7 rules for unincorporated Spartanburg County, South Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
Unincorporated Spartanburg County sets no maximum residential fence height in the ULMO — fences may sit in any yard along the property line. Inside the City of Spartanburg, residential fences max out at 6 feet (rear/side) and 4 feet in a front yard.
The ULMO does not require a zoning permit to build a residential fence in unincorporated Spartanburg County. However, the county Building Codes Department requires a building permit once a fence reaches 7 feet or is built of masonry, because it then needs a structural review.
Spartanburg County's ULMO permits fences directly on the property line and does not require neighbor consent or cost-sharing. South Carolina has no general residential boundary-fence statute, so a shared fence is a private civil matter; get an accurate survey before building.
Spartanburg County's ULMO does not set a residential retaining-wall height limit, but a wall over 4 feet (or supporting a surcharge) typically needs a building permit and engineering. In the City of Spartanburg, retaining walls over 6 feet require architectural treatment to break up the mass.
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 structure, including a fence, may sit inside a required bufferyard.
Spartanburg County ULMO §3.20(3)e
Without exception, no accessory use may be located in a required bufferyard area. Accessory buildings and uses are permitted anywhere within the buildable area of a lot or parcel unless specifically regulated... Fences and Walls: May be located in all required yards and along any property line.
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 evergreen hedge that fully obscures it within four years. Ordinary residential fences face no material ban.
Spartanburg County ULMO §2.02-2(8)
Chain link fences with evergreen hedge on the outbound side may be substituted for wooden fence of the same height, as approved by Planning Department staff... All plants must be sized and spaced to obscure the chain link fence within four (4) years of planting. Chain link fences with wood, plastic, or metal strips are expressly prohibited.
The county ULMO specifies that required screening walls must be masonry — poured concrete, stuccoed concrete block, or brick. Wooden or approved hedge-backed chain-link fences may substitute for a screen. Standard residential fences may use any conventional material.
Spartanburg County ULMO §2.02-2(8)
Walls must be made of masonry materials including poured concrete, concrete block covered with stucco, and brick.
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