Greenwood County, SC Environmental Rules: Boat Dock Permits (2026)

Greenwood County Code § 6-3-49(f)(3) lists boat houses, boat docks and boat lifts as permitted accessory structures in the FA forest agricultural district, the classification covering much of the unincorporated shoreline around Lake Greenwood. The structure must sit no closer than ten feet from the side property lines, the same accessory-structure setback that applies to detached garages, kennels and storage sheds under this section. Because Lake Greenwood is a designated waterway, the ordinance adds an extra check for shoreline structures: the county engineer must review and approve the construction drawings before the dock, boat house or lift can be built.

The identical requirement is repeated for the WD waterfront development district at Code § 6-3-50(f)(3), so the county engineer sign-off applies to lakefront property no matter which of the two districts covers the parcel, and the general accessory-structure rules at § 6-3-109(b) restate the same ten-foot side setback and engineer-approval requirement for lakefront lots countywide. Boat docks are treated as accessory to the primary residential or waterfront use of the lot, so they do not need a separate free-standing zoning classification, but a landowner still needs a zoning or building permit application reviewed by the Building and Planning Department before construction starts.

Other accessory structures on the same waterfront lot, such as garages or storage sheds, follow the general ten-foot side and rear setback found in the same accessory-use sections, except that lakefront lots get an enlarged 50-foot rear setback measured from the 440-foot contour line rather than the standard ten feet.