Darlington County, SC Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Chapter 3, Article II of the Darlington County Code governs large-scale animal-raising operations rather than casual backyard chicken or livestock keeping, and the county code contains no separate permit or head-count limit for a residential flock. Section 3-51 states the article's purpose: siting these uses far enough from neighbors to limit disturbance, with the listed criteria layered on top of whatever state or federal agencies already require. Section 3-52 then applies that purpose to stockyards, slaughterhouses, commercial or confined poultry houses, and commercial meat production centers, requiring three things at the time an application is submitted: the use itself must meet all South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) and State Code of Laws requirements along with any other applicable state or federal standard; every building and structure involved, including animal barns and poultry houses, must meet those same SCDHEC and agency standards; and every animal waste lagoon tied to the operation must likewise meet SCDHEC and other applicable agency requirements.

Section 3-54 adds cross-cutting conditions for all of these uses together, including maintaining all-weather access roads under SCDHEC Regulation R.61-43 and submitting an approved facility plan, proof of state and federal permits, and a stormwater permit from whichever agency, SCDHEC or the county, holds jurisdiction. Because these sections speak to commercial poultry houses and confined operations, a resident keeping a small backyard flock in unincorporated Darlington County is not squarely covered by this article, and no separate chapter in the code addresses hobby-scale chickens or livestock directly.