York County, SC Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Ag/single-family max coverage
- 50% of lot area
- Multi-family/townhouse/manuf. park max
- 65%, development-wide
- Commercial/office/institutional max
- 75%
- Industrial max
- 85%
- Eave exclusion
- 2 ft roof eave excluded, § 155.1278
- Max penalty
- $500 per day (§ 155.9999)
Summary
York County limits impervious surface, roofs, driveways, parking and other hard cover, by land use under Zoning Code § 155.059. Agricultural land and single-family homes are capped at 50%, multi-family and manufactured home parks at 65%, commercial and institutional uses at 75%, and industrial sites at 85%, with narrow exclusions for roof eaves and small wall projections.
§ 155.059 IMPERVIOUS SURFACE. Table 155.059-1: Maximum Percentage of Impervious Surface specifies the maximum amount of impervious surface allowed on a lot by use type for all zoning districts, unless otherwise specified in this chapter. TABLE 155.059-1: MAXIMUM PERCENTAGE OF IMPERVIOUS SURFACE. Use Type: Impervious Surface (max). Agricultural and Single-Family Detached Dwellings 50%. Duplex, Triplex, Quadplex, Townhouse, and Multi-Family Dwellings; Cottage Courts; and Manufactured Home Parks 65%. Office, Commercial, and Institutional 75%. Industrial 85%.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-49: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. 3925, passed 6-16-25).
Full Breakdown
059-1, and the ceiling scales with use intensity: agricultural land and single-family detached homes top out at 50%, duplexes through quadplexes, townhouses, multi-family buildings, cottage courts and manufactured home parks reach 65%, office, commercial and institutional uses reach 75%, and industrial uses top out at 85%. A footnote to the table specifies that for multi-family, cottage court and manufactured home park development, the percentage is measured against the overall development rather than against each individual lot within it, so a manufactured home park's internal lots are not individually capped as long as the project as a whole stays under 65%.
1278: coverage is expressed as a percentage of lot area, calculated by dividing the total area of impervious surfaces on the lot by the total lot area and multiplying by 100, and two feet of roof eave overhang plus ordinary projections such as fireplaces and windows extending 12 inches or less from an exterior wall are excluded from the calculation. 1171 bars any alteration to a structure on that lot unless the site is brought into complete compliance with the current impervious surface limit, with narrow exceptions for additions of 2,500 square feet or 25% of existing gross floor area, whichever is less.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding the impervious surface cap, or altering a structure on an already-noncompliant lot without curing the excess, violates §§ 155.059, 155.1170 and 155.1171. Under the chapter's general penalty at § 155.9999, that is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500 per day, and the County Attorney, Zoning Administrator, or Planning and Development Services Director can seek a court order to force compliance or halt further construction.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as impervious surface on a York County lot?
Is the 65% impervious limit applied to each lot in a manufactured home park?
Can I add onto a house that already exceeds the impervious surface limit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in York County
Compare York County to another location·View the South Carolina building setbacks & zoning overview
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