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Beaufort County

Beaufort County Business Services

In short

Beaufort County Business Services issues 3 permits we publish for Beaufort County, last verified 2026-10-27. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.

What this agency issues

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Beaufort County Local Hospitality Tax (2%) — Account and Monthly Return (unincorporated area)only if it applies to youBeaufort County Business Services2% of the gross proceeds derived from the sale of prepared meals and beverages sold in establishments located in unincorporated Beaufort County (Code §66-533(a), Ord. 2024/15); the tax also applies to all food and beverages prepared or modified by convenience stores or grocery stores in the unincorporated area (§66-532(a)). Remitted monthly by the 20th day following the end of the filing period (§66-533(d)). Late penalty: 1.5% of the unpaid amount for each month or portion thereof that the taxes remain unpaid (§66-537(b)).ongoing; monthly returns and payment due on or before the 20th day following the end of each filing period (Code §66-533(d))2026-10-27
Beaufort County Business License (unincorporated Beaufort County)Beaufort County Business ServicesCounty business license tax (county only), Appendix A of Code ch. 18, art. III as restated in Ord. 2025/49: a base rate on gross income of $0-$2,000, plus a rate per $1,000 or fraction thereof over $2,000, by rate class: Class 1 $35.00 + $0.37; Class 2 $40.00 + $0.47; Class 3 $45.00 + $0.57; Class 4 $50.00 + $0.67; Class 5 $55.00 + $0.77; Class 6 $60.00 + $0.87; Class 7 $65.00 + $0.97; subclass 8.1 (NAICS 230000, Contractors, Construction, All Types) $40.00 + $0.47. "Unless otherwise specifically provided, all taxes and rates shall be doubled for nonresidents and itinerants having no fixed principal place of business within the County" (8.1: "Non-resident rates apply"). 2025 class schedule (Appendix B) by NAICS sector: 44-45 Retail trade, Class 1; 722 Food services and drinking places, Class 2; 71 Arts, entertainment, and recreation, Class 3; 62 Health care and social assistance, Class 3; 81 Other services, Class 3; 54 Professional, scientific, and technical services, Class 4; 23 Construction, subclass 8.1. Late penalty: 5% of the unpaid tax for each month or portion thereof after the due date until paid; "Penalties shall not be waived" (§12.A).license year May 1 to April 30, due on or before April 30; a license for a construction contract may, at the licensee's request, expire at the completion of the project (Ord. 2025/49 §3, §4.A)2026-10-27
Food Truck Operating Agreement (unincorporated Beaufort County)only if it applies to youBeaufort County Business ServicesThe Food Truck Operating Agreement states no fee of its own. It requires a current Beaufort County Business License and a zoning permit listing the approved locations; contact Business Services at (843) 255-2270 or the Zoning Department at (843) 255-2170 for the amounts that apply.in effect while the operator follows its conditions; the agreement states it "can be canceled at any time by the County of Beaufort"2026-10-27

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

About each permit

Beaufort County Local Hospitality Tax (2%) — Account and Monthly Return (unincorporated area)

Code §66-533(a), as restated by Ordinance 2024/15 (adopted April 8, 2024), states: "A hospitality tax equal to two percent is hereby imposed on the gross proceeds derived from the sale of prepared meals and beverages sold in establishments located in unincorporated areas of Beaufort County." Under §66-532(a) "the tax shall be imposed for all food and beverages prepared or modified by convenience stores or grocery stores within the unincorporated areas of Beaufort County", so a retail store is covered only when it sells prepared food or beverages. Payment is the consumer's liability, collected at the time of purchase (§66-533(b)), and the business remits monthly, on or before the twentieth day following the end of the filing period (§66-533(d)). Under §66-537(b), a business that does not remit on time "shall also pay a penalty equal to one and one-half percent of the unpaid amount for each month or portion thereof that such taxes remain unpaid", and under §66-537(d) the director of business license may establish payment plans and "reduce or waive penalties". The county's Business Services page describes the tax as paid by patrons of "restaurants, lounges, grocery stores, convenience stores and any other establishments that sell prepared food and beverages, including alcoholic beverages", at "2% of the total gross sales price received for prepared food, meals and beverages sold", and provides a Hospitality Tax Payment Form; payments go to the Beaufort County Business License Department, PO Drawer 1228, Beaufort, SC 29901. The county's Food Truck Operating Agreement requires food trucks "to collect and remit Hospitality Taxes in the same manner as other food service enterprises." The tax applies only in the unincorporated area.

