York County, SC Ordinances (2026)

York County zones its unincorporated areas. Under Zoning Code Section 155.058, single-family RSF-40 and RSF-30 lots keep a 50-foot front setback on major roads, 25 feet on minor roads…

York County's height limits trace to S.C. Code § 6-29-720(A), the state statute letting county government regulate building height within zoning districts. The county's own Table…

York County limits impervious surface, roofs, driveways, parking and other hard cover, by land use under Zoning Code § 155.059. Agricultural land and single-family homes are capped at…

York County enforces a residential pool barrier through the International Residential Code, Appendix G, adopted statewide by the South Carolina Building Codes Council. The barrier must…

York County Planning & Development Services issues the residential swimming pool permit for unincorporated pools. Every in-ground or above-ground pool needs the permit, a site plan…

When a grand tree is removed during development in unincorporated York County, Section 154.200 requires mitigation: extra tree-save area at 150 square feet per inch of DBH, replanting…

South Carolina sets no statewide lawn-watering ban. In York County, restrictions come from your water provider and the Catawba-Wateree drought plan, triggered when SC DNR declares…

York County treats overgrown grass and weeds in unincorporated areas as a public nuisance under Chapter 56, acting on complaints. Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Tega Cay, and Clover run their…

York County's land development code names cisterns and rain barrels as an approved Low Impact Development technique, and developers who capture at least 40% of a site's water quality…

York County requires trees preserved or planted to satisfy its tree-canopy ordinance to be pruned only to ANSI A300 tree-care standards, and bars severe trimming of those protected…

York County treats short-term rental stays of 30 days or more as long-term occupancy, not short-term rental use, under Zoning Ordinance § 155.551(D). A homeowner who rents for a…

South Carolina imposes a 7% accommodations tax on every short-term rental night in unincorporated York County under S.C. Code § 12-36-920: a 5% general sales tax component plus a 2%…

York County only permits short-term rentals in a dwelling that serves as the owner's primary residence, under § 155.552(B)(2). Applicants must submit written documentation from the…

York County requires a valid zoning permit before anyone can start or maintain a short-term rental in the unincorporated county, under § 155.552(A). Owners must file a zoning…

York County limits short-term rentals in the unincorporated county to eight overnight guests and 20 daytime guests under Zoning Ordinance § 155.551(C). The cap applies to every…

York County caps short-term rentals in the unincorporated county at 120 days of overnight occupancy per calendar year under Zoning Ordinance § 155.551(B). The limit applies to any…

York County has no STR-specific noise rule; guests follow the county noise ordinance (§56.016), including the 60-decibel residential lot-line cap and the 11:00 p.m.–7:00 a.m. limit on…

A storage shed in unincorporated York County is a 'major residential accessory structure' under § 155.622, so it must meet the zoning district's front setback plus a 10-foot side…

To legally establish or keep an accessory dwelling unit in unincorporated York County, the lot owner must actually live on the property, in either the main house or the ADU, under §…

Converting a garage to living space in York County is a change of occupancy needing a building permit under the 2021 SC Residential Code. Adding a bathroom or bedroom on septic…

A tiny house on wheels can't serve as an accessory dwelling unit anywhere in unincorporated York County under § 155.631(D), but a permanently sited, code-built tiny house can qualify…

York County allows one accessory dwelling unit per lot in the AGC, AGC-I, RUD, RUD-I, RSF-40, RSF-30, RMX-20, RMX-10, RMX-6 and MU districts under § 155.630, sized between 400 square…

Dumping litter, garbage, solid waste or bulk items anywhere in unincorporated York County outside a licensed disposal site is unlawful, and a conviction adds mandatory…

Illegal dumping of bulky trash, appliances, or construction debris on roadsides and vacant land is a crime in South Carolina. The Litter Control Act sets escalating fines by weight…

York County treats yard trash, land-clearing debris and untreated lumber as 'cellulosic materials,' which residents can drop at the landfill or a convenience center without the special…

York County runs no curbside recycling truck for the unincorporated area. Residents haul recyclable material to county convenience centers, where accepted items depend on market…

York County runs no curbside garbage truck route in the unincorporated area. Residents haul household waste themselves to a county convenience center or roadside container, which the…

In unincorporated York County, dumpsters serving qualifying commercial buildings must be screened or placed so they cannot be seen from any street or sidewalk next to an active…

South Carolina law, not just county ordinance, sets who runs trash and recycling pickup in York County. S.C. Code § 44-96-80(J) puts the County Council in charge of solid waste…

York County regulates pawnbrokers as "alternative lending institutions" in the unincorporated area. A pawnshop needs a conditional or special exception zoning approval, must sit at…

