Lexington County, SC Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Adjoining property setback
- 10 feet minimum for a Residential Detached home
- Road right-of-way setback
- 20 feet, or 30 feet with an attached garage
- Accessory building setback
- Minimum 5 feet from adjoining property lines
- Governing section
- Sec. 23.30 and the Sec. 23.60 chart
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Lexington County only
- Variance path
- Board of Zoning Appeals, Chapter 2 of Article 17
Summary
Lexington County's zoning ordinance measures setbacks as linear distances inward from property lines or road rights-of-way, per the Section 23.60 chart. A Residential Detached home needs at least a 10-foot setback from adjoining property lines and a 20-foot setback from the road right-of-way, rising to 30 feet if it has an attached garage, carport, or no garage at all.
Setbacks delineate certain open spaces on lots. These spaces are linear distances measured from property lines inward. Buildings or other principal structures, or areas, comprising the principal activity of the lot may not encroach this space. A setback may accept an accessory activity, unless superseded by a buffer. Accessory buildings to residential activities must maintain a minimum 5-foot setback from adjoining property lines. The chart in Section 23.60 lists two types of setbacks based on the type of activity and location. They are measured either from a road right-of-way or an adjoining property line. [Sec. 23.60 chart, Residential Detached row:] R 1 -- 10 20/30*; I 3 -- 10 20/30*. * ROW setbacks shall be 30' for attached garages, carports, or other covered parking areas. In the event the principle residence does not have an attached garage or carport, the entire structure must setback 30' from the ROW.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 20).
Full Breakdown
30 of the Appendix B zoning ordinance, rewritten in full by Ord. No. 23-17 on June 25, 2024, defines a setback as a linear distance measured inward from a property line or road right-of-way that a principal building may not encroach. Accessory buildings on residential lots must keep a minimum 5-foot setback from adjoining property lines, and setbacks along an existing road are measured from the platted right-of-way shown on the county's Right-of-Way Plan, except that homes and mobile homes on an existing dead-end road with no widening potential are measured from the existing right-of-way instead.
60 chart. For the Residential Detached activity (a standard single-family house), the chart sets a 10-foot setback from adjoining property lines and a 20-foot setback from the road right-of-way in both the Restrictive Development District and the Intensive Development District; that road setback jumps to 30 feet for an attached garage, carport, or other covered parking, and to 30 feet for the whole structure if the house has no attached garage or carport. Mechanical equipment, steps, ramps, and landings needed for building access are not counted against the setback.
These rules apply only in the unincorporated parts of Lexington County; the Town of Lexington, West Columbia, Cayce, Irmo, and Chapin each administer their own zoning. A property owner who wants relief from a listed setback must apply to the Board of Zoning Appeals for a variance under the procedures in Chapter 2 of Article 17, Administration.
Violations & Fines
The Zoning Administrator reviews setback compliance when a zoning permit is issued and can deny or condition a permit that encroaches on the Section 23.60 minimums. Structures built without the required setback are subject to correction through the permit process, and an owner seeking to build closer than the chart allows must file for a variance with the Board of Zoning Appeals under Chapter 2 of Article 17 before construction, not after.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far must a new house sit from the property line in unincorporated Lexington County?
Do accessory buildings like sheds need their own setback?
What if I want to build closer than the chart allows?
Do these setbacks apply inside the Town of Lexington?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lexington County
Compare Lexington County to another location·View the South Carolina building setbacks & zoning overview
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