Florence County, SC Ordinances (2026)

Gatherings of 5,000 or more people on private property, in county parks, or on public rights-of-way, including circuses, concerts, and public entertainment events, need a special use…

A home occupation in unincorporated Florence County cannot generate traffic beyond what a residential neighborhood normally experiences, and it needs no parking beyond what the house…

Unincorporated Florence County allows home occupations as a conditional use under Code Section 30-98, capping the business area at 25 percent of the home's floor space (max 400 square…

Home occupations in unincorporated Florence County may post no sign at all. Code Section 30-98(4) states flatly that no signs shall be allowed, a stricter rule than the single…

Florence County zoning caps a home-based day care at six children. Under Florence County Code § 30-311's definition, care must be given only by a family member during the day, for one…

Anyone installing utility lines or doing construction work within a Florence County road right-of-way must first get a written encroachment permit from the county under Sec. 27-45. The…

Florence County approves a private street in a subdivision, such as a townhouse or planned development, only if a viable homeowners' association exists to take over ownership and…

Any private pool, spa or hot tub deeper than 24 inches in unincorporated Florence County must sit behind a fence or barrier at least 48 inches tall, with self-closing, self-latching…

In unincorporated Florence County, outdoor advertising structures facing Interstate 95 or Interstate 20 can reach 672 square feet and 100 feet high, more than double the standard…

In unincorporated Florence County, a window sign needs no permit anywhere the zoning ordinance's Table VII marks it 'A,' which covers every business, institutional and unzoned column…

Unincorporated Florence County allows small directional signs for yard sales, auctions and similar events in the public right-of-way under Sec. 30-204(8), but caps them at three square…

Unincorporated Florence County lets political signs up to 32 square feet stay up for an unlimited display period on private property, more generous than most of the temporary-sign…

Unincorporated Florence County allows digital and electronic changing-message billboards, including converted nonconforming ones, under Sec. 30-207(f), but locks in strict technical…

New subdivisions in unincorporated Florence County must plant a street tree in the public right-of-way for every lot, spaced no more than 60 feet apart, under Sec. 28.6-70 of the Land…

Where conditionally permitted, an accessory apartment in unincorporated Florence County cannot exceed 50 percent of the principal home's floor area or hold more than two bedrooms, must…

Before an accessory apartment can be added in unincorporated Florence County, the principal dwelling must be owner-occupied. Code Section 30-97(1) makes owner occupancy the first…

Unincorporated Florence County treats tiny homes as residential structures under the 2021 South Carolina Residential Code, but zoning-wise it only allows them where standard…

In unincorporated Florence County, sheds and dry-storage structures may only sit in the rear yard setback, at least three feet from the property line, under Florence County Code §…

Unincorporated Florence County has no separate short-term-rental ordinance. The only permitted paid overnight lodging in a residential structure is a bed and breakfast inn, allowed as…

Short-term rentals in unincorporated Florence County owe a 3 percent accommodations fee on the gross rental proceeds of every unit, every night. The fee applies to houses, condos…

Unincorporated Florence County requires a county license to operate a sexually oriented business and bars siting one within 1,000 feet of homes, churches, schools, parks, day cares…

Unincorporated Florence County's mixed-use and townhouse zoning table carves tobacco, e-cigarette, and other smoking-supply retailers out of the general 'all other retail'…

In unincorporated Florence County, a tattoo facility is only a conditional use where Table II of the zoning ordinance allows it. Sec. 30-113 ties the location standard to S.C. Code…

Florence County Code § 30-250 bars a massage parlor from locating within 1,000 feet of any school, public or private park, church or residential area in the unincorporated county, and…

In unincorporated Florence County, a nuisance complaint must be filed in writing at the Planning and Building Inspection Office by anyone owning or occupying property within 1,500 feet…

Florence County's nuisance code, Chapter 21, lists the property conditions residents most often report: unsanitary accumulation, junk and inoperable vehicles, and unsafe or blighting…

Illegal dumping in unincorporated Florence County is a misdemeanor under Florence County Code Section 13-2, punishable under Section 13-7 by a $200.00 fine and up to 30 days in jail…

Unincorporated Florence County has no curbside cart pickup: residents use shared 'green box' collection sites instead. Florence County Code Section 13-1 requires every bag of household…

Yard waste in unincorporated Florence County can't go into a storm drain or the household green box. Florence County Code Section 9.5-77(c) bars dumping leaves, limbs or grass…

Bulky items don't go in Florence County's green boxes. Florence County Code Section 13-1(5)-(6) excludes stumps, limbs, appliances, construction debris, furniture, auto parts…

