[4] Charleston Light has a steel frame, an aluminum alloy skin, and a triangular cross section.

Its slim, triangular structure was built to withstand winds of 125 miles per hour, and the focal plane of the light is 163 feet (50 m) above mean sea level.

[4] It was originally fitted with an Aerobeacon DCB-24 carbon-arc light producing 28 million candelas (candlepower) and was the second most powerful in the Western Hemisphere.

Although it was donated by the Coast Guard to the National Park System in 2007, the Coast Guard continues to maintain the light of the lighthouse, while the National Park System protects its historical significance and overall physical upkeep.

Currently it is fenced off from civilians, but visitors are able to explore the surrounding grounds, as well as the adjacent public beach access, in order to view the lighthouse.