York County's Land Development Code flatly bans automotive repair as a home occupation anywhere in the unincorporated county. The home-occupation use table marks "Automotive repair"…

Unincorporated York County allows massage services from a home, but only if a licensed massage therapist performs them, and only under an annual home occupation permit. Table 155.674-1…

York County limits adult businesses to one per lot and requires a 1,000-foot buffer from any other adult business, from residential zoning districts, and from dwellings, schools, day…

York County zoning allows tattoo and body piercing establishments only as a conditional or special exception use under the § 155.271 Use Table, and every studio must sit at least 300…

South Carolina has no just-cause eviction rule, and York County cannot add one. Under S.C. Code §27-40-710 a landlord ends a tenancy for unpaid rent with a five-day written notice…

York County can order a rental or any dwelling repaired or torn down if it's unfit to live in. Section 56.061 lets a public officer find a dwelling unfit for 'human use or occupancy'…

Rent control is illegal across York County. South Carolina Code §27-39-60 bars every county and municipal corporation from enacting, maintaining, or enforcing any ordinance that…

York County treats owned cats differently from free-roaming cats. Code § 55.01 defines a CAT as 'a domestic feline of either sex, except a free roaming cat,' while a FREE ROAMING CAT…

A pet grooming, boarding, or training business in unincorporated York County is permitted by right if it keeps animals indoors, but needs a conditional use approval, acoustic fencing…

New non-residential and mixed-use buildings in unincorporated York County must use bird-safe glass. County Code Section 155.786(D) requires at least 50% of a building's glazed surfaces…

Beekeeping is legal across York County and protected as agriculture by state law. S.C. Code Section 46-45-20 counts honeybees and honeybee products among agricultural facilities…

South Carolina bars selling wild carnivores as pets. S.C. Code Section 47-5-50 provides no carnivores that normally are not domesticated may be sold as pets in the State, reaching…

York County can't declare a dog or cat dangerous just because of its breed. S.C. Code § 47-3-710(C), incorporated into county enforcement, states 'an animal is not a "dangerous animal"…

Every dog or cat reclaimed from the York County Animal Shelter leaves with a microchip. Section 55.30(C) requires shelter staff to implant one 'pursuant to the provisions of S.C. Code…

Unincorporated York County allows up to six chickens per lot as an accessory use to a single-family home in the AGC, AGC-I, RUD, RUD-I, RSF-40, RSF-30, RMX-20, RMX-10 and MU zoning…

York County bans letting a dog run loose off its owner's land. Section 55.21(A) makes it 'unlawful for the owner or keeper of any dog or livestock to willfully or negligently permit…

York County does not require street trees in single-family subdivisions, but if a developer plants them, § 154.094 sets exact placement rules: trees generally must sit outside the road…

York County protects "grand trees," its version of heritage trees, on land being developed under Land Development Code Section 154.200. Thresholds run from 24-inch DBH for most species…

York County bans consuming or displaying any intoxicating beverage at every county-owned park and public boat landing under Code Section 90.01(G). The rule covers Ebenezer Park…

York County makes it unlawful to solicit in an aggressive manner on any public right-of-way, sidewalk or county-owned property under § 131.02(H). Solicitors also cannot beg between…

It's unlawful to loiter or trespass at any York County landfill, convenience center, roadside container or solid waste facility except to conduct business during normal operating…

York County's building and codes department inspects every permitted project at seven set stages, from footing and foundation through final inspection, before a certificate of…

York County adopts the 2020 National Electrical Code, as modified by the South Carolina Codes Council, for all electrical work in the unincorporated county under § 150.05. Section…

York County requires a building permit before anyone constructs, enlarges, alters, repairs, moves, demolishes or changes the occupancy of a building or structure in the unincorporated…

York County requires a permit before any plumbing installation, alteration or repair in the unincorporated county and holds that work to the 2021 International Plumbing Code as…

York County requires any child or adult day care center in the unincorporated county to build a vehicle queuing lane for client drop-off, sized at a minimum of two car lengths for…

Unincorporated York County bans three specific kinds of vehicle noise: exhausts without a working muffler, horns or signaling devices sounded unnecessarily or for too long, and engines…

York County caps noise from any activity at 60 decibels on or beyond the property line in residentially zoned areas or within 300 feet of a home in any zone. Industrial noise may run…

York County's noise ordinance bans yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling or singing on public streets between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. in the unincorporated county, and forbids any…

Unincorporated York County treats a dog, or any other animal, whose frequent or long-continued noise disturbs a neighbor's comfort or repose as a public nuisance under its noise…

York County allows leaf blowers, lawnmowers, and garden tools between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. as long as they stay under 85 dB(A) at the nearest residence, under York County Code…