Beaufort County Business License (unincorporated Beaufort County)

The county's Business Services page states that "The County Council of Beaufort requires all businesses operating within the unincorporated areas of the County, including home based businesses to obtain a business License" and that "Any business physically located within the unincorporated boundaries must have a business license, regardless of revenue." The rates and classes are from Ordinance 2025/49 (full text in the Beaufort County Council agenda packet for December 8, 2025; third reading approved 7:2 per the approved minutes of that meeting), which amended Code ch. 18, art. III and is "effective with respect to the business license year beginning on May 1, 2026". Its Appendix A sets a base rate on the first $2,000 of gross income plus a rate per $1,000 or fraction above it: Class 1 $35.00 + $0.37, Class 2 $40.00 + $0.47, Class 3 $45.00 + $0.57, Class 4 $50.00 + $0.67, Class 5 $55.00 + $0.77, Class 6 $60.00 + $0.87, Class 7 $65.00 + $0.97 and subclass 8.1 contractors $40.00 + $0.47; the same rates appear in the Rate Schedule on the Business Services page, which adds that "Nonresident (not located within the unincorporated boundaries) rates apply and doubled." The ordinance doubles all taxes and rates for nonresidents and itinerants with no fixed principal place of business in the county. Appendix B, the 2025 class schedule adopted by Ord. 2025/49, lists NAICS sectors by class, among them 44-45 Retail trade (Class 1), 722 Food services and drinking places (Class 2), 71 Arts, entertainment, and recreation (Class 3), 62 Health care and social assistance (Class 3), 81 Other services (Class 3), 54 Professional, scientific, and technical services (Class 4) and 23 Construction (subclass 8.1). Under §21.C "The license official shall have the authority to make the determination of the classification most specifically applicable to a subject business", so the license official assigns each business its class. The license runs May 1 to April 30 (§3) and the tax is due on or before April 30 (§4.A); a new business pays on "the estimated probable gross income for the balance of the license year", and a separate license is needed for each place of business and each classification (§4.B). A new business must have a license before operating (§5.A). The late penalty is 5% of the unpaid tax per month or portion thereof, and "Penalties shall not be waived" (§12.A). For contractors, the 8.1 text states that "No contractor shall be issued a business license until all state and municipal qualification examination and trade license requirements have been met", requires performance and indemnity bonds, zoning permits when the Zoning Ordinance requires them, a job sign and a list of subcontractors, and allows per-job licenses. The county's Non-Resident Contractors sheet states that all contractors doing business in unincorporated Beaufort County, wherever they are based, "are required to have a business license", and it makes a current business license a prerequisite for building permits. The New Business Package says to "Submit completed packet only AFTER obtaining Zoning Approval and HazMat Approval", with a Clearance Form signed by Zoning, HazMat, the Fire Marshal and Building Inspections.

Food Truck Operating Agreement (unincorporated Beaufort County)

The county's Food Truck Operating Agreement, linked from the Food Truck Service Guidelines on the Business Services page, sets the conditions food trucks and trailers follow in the unincorporated county and is signed by the operator and approved by the Zoning Department, which lists the zoned areas permitted. The operator must, in the form's words, "maintain documentation of the necessary approvals from SC DHEC and any other agency documentation necessary to provide food service", hold a "South Carolina Retail License", "possess a current Beaufort County Business License", and "collect and remit Hospitality Taxes in the same manner as other food service enterprises." The operator also needs written permission from the property owner, a picture of the unit, must not leave the vehicle unattended or at a sales site overnight, and must arrange restroom access and remove its own garbage. "Sales to general public are permitted on parcels zoned T2RN, T2RC, T4HC, T4VC, T4HCO, T4NC, C4CCMU and C5RCMU. A zoning permit is required and will list approved areas for each location in which the business would like to operate." In other zones a truck may cater occasional private events on private property, with sales limited to event attendees. A food truck may not use the same location daily on a weekly basis. The form states that "This agreement can be canceled at any time by the County of Beaufort" and that its conditions "are subject to change as the county continues its review". The agreement itself lists no fee.

Contact

Jurisdiction
Beaufort County
Phone
(843) 255-2270

Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.

Sources

Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.

  1. Business ServicesBeaufort County, South Carolina · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
  2. Council MeetingsBeaufort County Council · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
  3. County Council Agenda Packet, December 8, 2025 (Ordinance 2025/49, Business and Professional Licenses, pp. 469-501)Beaufort County Council (CivicClerk) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
  4. County Council Minutes, December 8, 2025 (approved)Beaufort County Council (CivicClerk) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
  5. Food Truck Operating AgreementBeaufort County Business Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
  6. New Business Package (2024)Beaufort County Business Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
  7. Ordinance 2024/15 - An Ordinance Amending Chapter 66 Taxation, Article V Local Hospitality TaxBeaufort County Council · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
  8. Standardized Business License Application (Non-Resident Contractors)Beaufort County Business Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27

Other offices serving Beaufort County

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Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.