Spartanburg County, SC Ordinances (2026)

Spartanburg County addresses animal hoarding through its Ordinance O-25-02 welfare provisions and South Carolina's cruelty statute (§ 47-1-40), which makes it unlawful to ill-treat…

Spartanburg County and South Carolina impose no breed-specific ban. State law is expressly breed-neutral: a dog is not dangerous solely because of its breed. Dangerous-dog status is…

Every cat and dog over four months old in unincorporated Spartanburg County must carry a current rabies vaccination and a serially numbered metal tag, under South Carolina's Rabies…

Much of unincorporated Spartanburg County is rural and historically unzoned, so keeping chickens and small livestock is broadly allowed. South Carolina's Right to Farm Act protects…

Unincorporated Spartanburg County requires every pet be kept 'under restraint' at all times under County Code § 6-18(a), defined by § 6-2 as leashed, under a handler's direct control…

Spartanburg County does not force pet owners to spay or neuter, but County Code § 6-18 fines an unneutered pet caught running at large roughly twice as much as a neutered one, and §…

Spartanburg County bans keeping any venomous reptile or 'wild or exotic animal' anywhere in the unincorporated county under County Code § 6-21, covering species like monkeys, raccoons…

Small backyard recreational fires are allowed. State law requires clearing a firebreak, keeping equipment ready and staying with the fire until it is safe. County code keeps…

Every dwelling in unincorporated Spartanburg County, regardless of age, must have at least one smoke detector per floor under Code § 10-176. Landlords install them in rental units and…

You may burn yard debris (leaves, limbs, branches) in unincorporated areas, but state law requires notifying the SC Forestry Commission first (1-800-517-9640). Burning household trash…

Under the county ULMO, fences and walls may be located in all required yards and along any property line in unincorporated Spartanburg County. The main restriction is that no accessory…

For required screening fences, the county ULMO expressly prohibits chain-link fences woven with wood, plastic, or metal strips. Plain chain link is allowed only if it is hidden by an…

Spartanburg County requires no permit to remove trees on private residential land. The City of Spartanburg protects public and street trees through its tree board and triggers…

In the City of Spartanburg, all tree pruning must follow National Arborist Association shade-tree standards, and "topping" any street, park, or public tree is unlawful. The county sets…

Spartanburg County does not mandate native landscaping. The City of Spartanburg publishes an official approved street-tree list, and no species may be planted as a street tree without…

Unincorporated Spartanburg County adopted the International Property Maintenance Code and rewrote its weed-and-plant-growth standard, IPMC § 302.4, to set the local limit at 18 inches…

Spartanburg County makes it illegal to loiter in any public place with the purpose of soliciting prostitution or engaging in illegal drug activity. Section 60-2 defines loitering…

Spartanburg County bans consuming alcohol or being under its influence anywhere in a county park. The same section also outlaws profanity, gambling, wagering, and disorderly conduct on…

Spartanburg County bars anyone from standing on a highway or street to solicit money, business or employment from vehicle occupants. Only registered rescue squads, volunteer fire…

Spartanburg County requires two feet of freeboard above the base flood elevation for both residential and nonresidential construction in special flood hazard areas, per Code §…

Before any development activity begins in Spartanburg County's mapped special flood hazard areas, unincorporated property owners must obtain a county floodplain development permit…

Spartanburg County bans any pipe, ditch or other conveyance that discharges anything besides stormwater or engineering-division-approved unpolluted water into its small municipal…

Spartanburg County requires a land disturbance permit, complete with a plan to control stormwater pollutants and erosion, before any construction project in the unincorporated county…

Spartanburg County bars noisy household and construction activity within 300 feet of any residence between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. in unincorporated areas. It is also unlawful…

Spartanburg County handles factory and machinery noise through a notice-and-abate process: a manufacturer producing offending noise must receive written notice describing the source…

In unincorporated Spartanburg County it is unlawful to run a motor vehicle with a removed or altered muffler that makes it louder than normal, or to do jackrabbit starts, spin tires…

For a special outdoor event, Spartanburg County lets organizers apply to the county administrator for an exemption from the noise ordinance, which requires a public hearing before…

Spartanburg County's noise ordinance exempts "sound from operations of properly equipped aircraft" under Code § 30-27(5), but that same subsection strips the exemption from scale model…

The City of Spartanburg requires noise-creating blowers and power fans to be muffled enough to deaden the noise. In unincorporated county areas, leaf blowers count as domestic tools…

In the City of Spartanburg, building erection, demolition, alteration, or repair is limited to 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on weekdays unless the building inspector grants an emergency…

Spartanburg County's noise ordinance excludes 'sound from domestic animals addressed by other ordinances or statutes' under § 30-27(9), handing barking complaints to the animal control…

Unincorporated Spartanburg County has no zoning permit for short-term rentals: the county's Planning Department does not regulate them. Inside the City of Spartanburg, STRs are treated…

SC imposes a 7% sales-and-accommodations tax on rentals to transients, including a 2% state accommodations tax. Spartanburg County and the City of Spartanburg may add local…

Neither the unincorporated county nor state law limits STRs to a host's primary residence. State law does exempt small owner-occupied lodgings, fewer than six sleeping rooms in the…