Unincorporated York County bans operating any sound-amplifying device, from a stereo to a loudspeaker, loud enough to become a nuisance or disturb nearby residents, and it caps most…

York County Code §56.016 bars piledrivers, pneumatic hammers, hoists, and other loud building equipment between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. in residential blocks; daytime tools must stay…

York County bans open burning of waste, debris, stumps and construction materials at new commercial, industrial and larger residential development sites in the unincorporated county…

Unincorporated York County exempts campfires and fire pits used for recreation, ceremonies or warmth from its open-burning ban, so no burn permit or distance variance is needed for a…

South Carolina bars retail sale or use of small bottle rockets statewide and forbids selling any fireworks to anyone under sixteen, rules that apply the same in unincorporated York…

York County requires customers on its water system to fix distribution leaks fast once a drought stage is declared. Under § 54.04(B)(3) of the county's Drought Response Plan, the…

During a Stage 2 mandatory drought in York County, water slides and similar water-based recreation can't keep running on fresh water. Section 54.04(C)(2)(b)4 of the county's Drought…

York County's zoning code shields farms in the Agricultural Conservation (AGC) district from nuisance interference by neighbors, protecting both existing operations and new crop or…

York County requires every property owners association's founding declaration to make each lot liable for its pro rata share of the annual operating budget and capital improvement…

Any new development in unincorporated York County with commonly owned property, infrastructure, or shared services must form a property owners association under County Code § 154.255…

York County caps data center buildings at 80 feet under Zoning Code § 155.058(C), well above the 40-to-60-foot ceiling that applies to most base zoning districts. A data center built…

York County regulates cryptocurrency mining as a data center use. It is confined to specific commercial and industrial zoning districts, and a data center building is capped at 80 feet…

York County's Zoning Code offers, but does not require, a density bonus for affordable housing. Under § 155.060(D), a multi-family developer who makes at least 20% of a project's units…

York County's Baxter Village Traditional Neighborhood District (BV) functions as the county's design-guide zoning district. Section 155.153(G) requires main entrances to face a street…

York County bans camping on any street, sidewalk, park, playground or other public property at any time unless a governmental authority specifically authorizes it, under § 131.03(C)…

York County does not ban sitting or lying on public sidewalks outright. Under § 131.03(A), a person only violates the county's obstructing-streets rule if they block pedestrian or…

In York County's Baxter Village (BV) Traditional Neighborhood zoning district, anyone placing a street tree, streetlight, decorative pole, sign or similar nonutility item in a publicly…

York County caps how much of a storefront window can carry signage under § 155.935(I). In Agricultural/Open Space and Residential districts, a sign user may cover only 25% of a…

York County's sign ordinance flatly bars anyone from building a new billboard, digital or static, anywhere in the unincorporated county. Sign Code § 155.938(A) says a person may not…

South Carolina makes it unlawful to display, place, or affix any sign, political campaign signs included, within a road right-of-way where it is visible from the main-traveled way…

York County's zoning code regulates garage-sale signs on private property by size and placement, and no county permit covers a sign in the state right-of-way. S.C. Code §57-25-10 makes…

York County keeps an official Historical and Architectural Inventory of significant sites, structures and landmarks, maintained by the York County Culture and Heritage Commission under…

South Carolina's home-based food production law, S.C. Code § 44-1-143, governs cottage food sales in unincorporated York County: sanitation and labeling rules, an income exemption…

York County caps home-based businesses at six client visits a day, one visit per client, between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., under the Land Development Code's home occupation performance…

Running a business from home in unincorporated York County requires an annual home occupation permit under § 155.671 unless the activity falls into one of six exempt categories, and…

A home occupation sign in unincorporated York County is limited by the Unified Development Ordinance, which caps size and placement so the residence still reads as a home. State law…

A family child care home serving six or fewer children doesn't need a York County home occupation permit at all: § 155.672(F) exempts it outright as long as the operator is registered…

Commercial filming and outdoor film production in unincorporated York County is allowed in every zoning district, but only after a production gets zoning compliance approval as a…

York County limits heavy trucks in its agricultural, residential and urban development districts: farm trucks and equipment may sit outside only when actively used for bona fide…

New buildings in York County that house retail, industrial, hotel, medical or most other commercial uses must provide off-street loading berths sized to the building's floor area under…

In the Lake Wylie Overlay (LW-O) district, new single-family detached homes in a major subdivision built after January 1, 2021 face specific driveway standards under Code § 155.201…

Parking on public roads in York County follows the state traffic code. S.C. Code 56-5-2530 bars stopping or parking on sidewalks, in intersections, on crosswalks, in front of…

