Greenwood County, SC Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

Greenwood County Code § 6-3-109 sets the general accessory-structure standard that applies across the county's zoning districts to sheds, detached private garages, private kennels and disaster shelters. Every accessory building must keep a ten-foot setback from the side or rear property line in all zoning districts, except lakefront lots, which get a 50-foot rear setback measured from the 440-foot contour line or the property line, whichever is greater, and any district that already allows a smaller side setback. A property owner can add more than one accessory structure, but combined they cannot exceed 25 feet in height, or the height of the primary dwelling if that is lower, and their total floor area is capped at 1,200 square feet cumulatively or 50 percent of the principal structure's gross floor area, whichever cap is larger.

Accessory structures generally belong in the side or rear yard, not the front yard, unless the lot fronts on a lake, where front, side or rear placement is allowed. The FA forest agricultural district repeats a nearly identical accessory-structure standard at § 6-3-49(f)(1), capping height at 35 feet or the primary structure's height and floor area at 900 square feet or 30 percent of the required yard, showing that the district-specific number can vary from the general § 6-3-109 standard. A shed builder should confirm which standard applies to a given parcel's zoning district before pouring a foundation, since the general and FA figures for height and floor area are not the same.