Gated community software that covers security, not just the gate
Most gate software stops at the visitor log. Palmetto Guard runs the whole security side of a community — dispatching calls, documenting incidents, tracking officers, and reconciling the cash drawer — alongside the guest passes and resident IDs you would expect. Two connected apps do it: a staff app for gate and security officers, and a resident app for homeowners.
That single-system framing is the whole point. When the visitor log, the incident file, and the citation book live in three different places — or two of them live in a filing cabinet — nobody can answer a simple question six months later: what happened at this address, who responded, and what did it cost us. A board asking that question is the reason most communities start looking for gated community security software in the first place.
Palmetto Guard is built for South Carolina communities specifically, and that shows up most in season — the vacation-rental turnover that defines a Lowcountry gate, where Saturday is check-in day and brings a hundred arrivals who have never been through before. It also shows up in who picks up the phone. We are onboarding South Carolina communities now, and we can be on site rather than on a support queue.
Security Operations
Dispatch, documentation, and enforcement — the parts of running a community that most gate systems leave to paper and radio traffic.
Calls for Service
Log a call, set its priority, assign officers, and watch status move from En Route to On Scene to Cleared — with every call numbered and searchable.
Incident Reports
Structured reports with narrative, location pin, and linked subjects and victims. Attach photos, and link the report back to the call that started it.
Officer Accountability
A live map of who is on duty and where, on-duty status set from an officer's own phone, denomination-level cash counts at shift change, and daily activity reports a board can actually read.
Visitor Management & Gate Access
Everything the gate needs to know who is arriving, whether they belong, and how to get them through without a queue.
Guest Passes
Residents create passes from their phone. Guests get an email with a barcode and links to save it to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet — no app download.
Digital Resident ID
Every resident carries a digital ID with a live rotating barcode, scannable by gate staff or a kiosk to verify identity and access on the spot.
Point of Sale & Kiosks
Sell passes at the gate with Square card payments, or let residents check themselves in at a self-service kiosk when no officer is on duty.
Rental Management
Vacation rentals are the hardest thing a gate deals with — constant turnover and guests who have never visited before. Let the booking system do the work.
Passes From Bookings
Your booking or property-management software sends each reservation to Palmetto Guard and the rental pass is created automatically — nobody re-keys a guest list at the gate.
A Single API Endpoint
One authenticated HTTPS endpoint accepts a reservation or a batch of up to 200, with safe retries so the same booking never issues two passes.
The Community Stays In Control
Each rental company gets its own revocable token, can only issue passes for the units it manages, and never sets its own rates.
Why Choose Palmetto Guard?
One Platform, Not Three
Security operations, visitor management, and rental automation in a single system — instead of three vendors whose records never quite line up.
Branded to Your Community
Your logo and colors carry through both apps, and drag-and-drop builders let you design the printed resident ID card and the gate pass label yourself. Prefer not to? We will set them up for you.
Built for South Carolina
Designed around how communities here actually operate — the vacation-rental turnover that defines a Lowcountry gate in season, and a vendor close enough to be on site rather than on a support queue.
Hardware Ready
Works out of the box with label printers, card readers, and RFID scanners — no custom integration project before you can go live.
Role-Based Staff Access
Granular permissions so every staff member sees only what their job needs, from a gate officer to a community administrator.
Available Everywhere
iOS, Android, and the web, so residents, officers, and administrators all work from the device they already carry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions from HOA boards, property managers, and community security teams.
What is Palmetto Guard?
Palmetto Guard is gated community software that covers security operations as well as the gate. It pairs a staff app for gate and security officers with a resident app for homeowners, handling calls for service, incident reports, guest passes, digital resident IDs, and community alerts from one system.
What does gated community software need to do beyond visitor management?
Visitor management answers who is at the gate. Running a community also means dispatching and documenting calls for service, writing incident reports that hold up with an insurer or a board, issuing citations, scheduling contractor and event access, and reconciling the cash drawer at shift change. Software that stops at the visitor log leaves all of that on paper.
Is this just visitor management, or does it handle security operations too?
Both. Alongside guest passes and gate access, officers can log calls for service, assign and track response status, write incident reports with photo evidence, go on duty from their own phone onto a live map, and reconcile the cash drawer at the end of a shift. Most gate software stops at the visitor log.
Who is Palmetto Guard built for?
Three groups, and all three use it at once: HOA boards and community managers who need to see what their security budget is buying, private security agencies staffing the gate and patrol, and residents creating passes for their own guests. Each gets a different view of the same records.
Do guests need to download an app to use a guest pass?
No. When a resident creates a guest pass, the guest receives an email with a barcode plus links to save the pass to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. They simply show it at the gate — no app download required.
Can the platform be branded for our community?
Yes. Your logo and colors carry through the resident and staff apps, and drag-and-drop builders let you design the printed resident ID card and the gate pass label yourself. If you would rather not, send us your branding and we will set the templates up for you.
Does Palmetto Guard work with existing gate hardware?
Yes. Palmetto Guard works out of the box with receipt and label printers, card readers, and RFID scanners, so most communities do not need custom integration work.
Can passes be issued automatically from vacation rental bookings?
Yes. Rental management companies can connect their booking or property-management software to the Palmetto Guard Rental Pass API, and each reservation creates a rental pass automatically. A single request can carry up to 200 reservations, and one reservation can issue up to 50 passes for groups arriving in multiple vehicles.
What devices does Palmetto Guard run on?
Palmetto Guard is available on iOS, Android, and the web, so residents, gate officers, and administrators can all work from whatever device they already have.
What happens at an unstaffed gate?
A self-service kiosk lets residents scan their digital ID and check themselves in without an officer present, and guests with a valid pass can be processed the same way. That is usually what keeps an overnight or off-season gate from turning into a call to a board member.
How do staff permissions work?
Every capability — calls for service, incident reports, citations, reports, cash handling and the rest — is granted separately at View, Create, Edit, or Full level. A gate officer, a patrol supervisor, and a community administrator can all be given exactly the access their job needs and nothing more.
Can a resident who owns in two communities use one account?
Yes. Residents with property in more than one Palmetto Guard community switch between them inside the app without creating a second account.
Why South Carolina specifically?
Mostly because it is where we are: we are onboarding South Carolina communities now and can be on site rather than on a support queue. It also matters in season — Lowcountry communities run on vacation-rental turnover, with most of a week's arrivals landing on Saturday, and the rental pass automation was designed around that rather than bolted on afterwards.
How long does it take to get a community running?
Setup is a guided process — organization profile, properties, pass types, pricing, payments, then printers and kiosks. The Admin Setup and Onboarding guide in the Help Center walks through every step, and we do the configuration with you rather than handing over a manual.
Request a Demo
See Palmetto Guard running against your community's actual setup — your gates, your pass types, your staff roles. Tell us a little about your community and we'll follow up to schedule a walkthrough.