Business Licensing & Operations in Dorchester County, SC (2026)
4 rules for unincorporated Dorchester County, South Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Dorchester County's zoning ordinance bars any adult establishment from locating within 1,000 feet of a residential district, single- or multi-family dwelling, church, or park, and within one mile of any public or private school. The rule sits in the Zoning and Land Development Standards, not the general nuisance code, and it overrides any conflicting zoning provision elsewhere in the ordinance.
Dorchester County Adult Business Spacing Rules
Significant RestrictionsDorchester County Zoning and Land Development Standards (Ord. No. 04-13), § 10.4.17 Adult Establishments
Notwithstanding any other provisions of the Zoning Ordinance of the County of Dorchester, no use as an adult establishment, as defined in Article XXV shall be permitted within one thousand feet (1000') of any Residential Zoning District, Single or Multi-Family Dwelling, Church, or Park, or within one (1) mile of any Public or Private School.
Tattoo & Body Modification
Dorchester County zoning lists tattoo parlors under Use Group 14(b), Business Personal Services, and confines them to a conditional use in the Industrial (I) district only. Section 7.10.4 requires operators to meet the county's adult-establishment buffer standard in Section 10.4.17 before the Department of Planning and Zoning issues a permit.
Dorchester County Tattoo Parlor Zoning Rules
Significant RestrictionsDorchester County Zoning and Land Development Standards (Ord. No. 04-13), Article VI, Use Group 14, Business Personal Services
(a) Establishments providing services pertaining to an individual or person's apparel and personal effects, including but not limited to barber and beauty shops, washerettes, laundromats, dry cleaning and laundry pick-up, tailor, dressmaker, diet and weight reducing center, nail salons, funeral homes and services, photographers' studio, jewelry and watch repair, and adult day care centers, prov...
Secondhand Dealers
Dealers buying secondhand jewelry, gold or silverware in Dorchester County must file a daily report with the sheriff within 24 hours of each purchase under Code § 8-101, photograph every item, and hold the goods for 15 days before resale under § 8-103. Purchases from minors are banned under § 8-102.
Dorchester County Secondhand Dealer Rules
Significant RestrictionsDorchester County Code §§ 8-101, 8-103
Every person purchasing or dealing in secondhand jewelry, and gold or silverware shall make daily reports on forms supplied by the sheriff's department to the sheriff of the county, within 24 hours from the time of purchase, giving such description of the seller and the property purchased as will make identification easy...Secondhand jewelry, gold or silverware must be held in the county in the...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Dorchester County's home-occupation rules effectively block a residential auto-repair business. Zoning and Land Development Standards Section 10.4.3(A)(6) bars installing or using major mechanical equipment for domestic or professional purposes, and 10.4.3(A)(4) forbids any exterior sign the property is being used commercially, so engine work, lifts or bay-style repair setups fall outside what a licensed home occupation may do.
Dorchester County Home Auto Repair Limits
Significant RestrictionsDorchester County Zoning and Land Development Standards (Ord. No. 04-13), § 10.4.3(A)(6)
4) There shall be no exterior alteration or other change to the character of the residence, or evidence of conduct of the home occupation, with exception of signs permitted under Section 13.5. ... 6) No major mechanical equipment shall be installed or used for domestic or professional purposes.
All Dorchester County ordinances
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