public discussion on a potential moratorium since it was first suggested by Ward 2 council member Patsy Brison at a July meeting.
The council listened to nearly two hours of public comments from concerned residents and stakeholders in the short-term rental industry.
Brison expressed support for a 90-day pause on new short-term rental applications while allowing current permitholders to reapply. Town leadership is currently in the process of amending existing short-term regulations to address issues like fire safety and occupancy.
After that, she suggested a 180-day pause on new timeshares and subdivisions, to allow town leaders to focus on updating its development standards.
Ward 4 council member Tamara Becker expressed support for a moratorium that would limit the number of short-term rentals.
“How many is the right number?” Becker asked. “Do we start today at 7,042 ... and we just keep going until we no longer have residents who want to be here, because the quality of life have dissipated?”
No motions were made during discussion, except to extend the meeting by 30 minutes.
Brison expressed hope that the council would revisit a moratorium on timeshares and subdivisions at their next meeting.
“We’ve got threatened land out there, and if we don’t talk about it, next think you know the town council is going to be asked to buy more land and it’s going to be subdivided,” Brison said. “And while that’s a great idea, and we’ve been very good about that, we do not have unlimited resources to keep buying land, nor do we always have willing sellers.”
This story was originally published September 17, 2025 at 11:14 AM.
