6 rules for unincorporated Dorchester County, South Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
Dorchester County allows up to ten female chickens and rabbits combined on a residential lot larger than 7,500 square feet under Zoning Standards Section 10.3.1(s). Roosters are effectively barred, animals must be confined to the rear, and HOAs may prohibit them.
Dorchester County, SC, Zoning and Land Development Standards § 10.3.1(s)
Female chickens and/or rabbits, provided that the total number of such animals, or any combination thereof, shall not exceed a total of ten (10), on individual lots containing more than 7,500 square feet and being used for Residential, Single-Family Detached or Residential, Manufactured Housing Unit; provided, however, that all such animals must be suitably confined to the rear of the property ...
Dorchester County's Animal Control Ordinance (Chapter 4) bars any animal from running at large off the owner's property, requires rabies vaccination at four months, and regulates tethering. Violations carry fines up to $500 or 30 days, each day a separate offense.
Dorchester County, SC, Code of Ordinances § 4-2
Animal at large means any animal, other than a non-fertile cat, which is not under the control, custody, charge or possession of the owner or other responsible person, by leash, chain, effective voice command, secure fence or other means of confinement or restraint.
Dorchester County has no breed-specific ban. Its Animal Control Ordinance classifies a 'dangerous animal' by behavior, not breed (Section 4-2), matching South Carolina law, under which an animal is not a dangerous animal solely by virtue of its breed or species (S.C. Code Section 47-3-710).
Dorchester County, SC, Code of Ordinances § 4-2
Dangerous animal means any animal that has shown the propensity to attack a person or another animal, has attacked without provocation a person or another animal, or which has been trained to attack on command.
Dorchester County's ordinances set no hive limits or beekeeping setbacks, so keeping honey bees is a lawful accessory use, especially on the county's larger rural lots. Oversight is at the state level through Clemson University's apiculture program.
Dorchester County does not license exotic pets itself; ownership is governed by South Carolina law. S.C. Code Section 47-2-30 flatly prohibits keeping large wild cats, non-native bears, and great apes, and the SC Department of Natural Resources regulates native wildlife.
Dorchester County has no general ordinance banning the feeding of deer or coyotes, but feeding alligators is a state crime in the Lowcountry: S.C. Code Section 50-11-750 makes it unlawful to feed or entice any wild alligator, punishable by up to a $200 fine or 30 days.
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