The City of Charleston launched a fully redesigned charleston-sc.gov, rebuilding the City’s digital front door around the people who use it. The new site organizes every service by audience - residents, businesses, and visitors - and replaces long pages of text with interactive tools that answer questions in a few clicks.
The redesign follows an independent audit of the previous site, which found that nearly half of users could not locate permit applications, that finding information took an average of seven clicks, and that the site ran six separate navigation systems at once. The new charleston-sc.gov brings everything into a single, task-based structure and consolidates hundreds of outdated pages so the information that remains is current and easy to find.
New tools available at launch include:
A trash and recycling pickup lookup. Residents type in their home address and instantly see their garbage, recycling, and yard waste collection days, with no need to know their route or zone.
An interactive Where to Park finder covering 20 City garages, lots, and metered areas on the peninsula. Users can search by name or street, sort by distance, filter by amenities such as EV charging and restrooms, see rates and payment options, and get turn-by-turn directions. The finder also carries live notices, such as monthly account availability, so drivers know before they arrive.
Charlie, the City’s new AI-powered chat assistant, available on every page to answer questions and point users to the right service around the clock.
One-click task cards for the things residents do most, including requesting a trash can, pay a parking ticket, and exploring WaterWise flooding and stormwater resources.
A transparency hub, The Open Ledger, that gathers the City’s budget and finance information, open data, council meeting videos, election information, and FOIA requests in one place, alongside a City Hall at a Glance directory for agendas, ordinances, and boards and commissions.
“Government websites have a reputation for being where information goes to hide. We built this one to do the opposite,” said Mayor William S. Cogswell, Jr. “Whether you need to know your trash day, find a parking spot, or see how your tax dollars are spent, the answer is now a few taps away.”
The rebuild was part of an Office of Communications initiative led by Digital Strategy and Analytics Manager Vaibhav Kirtankar, who directed the project from the initial content audit through launch.
“Every decision started with one question: what is the resident trying to do?” said Vaibhav Kirtankar. “We cut what did not serve that, and we built tools for what did.”
The launch is the beginning, not the finish line. In the coming months, the City will roll out additional features, including a Projects dashboard that puts everything happening across the city in one easy-to-find place, a new Municipal Golf Course page that is on par with a professional course, and a redesigned Permit Center that residents, contractors, and businesses can navigate with ease.
The new site is live now at www.charleston-sc.gov. Residents who find an issue or have feedback can share it through the site’s support form or by contacting Citizen Services at 843-724-7311.