Commercial trash containers of four cubic yards or more must be screened from public view in unincorporated Florence County. Florence County Code Section 30-122 requires an opaque…

Florence County doesn't run its own curbside trash trucks in the unincorporated area: private haulers do the pickup, and Florence County Code Section 13-23 requires every trash and…

In unincorporated Florence County, only the franchised waste and recycling hauler may remove recyclable materials once they are set out at the curb. County Code Sec. 13-8 bans…

Any company that runs a residential trash or garbage pick-up route in unincorporated Florence County must hold a county license before it can operate. Sec. 13-23 requires the license…

Unincorporated Florence County has no standalone historic-landmark designation ordinance. Protection comes only through subdivision review: Sec. 28.6-68 lets the Planning Commission…

Florence County's Unsafe Structure Abatement Code sets the baseline habitability standard for rentals in the unincorporated area. Owners must keep structures safe and code-compliant…

Urinating in a public area or in view of others is an outright criminal act of disorderly conduct anywhere in unincorporated Florence County. Sec. 22-51(10) lists it among the acts…

Congregating on a public way in unincorporated Florence County without permission, blocking vehicle or foot traffic, and then refusing a sheriff's deputy's order to clear out is a…

Florence County doesn't mandate new residential sprinkler retrofits outside the adopted building code, but once a structure has fire detection or suppression equipment, Sec. 21-149 of…

Unincorporated Florence County requires a plumbing permit before any plumbing installation begins, administered under the 2021 South Carolina Plumbing Code, Chapter 1, Scope and…

Florence County does not print its own permit-trigger rule; instead Code § 7-11 adopts the 2021 South Carolina Building, Residential, Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, Fire, and Existing…

Unincorporated Florence County requires an electrical permit before any wiring, service or fixture installation begins, administered under the 2020 National Electrical Code, Article…

Hotels, motels, inns, condominiums and bed-and-breakfasts operating in unincorporated Florence County collect a three percent accommodations fee on every room-night under Florence…

Playing a radio, stereo, TV or other sound-amplifying device loud enough to annoy or disturb people in a nearby home is a misdemeanor in unincorporated Florence County under Sec…

In unincorporated Florence County, Code § 6-2(p) makes it illegal for a dog's voice or barking to be projected into a neighbor's home when the resident finds it intolerable. The owner…

A car so out of repair or overloaded that its tires grate, grind or screech is banned under Sec. 18-1(b)(4), and Sec. 18-1(b)(11) separately makes it unlawful to repair or work on…

In unincorporated Florence County's Airport Compatibility District, residential dwellings and public-serving buildings allowed within the approach zone of a precision-instrument runway…

Florence County's zoning ordinance sets two specific decibel ceilings rather than a blanket residential noise standard: ground-mounted solar farms cannot exceed 50 dBA at the property…

Unincorporated Florence County can condemn and order the repair, removal or demolition of unsafe, unfit or unlawful structures under its Unsafe Structure Abatement Code, County Code §§…

Unincorporated Florence County bans letting a vacant lot or any premises become unsanitary or a fire hazard by allowing offensive or unsafe matter to grow, accumulate or remain, under…

Florence County does not mandate spay or neuter for pets generally, but Code §§ 6-6(e) and 6-7 require it for any animal adopted from Environmental Services: proof from a licensed…

In unincorporated Florence County, no one may sell, trade, or give away a nondomesticated carnivorous animal as a pet. County Code § 6-1(d) bars the practice outright, and § 6-15 lists…

Florence County Code § 6-3 bars letting a pet or animal run at large anywhere in the unincorporated county except on property the owner or custodian owns or rents. On school grounds…

Florence County has no breed-specific ban: Code § 6-12 defines 'dangerous/vicious animal' by behavior, not breed, covering any canine, feline, or wild-family animal with a history or…

Florence County does not require microchipping of pets generally. Under Code § 6-12(d), once an animal is registered as dangerous or vicious with Environmental Services, the department…

Florence County Code § 6-16 runs a Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate, and Return program for community cats. Environmental Services may trap a roaming cat, have it sterilized, vaccinated, and…

In unincorporated Florence County, keeping livestock or poultry is a zoning matter, not a blanket right. Table I lists no livestock or poultry use for any residential district (R-1…

Unincorporated Florence County allows veterinary clinics by right in five of its nine business and rural districts. Sec. 30-29's Table II permits 'Veterinary services' (NAICS 54194)…

Within unincorporated Florence County's Corridor Overlay District, County Code § 30-79.6 requires every fixture to use a concealed light source oriented to prevent trespass and glare…