Using a smoker or barbecue pit to cook food is allowed with no Forestry Commission notification, because cooking fires are exempt. Keep the smoker a safe distance from structures and…

Propane and charcoal grilling is allowed and needs no Forestry Commission notification, because cooking fires are exempt. Follow fire-code clearances: keep grills away from combustible…

The City of Spartanburg bars trucks over three-quarters ton from parking on any city street between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., with a one-hour exception for a driver's meals or personal…

In the City of Spartanburg it is unlawful to park in a marked loading zone between 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on any day except Sundays. Outside those hours the space may be used for…

The City of Spartanburg requires commercial parking lots and similar lots to be paved with a dustproof, waterproof hard surface. There is no city or county rule requiring residents to…

Spartanburg County prohibits placing any oversized load or vehicle on public roads in the unincorporated county if it could not lawfully be on county roads. Size and weight limits…

Curb and pavement markings that control parking are official traffic-control devices placed only by the City of Spartanburg or Spartanburg County. Residents may not paint curbs to…

In the City of Spartanburg you may not park on a street in a way that leaves less than ten feet of roadway open for traffic, except brief loading or unloading. The rule applies to…

In the City of Spartanburg, an abandoned, wrecked, or illegally parked vehicle may be towed by an approved wrecker after officer approval. Statewide, South Carolina Code § 56-5-5810…

In unincorporated Spartanburg County, a single-family home on a minor street must sit at least 20 feet from the front right-of-way, 20 feet from the rear line, and 5 or 10 feet from…

Spartanburg County's ULMO allows a home occupation by right if it meets the §3.06 standards - including no more than one employee who does not live in the residence and no alteration…

A home occupation in zoned unincorporated Spartanburg County may show no exterior indication of the business other than a single sign of two square feet or less. Larger or illuminated…

A home daycare in Spartanburg County is a 'family childcare home' under S.C. Code 63-13-20 - a residence caring for no more than six children (including the caregiver's own and related…

South Carolina's Home-Based Food Production Law (S.C. Code 44-1-143) lets Spartanburg County residents make and sell nonpotentially hazardous foods - baked goods, candies, jams - from…

In unincorporated Spartanburg County, blighted property, junk accumulations, and derelict vehicles are enforced by county Environmental Enforcement under the International Property…

Spartanburg County adopted the International Property Maintenance Code and, in Section 10-162, filled in its blank height standard: exterior weeds and plant growth on any property…

Spartanburg County's sign ordinance has no dedicated garage-sale sign category. Yard-sale signs are treated as temporary signs: no portion of any sign may overhang or encroach on a…

Spartanburg County's Performance Zoning Ordinance allows political campaign signs on private property beginning 60 days before an election or referendum, and they must be removed…

Spartanburg County's Recycling Department offers 17 staffed Recycling Convenience Centers for county residents, open Monday through Saturday, 7 AM to 7 PM. Centers accept household…

Dumping litter or solid waste on public or private property you don't own is prohibited statewide under S.C. Code 16-11-700. Penalties start at a $25-$100 fine plus community service…

Spartanburg County operates a wood chipping and grinding facility plus a Class Two (C&D) landfill and a Class Three (municipal solid waste) landfill at the Wellford Landfill Facility…

Unincorporated Spartanburg County has no curbside garbage truck route; residents haul household garbage themselves to county roadside containers under Section 66-31. Only household…

Every residential property in unincorporated Spartanburg County, including houses, mobile homes, farms, and individual apartment or mobile-home-park units, is charged an annual…

Spartanburg County's ULMO bars using a recreational vehicle or travel trailer for permanent residential use because they don't meet HUD or International Residential Code standards. An…

The ULMO treats a carport attached to the principal home as an accessory use when it is at least 75 percent open or unenclosed. It must meet the Table 3 setbacks that apply to…

Spartanburg County's ULMO has no dedicated garage-conversion section. A detached garage is defined as an accessory building; converting it into habitable living quarters creates an…

In areas governed by the Unified Land Management Ordinance, a single detached accessory dwelling unit (ADU) is permitted so long as it is no larger than one-third of the principal…

The Performance Zoning Ordinance requires pole-mounted lighting fixtures to direct light inward, away from property lines and away from the travel lanes of adjacent roads, and to be…

Spartanburg County has no dedicated dark-sky or International Dark-Sky ordinance. Instead, the Performance Zoning Ordinance limits light and glare: any activity producing glare must be…

Spartanburg County enforces the 2024 ISPSC barrier standard: a residential pool must be surrounded by a barrier at least 48 inches (four feet) above grade, with no opening large enough…

An above-ground (onground) pool in Spartanburg County may use its own wall as the required barrier if the wall is at least 48 inches above grade around the entire pool and any ladders…

Spartanburg County bans any sexually oriented business, from adult bookstores to massage parlors and escort agencies, within 1,000 feet of another such business, a school, church…

In unincorporated Spartanburg County, a tow company may only remove a vehicle from private property without the owner's consent if the lot is posted with clear no-parking signs warning…

Unincorporated Spartanburg County runs plumbing work under the International Plumbing Code, adopted county-wide as one of eight technical codes in Code § 10-81. Any plumbing…