Garage conversion rules in Spartanburg County, SC — sometimes called garage-to-ADU or accessory living unit conversions — govern permits, ceiling height, egress, and parking replacement.
Spartanburg County's ULMO has no dedicated garage-conversion section. A detached garage is defined as an accessory building; converting it into habitable living quarters creates an accessory dwelling unit and must meet the Section 3.05 one-third-size limit, Table 3 setbacks, and building code.
The ULMO classifies private garages, storage sheds, and workshops as accessory buildings incidental to the principal dwelling. There is no separate ordinance authorizing a habitable garage conversion; once you add sleeping, cooking, and sanitation to a detached garage it becomes an accessory dwelling unit governed by Section 3.05 (no larger than one-third of the principal dwelling, meeting Table 3). It also requires a building permit and must satisfy the International Residential Code for occupancy. Converting an attached garage into a room is a residential building-code matter. Confirm with County Planning & Development whether the ULMO or the Southwest Performance Zoning Ordinance covers your address.
Adding a habitable/rental unit to a garage without a building permit and required approvals is a code violation subject to enforcement and orders to correct or vacate.
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