6 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in York County, South Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
Backyard chickens and livestock are common across rural west and south York County, though the county zoning ordinance governs where they are kept and how many. South Carolina law makes owners liable for animals that get loose.
York County Animal Control enforces the county's at-large and nuisance-dog rules across unincorporated land. Statewide, South Carolina requires every pet be vaccinated against rabies to provide continuous protection.
S.C. Code Ann. § 47-5-60
A pet owner must have his pet inoculated against rabies at a frequency to provide continuous protection of the pet from rabies using a vaccine approved by the department and licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture.
South Carolina has no statewide breed ban, and its dangerous-dog law is behavior-based. S.C. Code Section 47-3-710 states an animal is not dangerous solely by virtue of its breed or species. York County restricts no breed.
S.C. Code Ann. § 47-3-710
An animal is not a 'dangerous animal' solely by virtue of its breed or species.
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. Colony registration with Clemson's apiary program is voluntary.
S.C. Code Ann. § 46-45-20
'agricultural facility' includes, but is not limited to, any land, building, structure, pond, impoundment appurtenance, machinery, or equipment which is used for the commercial production or processing of crops, trees, livestock, animals, poultry, honeybees, honeybee products, livestock products, poultry products, or products which are used in commercial aquaculture.
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 raccoons, foxes, skunks, coyotes, and related species. SCDNR regulates native wildlife.
S.C. Code Ann. § 47-5-50
No carnivores, which normally are not domesticated, may be sold as pets in this State.
No South Carolina statute and no York County ordinance ban feeding wildlife generally. State game rules restrict baiting deer, and feeding that draws nuisance or rabies-vector animals near homes creates liability.
1 cities in York County have their own animal ordinances rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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