Greenville County, SC Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

Section 5-1(a) draws a hard line on access: no building permit shall be issued and no building other than an accessory building shall be erected on any lot unless the lot has frontage on a public road with a minimum width of 20 feet at the right-of-way line, or unless the lot has access to a public road over a roadway of the same minimum 20-foot width that constitutes an easement running with the land. The county will not accept that access roadway for public maintenance unless it meets the county's minimum right-of-way and construction standards and is either county-owned or formally dedicated.

Section 5-1(b) adds a second condition for any lot created after the ordinance took effect: it must meet the minimum area required by the county subdivision regulations or the county zoning ordinance before a permit issues. Older lots get relief under Sec. 5-1(c): a lot created before July 19, 1977 is exempt from the 20-foot standard if it has at least 10 feet of frontage on or access to a governmentally maintained road, whether by a dedicated or used public easement or by a private easement of at least 10 feet recorded before that date.

Anyone who disagrees with a building official's permit decision can appeal to the building and housing board of adjustment and appeals under Sec. 5-2, paying a $50 processing fee up front; the fee is waived for applicants who meet the county's indigent-services standards and refunded in full if the appeal succeeds.