In unincorporated Florence County, digital and electronic changing-message billboards must run automatic day/night dimming software that cuts illumination one hour after sunset and…

In unincorporated Florence County, door-to-door peddlers and fundraisers cannot approach a home between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., and Sec. 17-40(e) makes it unlawful to enter any…

Anyone who wants to peddle, sell or solicit money door-to-door in unincorporated Florence County must register with the Clerk of Court and buy a $100.00 license under Sec. 17-40(f)…

Florence County has no bar- or nightclub-specific noise rule; instead, Sec. 18-1(a) bans any unreasonably loud, disturbing or unnecessary noise that disturbs the quiet and peace of any…

Sec. 18-1(b)(2) of the Florence County Code bars the use of any gong, bell or siren on a vehicle other than a police, fire or other lawfully authorized emergency vehicle, covering the…

Florence County bans excessive noise from loading and unloading operations in the unincorporated area under County Code § 18-1(b)(8). Opening or breaking down bales, boxes, crates or…

Florence County prohibits noisy generators and other mechanical devices under County Code § 18-1(b)(10). A generator that malfunctions or falls into disrepair, and as a result creates…

Unincorporated Florence County exempts ordinary farming from its nuisance and building codes. Growing agricultural crops or maintaining natural growth areas is not an act of nuisance…

Unincorporated Florence County has no nuisance-suit right-to-farm statute of its own, but its RU-1, RU-1A and RU-2 rural zoning districts exist specifically to protect agriculture…

Unincorporated Florence County treats a property that harbors rodents or vermin as a public nuisance under County Code § 21-1, and requires exterior walls and foundations to be kept…

Anyone developing land in unincorporated Florence County's FH Flood Hazard District must get a development permit from the local administrator before any construction begins…

In unincorporated Florence County's Special Flood Hazard Areas, County Code § 30-62(b) sets the local freeboard standard: every new or substantially improved residential structure must…

Unincorporated Florence County requires a stormwater management and sediment control permit for land disturbing activity under Chapter 9.5, administered by the county Engineering…

Florence County's stormwater and sediment control ordinance exists in large part to stop excessive soil erosion and sedimentation on unincorporated land, per § 9.5-1's purpose clause…

Unincorporated Florence County bans letting inoperable or unlicensed vehicles, along with junk and old furniture, accumulate and remain visible on a property, under County Code §…

Florence County Code § 30-229 limits commercial, industrial and construction vehicles parked in the R-1, R-2 and R-3 residential districts of the unincorporated county to one vehicle…

In unincorporated Florence County, every commercial or industrial use must provide off-street loading space adequate for its own operations under Florence County Code § 30-227…

Florence County Code § 30-228 restricts recreational vehicles and boats over 17 feet from sitting in a required front or side yard setback, or within five feet of the rear property…

Unincorporated Florence County has no downtown-specific design code, but Chapter 30's Corridor Overlay District (§§ 30-79.1 through 30-79.10) is the county's closest equivalent: it…

Florence County's flood hazard rules go beyond the standard base flood elevation for what the zoning ordinance labels 'critical development.' Under County Code § 30-62(a)(4), those…

Unincorporated Florence County does not zone mobile food vending as its own category; food trucks are addressed only as an accessory to flea markets, a conditional use permitted solely…

Unincorporated Florence County requires a solar energy system application through the Planning Department before any roof- or ground-mounted panel array goes in. Sec. 30-114.1 spells…

Unincorporated Florence County caps building height at 38 feet in its standard single-family districts, R-1 through R-4, and RU-1, RU-1A and RU-2, under Table III. The R-5 and R-5A…

Unincorporated Florence County sets minimum front, side and rear yard setbacks by zoning district in Table III. Sec. 30-30 requires a 25-foot front setback and 10-foot side/30-foot…

Unincorporated Florence County caps how much of a lot may be covered by buildings and pavement through Table III's impervious surface ratio. Sec. 30-30 limits R-1 single-family lots to…

Fences and walls over eight feet require a Board of Zoning Appeals variance under Florence County Code § 30-246(2)(g). On corner lots, Section 30-245 additionally bans any fence, wall…

Once Florence County Council declares a severe or extreme drought alert, unincorporated county water customers must water lawns and landscaping only on assigned days: Wednesday and…

In unincorporated Florence County, a yard sale or flea-market-style outdoor sale of new or used household goods is allowed without a permit for up to two consecutive days in any 30-day…

Unincorporated Florence County confines fireworks sales to a single zoning district. Sec. 30-29's Table II permits 'Fireworks' (NAICS 713990) outright only in the B-3 general…