Anderson County, SC Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

Section 24-117 defines a setback as the required distance between a building line and the nearest property line, adopted to preserve light and open space, allow for future road widening, and prevent crowded development. The standard table sets front-yard minimums by road classification: 30 feet off a local road, 40 feet off a collector road, and 50 feet off an arterial road, applying to nonresidential and residential principal uses alike. Side and rear yards run 15 feet for nonresidential principal and accessory uses. Residential side and rear setbacks vary by housing type: single mobile homes get a flat five-foot setback on both sides; townhouses need no gap between attached units but a 15-foot setback between the end unit and the project's exterior property line, capped at 16 attached units; patio homes get an eight-foot setback on one side only; multifamily and other attached single-family projects need a 25-foot setback between exterior units and the project boundary.

Setbacks are measured perpendicular to the building line from the nearest property line, or from the road right-of-way line where the lot line runs to a road's centerline. Corner lots take their front setback off the higher-classified road, with a second front setback of half that depth on the lower-classified road. Accessory buildings, tennis courts, and pools may sit inside the required setback if kept at least three feet off the property line, capped at one story, 15 feet in height, and 600 square feet, occupying no more than 30 percent of the setback area.

Eaves, chimneys, gutters and cornices may project up to 24 inches into a setback, and a doorway hood may extend five feet in. Fences and walls, unlike buildings, are allowed right up to the property line unless a bufferyard applies.