Renting in Ruby? Here's What You Need to Know Before You Sign

Ruby Rental Market Overview

Ruby is a 2.47-square-mile town in Chesterfield County, South Carolina, about 6 miles west of Chesterfield, the county seat. As of October 2026, this guide's research could not identify a single apartment or multi-family rental community operating inside town limits, and no town-wide median gross rent figure is published for Ruby anywhere. One business address found in a general search, at 90 Hickory Street, returned no match at all in the Census Bureau's public geocoder -- a data gap rather than a confirmed finding, since it means this guide could not verify whether that address actually sits inside the incorporated town.

Common Lease Terms in Ruby

With no identified apartment community or leasing office to source a specific lease from, what follows is pieced together from a direct jurisdiction check and the town's basic profile rather than a single property's own paperwork:

• South Carolina's Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (S.C. Code Title 27, Chapter 40) supplies the default lease terms -- notice periods, entry rules, deposit handling -- for any Ruby tenancy where the lease itself is silent
• Checked against the Census Bureau's public geocoder, Ruby Town Hall (411 Market Street) resolves cleanly inside the incorporated Town of Ruby -- a clean jurisdiction result, though only one address was confirmed this way
• No zoning ordinance, zoning map, or business-license schedule for Ruby could be located online, including on the Municipal Association of South Carolina's own directory page for the town -- an absence of evidence, not confirmation that no such rule exists

Local Tenant Protections

South Carolina law provides the baseline for tenant rights, but Ruby may have additional local ordinances that affect your lease.

• South Carolina law preempts local rent control statewide (S.C. Code §27-39-60) -- no South Carolina city or county, including Ruby, may enact an ordinance regulating the rent charged on privately owned residential property
• No zoning ordinance or business-license requirement specific to Ruby could be confirmed from any source checked, including the town's own listing with the Municipal Association of South Carolina -- a prospective tenant should confirm directly with Ruby Town Hall (411 Market Street) rather than assume one way or the other
• Ruby's population has declined from 360 residents in 2010 to 307 in 2020, though a more recent current-year estimate of roughly 322 suggests that decline may have leveled off rather than continuing at the same pace

For full South Carolina statewide tenant rights, see our South Carolina tenant rights guide.

Mandatory Fees at Ruby Rentals

No fee schedule could be independently confirmed for a Ruby rental, since this guide could not identify any leasing office or managed rental community operating inside town, as of October 2026.

• No town-wide rent, application-fee, pet-fee, or deposit figure is published for Ruby by any source this guide checked
• South Carolina law sets no statutory cap on application fees, pet fees, or administrative fees -- whatever a specific lease states is what governs

A town with no identified rental community isn't automatically a red flag -- but it does mean every fee, deposit amount, and lease term is worth confirming directly with the landlord, in writing, before signing anything.

A Small Chesterfield County Town West of the County Seat

The U.S. Census Bureau counted 360 residents in Ruby in the 2010 Census and 307 in 2020, a 14.7% decline. A more recent current-year estimate puts the town at roughly 322, which suggests the decline may have leveled off somewhat, though a current-year estimate carries more uncertainty than a decennial count. Ruby covers just 2.47 square miles in Chesterfield County, about 6 miles west of Chesterfield, the county seat, and is sometimes known locally as the "Jewel City."

This guide's research did not turn up a named landmark, major employer, or event that gives Ruby a profile beyond Chesterfield County itself, and no zoning ordinance or business-license schedule for the town could be located online anywhere, including the town's own entry with the Municipal Association of South Carolina. Checked against the Census Bureau's public geocoder, Ruby Town Hall (411 Market Street) resolves cleanly inside the incorporated town -- a clean result on the one address this guide could confirm. A second address found in a general search, for a local business on Hickory Street, returned no match at all in the geocoder, leaving its jurisdiction unconfirmed rather than disproven.

Common Issues Renters Face in Ruby

These are the most frequent lease-related considerations identified for Ruby, based on the research for this guide:

• No apartment or multi-family rental community could be confirmed operating inside Ruby from the sources this guide checked, so a prospective renter should not assume the town has no options at all -- only that none could be independently verified
• No zoning ordinance or business-license requirement could be confirmed for the town, which cuts both ways for a renter or small business -- it may mean less municipal red tape, or simply that the town's own records aren't indexed online
• Ruby's population has declined over the past decade (360 to 307, 2010-2020), though a more recent estimate suggests that decline may be leveling off rather than continuing at the same pace

Negotiating Your Lease in Ruby

South Carolina is landlord-favorable with minimal statutory protections, and Ruby's rental market has no identified apartment community or leasing office to benchmark a specific offer against.

• A full written lease, rather than a verbal or partial agreement, is especially worth requesting in a market like Ruby's, where the counterparty is more likely an individual property owner than a company with a standard template already in place
• Comparing a specific quote against nearby Chesterfield, Jefferson, or McBee, all covered elsewhere on this site and all within Chesterfield County, can help gauge whether a Ruby rent or fee fits regional norms
• Confirming a specific address's actual jurisdiction using the Census Bureau's free public geocoder is worth doing for any Ruby-area property -- this guide's own check found a clean result on Town Hall but no match at all on a second address nearby

A market with no identified rental community isn't automatically a red flag -- but with no comparison listing to check a quote against, confirming every fee, deposit amount, and lease term directly with the landlord, in writing, matters more here than in a market with visible competition.