Dorchester County allows home-based businesses as an accessory use in residential zones under Zoning and Land Development Ordinance 04-13. A low-impact home occupation stays inside the dwelling; a more intensive cottage industry needs a permit. A county business license is required either way.
In unincorporated Dorchester County, working from home runs through the Zoning and Land Development Ordinance (04-13), adopted under South Carolina's Local Government Comprehensive Planning Enabling Act (S.C. Code Title 6, Chapter 29). A home-based business must be clearly secondary to the residence, contained within the dwelling, and must not change the neighborhood's residential character. A more intensive enterprise, such as an in-home salon or small-engine repair shop, is treated as a cottage industry and needs a cottage industry permit from Planning & Development. Every operator also holds a Dorchester County business license under Chapter 8 of the Code of Ordinances. Summerville and other towns apply their own zoning.
Operating without a required cottage industry permit or a county business license is a code violation, bringing a cease-and-desist notice, daily fines, and possible enforcement action by Planning & Development.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Dorchester County, SC
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Dorchester County, SC
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Dorchester County, SC
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Dorchester County, SC
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Dorchester County, SC
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Dorchester County, SC
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See how Dorchester County's zoning restrictions rules stack up against other locations.
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