Lexington County, SC Ordinances (2026)

A home occupation in unincorporated Lexington County cannot display goods or otherwise show from the outside that the house is being used for business. Zoning Ordinance Sec. 21.22 bars…

A home day care in unincorporated Lexington County needs a special exception from the Board of Zoning Appeals once it cares for more than six people. Zoning Ordinance Sec. 21.22 caps…

Running a business from a house in unincorporated Lexington County requires a separate zoning permit under Zoning Ordinance Sec. 21.22, on top of the residential permit already…

Home occupations in unincorporated Lexington County cannot generate traffic beyond what a normal residential setting would see. Zoning Ordinance Sec. 21.22 bars traffic generation…

Short-term rentals in unincorporated Lexington County may not sleep more than two guests per bedroom overnight under Zoning Ordinance § 132.00(h). Children under five don't count…

Short-term rentals in unincorporated Lexington County must hold an annual zoning permit under Zoning Ordinance § 131.40, effective January 1, 2025. The permit issues per individual…

Lexington County's zoning ordinance classifies farming as an Agricultural Operations land use, but hands off regulation of the operations themselves to the state. Under Zoning…

Fences, walls and vegetation near street intersections in unincorporated Lexington County must stay out of the vision clearance triangle between 2.5 and 10 feet high. Zoning Ordinance…

Most retaining walls in Lexington County need no building permit under Sec. 14-262(3), but the exemption has a hard limit: any wall supporting a surcharge or impounding Class I, II, or…

Lexington County's building code lists fences among thirteen categories of work exempt from a building permit under Sec. 14-262(2). Owners can install a fence without applying to the…

Short-term rental guests in unincorporated Lexington County cannot park on the street overnight under Zoning Ordinance § 132.00(g). Hosts must give guests a written parking plan naming…

Lexington County bans letting abandoned motor vehicles pile up on your land and can enter the property, remove them, and bill or lien the owner if a 30-day notice is ignored.

In unincorporated Lexington County, RVs, boats, and trailers on a residential lot can only be repetitively parked in the driveway, the side yard next to the driveway, or the rear yard…

Lexington County splits commercial-type vehicles into four tiers when parked at a residence, from pickups allowed with no restriction to garbage trucks and earthmovers banned outright…

A new driveway onto a public road in unincorporated Lexington County needs an approved encroachment permit before installation. Zoning Ordinance Sec. 22.13 requires that approval from…

Lexington County flatly excludes vehicle repair from the home occupation permit that covers most small home businesses. Zoning Ordinance Sec. 21.22 states a home occupation cannot…

Lexington County doesn't license tattoo artists directly; its zoning ordinance classifies tattoo parlors and body piercing studios under the Personal Convenience Services land use, the…

Lexington County prohibits establishing or operating a massage parlor anywhere in the unincorporated county. Section 18-61 orders any such business to shut down immediately upon a…

In unincorporated Lexington County, Sec. 70-32 bars any wrecker or towing service owner or agent from responding to an accident scene a county officer is investigating unless county…

Lexington County Code Section 18-31 outright prohibits establishing or operating an adult bookstore anywhere in the unincorporated county. A conviction forces the business to close…

Building height in unincorporated Lexington County is capped by a height control slope rather than a flat number of feet. Zoning Ordinance Sec. 23.10 allows an initial 20-foot rise at…

Homes built in a Lexington County Residential Detached (Limited) development can cover no more than 50 percent of their lot, under Zoning Ordinance Section 122.13. The cap excludes…

Lexington County's zoning ordinance measures setbacks as linear distances inward from property lines or road rights-of-way, per the Section 23.60 chart. A Residential Detached home…

New multifamily developments of three or more units in unincorporated Lexington County must install exterior security cameras covering the entire property under Zoning Ordinance §…

Lexington County treats a yard sale as a temporary accessory use, not a business. Zoning Ordinance § 21.21.f allows a one-day sale of goods from a residence or other principal…

Lexington County Council can proclaim moderate, severe, or extreme drought and order water-use curtailment for the unincorporated county under the county's Drought Response Plan, Code…

Lexington County Code § 14-131(2)d bars topping or canopy reduction of trees required under the county's Landscape and Open Space Ordinance, but allows 'clearance pruning' when needed…

Removing a protected trophy tree in Lexington County triggers mandatory mitigation planting at a 3-to-1 diameter ratio, set by the county's Landscape and Open Space Ordinance.

In Lexington County's Neighborhood Appearance District, residential yards, lawns, and grassed areas must stay evenly mowed and can't be left to grow uncontrolled under Zoning Ordinance…

Lexington County's zoning noise standards step aside for local festivals. Under Sec. 24.14(h), a community-sponsored festival in the unincorporated county can run louder than the…

Lexington County charges a uniform 3% tourism development fee on the gross proceeds of every hotel, motel, inn, bed and breakfast, condo, or residence rented to transients for stays…

Lexington County bans smoking in workplaces and adds an outdoor buffer around them: Sec. 14-621(g) prohibits smoking within ten feet of any entrance or exit door of a workplace where…

Loud, unnecessary noise that disturbs residential peace and quiet is a misdemeanor in unincorporated Lexington County, enforced by sheriff's deputies.

Lexington County's loitering ordinance treats unlawfully using or possessing an unlawful drug in a public place as grounds for a police order to leave, with a $100 fine for refusing.

