Greenwood County, SC Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)

Greenwood County Code § 6-3-45 creates the H-1 historic resources district to preserve, protect and maintain sites, structures and objects of historic interest and to keep landmarks documenting the county's settlement and architectural evolution. Where the Building and Planning Department maps a parcel H-1, only R-1-style residential uses are allowed alongside business, professional and governmental offices that do not sell goods on-site or practice veterinary medicine. The district also permits retail shops selling books, gifts, replicas and souvenirs tied to the historic site itself, plus tourist welcome centers and community centers run by government, historical commissions or nonprofits.

Commercial uses beyond that narrow list, industrial uses and general retail are not allowed inside a mapped H-1 parcel. Sign rules under subsection (c) cap off-premises identification signs at one per property, six square feet each and ten square feet total, and all signs must be nonilluminated and mounted flat against the main building; two temporary sale or lease signs matching R-1 standards are also allowed. Development standards for residential uses mirror the R-1 district, while every other permitted use follows C-1 commercial district dimensional standards for setbacks, lot coverage and parking.

Because H-1 is a mapped overlay rather than a countywide rule, it only reaches parcels the county council has actually rezoned to H-1, most relevant near Ninety Six National Historic Site, the Emerald Triangle and other Lakelands landmarks in the unincorporated area.