Beaufort County Services on Hilton Head Island
Hilton Head Island is in Beaufort County, and the county runs more of island life than most people expect: property taxes and records, courts and the jail, the Sheriff, the library, the dump, mosquito spraying. What each office does, which ones are on the island, and when the Town handles it instead.
What Beaufort County Handles on the Island
The Treasurer, Auditor and Assessor, the 4% and 6% assessment, due dates, and how to pay.
Look up a parcel, an owner or a deed: the county map, property search and Register of Deeds.
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office patrols the island under contract with the Town.
The county’s drop-off site for trash and recycling off Dillon Road, and the decal you need.
The county-owned airport on Beach City Road, and the airlines that fly from it.
The Town of Hilton Head Island runs planning, permits, parks and its own staff, but a long list of everyday services sits with the county. The Sheriff’s Office patrols the island under a contract with the Town, and the schools belong to the Beaufort County School District. The offices that tax, record and regulate property, and the courts, the jail and the library, are Beaufort County’s. For what the Town does, see the Town of Hilton Head Island guide.
Beaufort County Council and the Island’s Districts
County Council has 11 members, one for each district, and the island’s council members come from districts 10 and 11. Council meets on Mondays, with a caucus at 5 p.m. and the regular session at 6 p.m. Most meetings are in Council Chambers in Beaufort, and a few each year are held at the Hilton Head Island Branch Library; the yearly schedule on the county site names which. Every meeting is broadcast on BCTV and streamed at BeaufortCounty.tv. To speak, you get three minutes during public comment, and written comments go through the county’s CitizenGram form.
The Council office is at (843) 255-2180. The county’s own site lists the members, the agendas and the committee meetings, which cover public safety, natural resources, finance and public facilities.
County Offices on Hilton Head Island
The county’s Hilton Head Island base is Beaufort County Government Center South at 539 William Hilton Parkway. The Probate Court has a satellite office there, at (843) 255-5850. It is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed to the public at 4:30 and from noon to 1), and takes marriage license applications by appointment from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The county’s Board of Voter Registration and Elections has its island office at 15 John Galt Road, (843) 255-6900, open weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., for registering, early voting and absentee voting. The Auditor, Assessor, Treasurer and Register of Deeds list their offices in Beaufort and Bluffton, not on the island, and most of what they do (searching records, paying a tax bill, applying for the 4% rate) is online. Their pages are the property taxes guide and the property records guide.
Business Licenses and Zoning: County or Town?
Inside the Town of Hilton Head Island, the Town issues the business license. The Town requires one of every business operating in its limits, home-based businesses and short-term rentals included, and it handles planning, zoning and building permits there too. The Town guide has a business license section.
The county’s Business License office, (843) 255-2270, covers unincorporated Beaufort County, which includes Daufuskie Island. There a business needs county zoning approval and a zoning permit first (Zoning is (843) 255-2170 and Planning is (843) 255-2140), then the license. Building Codes, at (843) 255-2065, handles building permits in the unincorporated county.
For short-term rental owners: a rental on the island needs the Town’s rental permit and business license. See the short-term rental permits guide. The county’s part is the tax bill: a rental is assessed at 6%, as the property taxes page explains.
Beaufort County Mosquito Control
Beaufort County Mosquito Control has worked the county since 1974 and covers Hilton Head Island. It sprays by truck and by air, and uses a fixed-wing OV-10 Bronco and an MD-500 helicopter for aerial work. Treatment areas for the coming Monday-to-Friday stretch are posted on its interactive map by 4 p.m. each day, and you can sign up for aerial spray notifications on the county site.
To ask for service at your address, use the request link on the Mosquito Control page or call (843) 255-5800. The office is at 84 Shanklin Road, Beaufort, and answers weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hilton Head Island in Beaufort County?
Yes. Hilton Head Island, Bluffton and Daufuskie Island are all in Beaufort County, South Carolina, and the county seat is the city of Beaufort. The Town of Hilton Head Island is the municipal government on top of that.
Does the Town or the county issue a business license on Hilton Head?
Inside the Town of Hilton Head Island, the Town does. Beaufort County’s Business License office covers unincorporated areas, including Daufuskie Island, and asks for zoning approval first.
Where are Beaufort County offices on Hilton Head Island?
Beaufort County Government Center South, at 539 William Hilton Parkway, has a Probate Court satellite office. Voter Registration and Elections is at 15 John Galt Road. The Auditor, Assessor, Treasurer and Register of Deeds are in Beaufort and Bluffton, with services online.
How do I ask for mosquito spraying on Hilton Head?
Use the request link on the Beaufort County Mosquito Control page or call (843) 255-5800. Spray areas for the week are posted on the department’s map by 4 p.m. each day.
Which Beaufort County Council districts are on Hilton Head Island?
The island’s council members come from districts 10 and 11. County Council meets Mondays, and a few meetings a year are held at the Hilton Head Island Branch Library.
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