Lexington County classifies garage sale postings as Short-Term Information Signs under Zoning Ordinance Section 26.40(g). The sign cannot exceed 12 square feet, must sit on private…

Window signs on Lexington County businesses can't cover more than 10 percent of a building's gross transparent window and door area. The limit, set in Zoning Ordinance Section 26.53…

Lexington County treats holiday and seasonal advertising as a temporary sign category. Sec. 26.40(f) caps a seasonal sign at 32 square feet, requires the property owner's permission…

Digital advertising signs in Lexington County can only change their static message once every 6 seconds and must sit at least 2,000 feet from another digital face visible in the same…

Lexington County caps stray light from any non-mobile source, including lit vehicle storage areas, at 1.0 foot candle where it crosses into a Restrictive Development District or an…

Lexington County requires exterior lighting to be shielded or recessed so glare does not spill into a Restrictive Development District, across a grandfathered residential property…

Lexington County's zoning ordinance caps steady noise at 75 decibels next to Restrictive Development Districts and grandfathered residential uses, and at 85 decibels next to Intensive…

Lexington County doesn't cap general construction noise by the clock, construction, grading, and demolition activity is exempt from the zoning ordinance's decibel limits, but on-site…

Lexington County bans loud, unnecessary music and noise that disturbs residential peace, with no fixed decibel meter: officers weigh intensity, time, and location instead.

Lexington County bans loud, unnecessary and unusual noise that disturbs the peace of any residential area, incorporated or unincorporated, or annoys someone there. Instead of a fixed…

Lexington County treats a dog that habitually barks or makes 'loud or objectionable sounds' as a public nuisance, and it's unlawful for an owner to keep one on their property. Animal…

Lexington County bans loud, unnecessary vehicle noise that disturbs a residential area, and it specifically tells courts to weigh whether a car or motorboat carries a factory-level…

Lexington County makes it unlawful under Sec. 46-2 to loiter, meaning to remain idle in one spot, loaf, or wander aimlessly in any public place, including vacant lots, if that conduct…

A shed or other one-story detached accessory structure in Lexington County can skip the building permit entirely if its floor area stays at or under 200 square feet, per Sec…

Lexington County residents on franchise collection must set cans out between 7 a.m. the day before and 6:30 a.m. on collection day, and pull them back in by 7 a.m. the next morning.

Lexington County bars anyone from letting waste, trash, rubbish, refuse, or litter pile up on land, or inside or under any building, if the accumulation could shelter mosquitoes…

Regular franchise garbage service in Lexington County does not cover furniture, appliances, building materials, or large tree limbs: customers must arrange and pay for a separate bulk…

Lexington County sets exact curbside hours for trash and recycling carts, plus where to store them the rest of the week.

Lexington County requires yard debris to go out at curbside only, unlike household garbage, which residents may set for either curbside or back-yard pickup. Large tree limbs and…

Lexington County Code § 14-71 lets the building official order repair, closure or demolition of any dwelling, building or structure unfit for human habitation. County council must…

Nearly any land-disturbing project in unincorporated Lexington County needs a Land Disturbance Permit before dirt moves. Sec. 3-4 of the county's Stormwater Management Ordinance…

Lexington County requires an approved Land Disturbance Permit before grading, clearing, or any land-disturbing construction, administered by the Public Works Stormwater Division under…

Lexington County requires manufactured homes placed or rebuilt in flood hazard areas to sit at least 2 feet above the base flood elevation on a securely anchored permanent foundation.

Lexington County requires a floodplain permit, reviewed by the County Floodplain Manager, before any development begins in a mapped Special Flood Hazard Area.

Lexington County lets subdivision developers record covenants and deed restrictions controlling lot use, minimum floor area, fencing, or landscaping, but county staff never enforce…

Lexington County outlaws commercial dog/cat breeding kennels outright and prohibits selling or rehoming dogs and puppies unless the seller holds a fancier breeder registration.

Lexington County has no breed ban but requires any dog the animal services director declares dangerous to be registered, muzzled in public, and kept in a locked escape-proof kennel…

Lexington County caps residential lots at four domestic chickens or fowl, bans roosters and nearly all livestock outright, and separately makes it unlawful under Code Section 10-95(a)…

Lexington County requires every dog to be kept under restraint at all times, and on a leash and controlled whenever it's on school grounds, in a shopping area, or a similar public…

Lexington County Code § 10-92 makes it unlawful to keep, maintain, or possess any exotic animal within the unincorporated county. The ban covers big cats, bears, wolves, hyenas…

Dogs impounded for running loose or nuisance cats must be sterilized within 30 days of redemption, with limited exemptions.

Lexington County Code § 14-142(c) requires new residential subdivisions to survey for 'trophy trees' before design and to protect at least 25 percent of the trophy trees found on site…

Lexington County requires a permit before installing, altering, or replacing any plumbing system regulated under its adopted International Plumbing Code.

Lexington County requires a permit before any electrical system is installed, altered, or replaced, under the adopted National Electrical Code.

Lexington County enforces its carbon monoxide alarm requirement through the building permit process rather than a stand-alone statute. Sec. 14-352(9) requires CO alarms to be tested at…

Lexington County requires a building permit before anyone constructs, alters, repairs, moves, or demolishes a building, or installs electrical, gas, mechanical, or plumbing systems…

Lexington County's fire chief or designee can prohibit all open burning countywide whenever weather or local conditions make fires hazardous, and bans burning specific materials like…

Lexington County requires smoke detectors to be tested during the final building inspection before any new structure can be occupied.

Lexington County lets you burn a recreational fire, including a fire pit or outdoor fireplace, for religious, ceremonial, or recreational use anywhere in the unincorporated county, but…

Lexington County Code § 14-77 defines when a dwelling is unfit for human habitation: conditions dangerous or injurious to occupants' health, safety or morals, including fire hazards…

Lexington County exempts most above-ground pools under 60 inches tall from building permits, but taller units and any pool wiring beyond a plug-in factory cord still need an electrical…

A food truck in unincorporated Lexington County can set up as a temporary accessory to an existing non-residential business or a construction site, but can't just park anywhere. Zoning…