York County's zoning code lets any off-street parking lot in the unincorporated county add electric vehicle charging stations, and those chargers count toward the lot's required or…

In York County's agricultural, residential and urban development districts, an RV, boat or other recreational vehicle may be parked outside only in the rear yard, at least 25 feet from…

Storing an abandoned, junk or inoperable vehicle or motorboat outdoors on any property in unincorporated York County is unlawful once it becomes a nuisance or breeds vermin or…

A street fair or festival expected to draw 500 or more attendees in unincorporated York County needs special exception approval from the Board of Zoning Appeals under County Code…

Reserving a shelter for a gathering at a York County park runs through the fee schedule in County Code Section 90.02, not a separate event permit. At Ebenezer Park, a Multipurpose…

A block party or other special event that closes a street or uses public right-of-way in unincorporated York County needs a signed York County Venue Agreement before the county will…

York County requires a zoning compliance application and event plan before any parade, festival or other special event in the unincorporated area. Events on private property are capped…

York County treats a public-facing filming production as a special event, not just a film shoot, once it's open to the public and expected to draw more than 100 people. That triggers…

Unimproved lots in developed parts of unincorporated York County can't grow weeds, brush or rank vegetation past two feet if the lot touches developed property or a public street on…

York County's home-rule authority lets it order dilapidated and derelict structures cleaned up or demolished. Overgrown, junk-filled, and abandoned properties in the unincorporated…

York County zoning caps how much light can spill onto a neighbor's property: outdoor lighting may not exceed one-half footcandle at lot lines next to single-family homes, or…

York County bans construction of new billboards outright, and any billboard lighting is exempt from the county's general outdoor lighting design standards, so long as it does not…

New outdoor light fixtures in unincorporated York County must be fully shielded, with the light source hidden inside opaque housing and invisible from any street, under Section 155.884…

Growing marijuana at home is a crime everywhere in South Carolina, including York County. The state has no medical or recreational program. Cultivating plants is manufacturing and…

There are no cannabis dispensaries to zone in York County. South Carolina has no medical or recreational program, and selling marijuana is a crime under S.C. Code Section 44-53-370. No…

Before disturbing land anywhere in unincorporated York County, South Carolina, state law requires an approved stormwater management and sediment control plan and permit first. S.C…

In York County's mapped special flood hazard areas, new and substantially improved residential and non-residential structures must have their lowest floor built at least two feet above…

Unincorporated York County requires a land disturbance permit before any clearing, grading or excavating, and every construction stormwater pollution prevention plan (C-SWPPP) must…

York County administers its own Flood Damage Prevention ordinance, Chapter 151, to keep the county in the National Flood Insurance Program. A floodplain development permit is required…

Unincorporated York County bans loud or excessive noise from loading and unloading delivery vehicles, including opening and breaking down boxes, crates, and containers, under its…

Unincorporated York County makes it a noise violation to play a radio, stereo, or other sound device loud enough to be 'plainly audible' 50 feet from the vehicle or building where it…

Unincorporated York County exempts ordinary HVAC unit sound from its residential noise-decibel cap, so a working air conditioner or heat pump condenser is not, by itself, a code…

Unincorporated York County requires generators and other internal combustion engines, blowers, or power fans to run with a functioning muffler under its noise ordinance. An unmuffled…

Unincorporated York County imposes a 3% local accommodations tax on every hotel, motel and short-term rental charge, collected from the guest at checkout and remitted by the operator…

In the Lake Wylie Overlay district, new single-family attached homes with a preliminary plat approved after January 1, 2021 are capped at four feet of fence or wall height in the front…

York County treats a retaining wall under four feet tall as a minor accessory structure that can sit right on the property line, but a wall four feet or taller must stay at least 3…

South Carolina has no do-not-knock registry, but state law makes it a crime to keep soliciting a home after the resident has warned the solicitor off. S.C. Code § 16-11-620 punishes…

York County has no municipal permit for door-to-door peddlers; South Carolina instead regulates the transaction itself. Under S.C. Code § 37-2-501, any consumer credit sale a seller…

A mobile food unit setting up in unincorporated York County does not need a zoning compliance permit. Table 155.718-1 lists mobile vending as "No" for zoning compliance required…

A food truck or other mobile vending unit operating on a private lot in unincorporated York County cannot block a sidewalk. County Code Section 155.736(D) bars a mobile vending unit…

In unincorporated York County a mobile vending unit, including a food truck, may set up on any privately owned lot in any zoning district under County Code Section 155.736. It cannot…

South Carolina has no solar access law. Unlike Texas, Florida, or California, no statute stops a homeowners association in York County from restricting or banning rooftop solar. A…