10 rules for unincorporated Horry County, South Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
In unincorporated Horry County, raising animals and livestock is allowed only where the zoning district permits it and only if the parcel meets the minimum lot size in Zoning § 205. Larger animal-production facilities trigger SCDHEC permits.
Horry County Zoning Appendix B § 902(B)
The raising, care and handling of animals and livestock. The raising, care and handling of animals, where allowed by district, must meet the minimum lot size requirements listed in § 205.
Unincorporated Horry County has no citywide leash mandate, but it is unlawful to let a dog run at large off property you own, rent, or control. A dog off-premises must be leashed or under the owner's physical control.
Horry County Code § 4-3(d)(1)
No person responsible for an animal, with the exception of TNR program cats, shall allow his animal to run at large off of property owned, rented or controlled by him.
Horry County has no breed-specific ordinance, and South Carolina bars local breed bans. Any dog can be declared "dangerous" based on its behavior, and a dangerous animal must be kept securely confined on the owner's premises.
S.C. Code § 47-3-720
No person owning or harboring or having the care or the custody of a dangerous animal may permit the animal to go unconfined on his premises.
Horry County's animal chapter and zoning code set no specific beekeeping ordinance. Hives are treated as an agricultural use tied to your zoning district, and South Carolina's Right to Farm Act protects established, lawful apiaries from nuisance suits.
S.C. Code § 46-45-70
No established agricultural facility or any agricultural operation at an established agricultural facility is or may become a nuisance, private or public, by any changed conditions in or about the locality of the facility or operation.
South Carolina law makes it unlawful to possess, breed, or sell a large wild cat, non-native bear, or great ape, with narrow exceptions. This state ban applies throughout Horry County; the county sets no additional exotic-pet ordinance.
S.C. Code § 47-2-30(A)
Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, it is unlawful for a person to import into, possess, keep, purchase, have custody or control of, breed, or sell within this State, by any means, a large wild cat, non-native bear, or great ape.
Horry County bans feeding domestic or migratory waterfowl in residential areas because large flocks contaminate ponds and cause erosion. You also may not create conditions that let waterfowl congregate. Wildlife-management facilities on 5+ acres are exempt.
Horry County Code § 4-33(a)
No person shall feed, cause to be fed or provide food for domestic or migratory waterfowl in residential areas of Horry County.
Horry County's large-animal rules require livestock owners to provide veterinary care, sufficient food and water, and clean, drained containment. Livestock may be kept only where zoning allows and the parcel meets the § 205 minimum lot size.
Horry County Code § 4-23(a)
As defined by S.C. Code § 47-4-20 "livestock" mean all classes and breeds of animals, domesticated or feral, raised for use, sale, or display, must be provided adequate veterinary care includes an annual exam by a veterinarian, recommended vaccinations, preventative teeth and hoof care.
Horry County has no standalone animal-hoarding ordinance, but its care standards and South Carolina's cruelty law reach hoarding conditions. Depriving animals of necessary food, water, shelter, or vet care is illegal, and neglected animals can be seized.
S.C. Code § 47-1-40(A)
A person who knowingly or intentionally overloads, overdrives, overworks, or ill-treats an animal, deprives an animal of necessary sustenance or shelter, inflicts unnecessary pain or suffering upon an animal ... is guilty of a misdemeanor.
Horry County sets no numeric limit on the number of dogs or cats per household. Instead it relies on the public-nuisance standard, and anyone offering 25 or more dogs or cats for sale in a year is a regulated "breeding operation."
Horry County Code § 4-12(a)(2)
Breeder or breeding operation means: A person, persons or entity that offers twenty-five (25) or more dogs or cats for sale during a three-hundred-sixty-five-day period, as determined by animal control officers.
Horry County requires no cat license but does require identification by collar tag, microchip, or other means. People who feed or shelter community (free-roaming) cats are not treated as the owner, so TNR caretakers are exempt from owner duties.
Horry County Code § 4-14(b)
A person providing food, water, shelter, or other care for a community cat shall not be considered the owner, keeper, or custodian of the cat(s) for any purposes in this chapter.
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