Horry County, SC Accessory Structures: Tiny Homes (2026)
Tiny home rules in Horry County, SC, covering tiny houses on wheels (THOWs), park model RVs, and tiny home on foundation builds, determine where they are legal and how they get permitted.
Key Facts
- Max size
- 750 sq ft (Sec. 1420)
- Foundation
- Permanent; no chassis attachment
- MRD minimum lot
- 1,200 sq ft per tiny home
- Parking required
- 1.5 spaces per tiny home
- Road frontage
- Exempt from standard minimum
- MRD-P max height
- 40 feet, no front setback
- Violation penalty
- Up to $500 fine, 30 days
Summary
Horry County's zoning ordinance defines a tiny home as a permanently-foundationed single-family unit up to 750 square feet, distinct from a manufactured home or RV. Multi-Residential District (MRD) tables set a 1,200-square-foot minimum lot per tiny home, exempt tiny home lots from standard road-frontage requirements, and require 1.5 parking spaces per unit.
Tiny home. Tiny homes are single family dwelling units that have a maximum size of seven hundred fifty (750) sf. They must be on a permanent foundation and are not attached to a chassis. They cannot be manufactured homes as defined by HUD or a recreational vehicle (park model) as defined by National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and American National Standards Institute (ANSI). ... Tiny home lots are not required to meet the minimum frontage requirements in the Horry County Land Development Regulations. 1.5 parking spaces are required per home, and parking may be provided anywhere in the development, either on individual or shared lots, or a separate parking area.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 88).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 1420 of the zoning ordinance's definitions article draws a firm line for tiny homes: a single-family dwelling unit capped at 750 square feet, built on a permanent foundation rather than a chassis, and excluded from the definitions of a HUD-code manufactured home or an NFPA/ANSI-classified recreational vehicle (park model). That distinction keeps a tiny home from being treated as a mobile home or camper for permitting purposes. Where tiny homes are actually built is governed by Sec. 207, the Multi-Residential District (MRD) requirements. Table 2 (Standard Development Area Requirements) and Table 3 (Sustainable Development Area Requirements) both set a 1,200-square-foot minimum lot size per tiny home across every MRD density tier, from MRD-1's 3 units per acre up to MRD-3's 15 to 20 units per acre.
5 off-street parking spaces per tiny home, which the development may provide on individual lots, shared lots, or in a separate parking area. The MRD-P (Preservation) yard and height table sets no front setback ('NA') for tiny homes but caps their height at 40 feet, the same ceiling that applies to every other housing type in that table. Because these standards sit inside the MRD article, a tiny home project outside an approved MRD district must instead meet the dimensional standards of whatever district it is zoned into.
Violations & Fines
Constructing or occupying a tiny home that doesn't meet the 750-square-foot definition, the MRD's 1,200-square-foot lot minimum, or its 1.5-space parking requirement is a zoning violation under Sec. 114: a misdemeanor carrying up to a $500 fine and 30 days' imprisonment, with each day of continued noncompliance treated as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big can a tiny home be in Horry County?
Do tiny homes need a full-size lot?
How much parking does a tiny home need?
Can I put a tiny home anywhere in the county?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Horry County
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