South Carolina enforces covenants and architectural rules through the recorded declaration, not a statutory standards code. The Homeowners Association Act, § 27-30-130, makes recording the condition of enforceability: unrecorded governing documents, rules, and amendments cannot be enforced against owners.
Covenant and architectural enforcement in South Carolina rests on the recorded declaration and rules, governed by the 2018 Homeowners Association Act and contract/property law. Section 27-30-130 provides that "in order to be enforceable, a homeowners association's governing documents must be recorded" with the county clerk of court, RMC, or register of deeds. It further requires that rules, regulations, bylaws, and amendments "must be recorded ... by January tenth of each year following their adoption or amendment" and be made accessible to members upon request. An HOA therefore cannot enforce an architectural restriction, use covenant, or rule that has not been timely recorded. South Carolina sets no statewide architectural-review timeline or standards; those terms come from the declaration itself.
No specific statutory penalty. Remedies follow the recorded declaration — typically injunctive relief, mandated correction, or declaration-authorized fines. An association cannot enforce covenants or rules that were never recorded as required by § 27-30-130.
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