10 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 2 cities in Charleston County, South Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
Whether you can keep chickens or livestock depends on your zoning district under the Charleston County Zoning & Land Development Regulations (ZLDR). Agricultural and rural districts (AGR and sea-island rural) allow farm animals; suburban residential districts generally do not.
In unincorporated Charleston County it is unlawful to let any animal run at large on streets, highways, or property other than the owner's. Off your own land a dog must be leashed and physically controlled by its owner or keeper.
Charleston County does not ban any dog breed. South Carolina law states a dog's breed alone does not make it dangerous. Dangerous-dog rules apply to individual animals by behavior, not to pit bulls or any breed as a class.
SC Code 47-3-710(C)
An animal is not a 'dangerous animal' solely by virtue of its breed or species.
Charleston County sets no countywide beekeeping ban. Keeping honeybees is treated as an agricultural use governed by your ZLDR zoning district; rural and agricultural districts are permissive. South Carolina registers apiaries through Clemson's state apiary inspection program.
South Carolina law bars keeping wild carnivores (raccoons, foxes, skunks, coyotes, wolves, big cats and similar rabies-reservoir species) as pets and prohibits their sale. These state restrictions apply throughout Charleston County alongside any local nuisance rules.
SC Code 47-5-50(A)
No carnivores, which normally are not domesticated, may be sold as pets in this State. A carnivore kept by an individual must not be allowed to run at large and then returned to confinement.
Charleston County has no blanket ordinance banning backyard wildlife feeding, but feeding that draws rabies-reservoir carnivores or creates a nuisance can be abated. On the barrier islands, state and federal rules protect sea turtles, including nighttime lighting limits.
Livestock such as horses, cattle, goats and hogs is governed by your Charleston County ZLDR zoning district. Agricultural Residential (AGR) and rural districts permit livestock; suburban residential districts prohibit it. There is no single countywide numeric cap.
Charleston County treats animal hoarding through South Carolina's animal-cruelty laws and its own care, sanitation, and nuisance rules. Keeping animals without adequate food, water, shelter, or sanitary conditions is illegal and can lead to seizure of the animals.
Charleston County sets no general household cap on the number of dogs or cats for personal use in unincorporated areas. Once you keep enough animals to constitute a kennel, ZLDR zoning and licensing rules apply, and all animals must be vaccinated and restrained.
Cats in Charleston County must be currently vaccinated against rabies. South Carolina law requires every pet owner to keep pets continuously protected from rabies with an approved vaccine administered by a licensed veterinarian.
SC Code 47-5-60
A pet owner must have his pet inoculated against rabies at a frequency to provide continuous protection of the pet from rabies using a vaccine approved by the department and licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture.
2 cities in Charleston County have their own animal ordinances rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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