In unincorporated Richland County the Land Development Code permits a "home occupation" as an accessory use in residential districts. It must be clearly incidental and subordinate to the home, conducted within the dwelling, and not change the outward residential appearance.
Richland County directly zones unincorporated land under its Land Development Code (Chapter 26). Sec. 26-22 defines a home occupation as an accessory use of a dwelling unit for limited non-residential purposes clearly incidental and subordinate to residential use. The standards in Sec. 26-185 require the business be conducted entirely within the principal dwelling (or a qualifying accessory structure), not change the outward appearance of the home, and generate no more traffic than a normal residence. No more than 25 percent of the principal dwelling's floor area may be used. Inside Columbia, Forest Acres or Blythewood, the city's zoning code applies instead of the county's.
Operating a business that exceeds home-occupation limits (outside employees, retail, outdoor storage, excess traffic) is a zoning violation subject to notice, daily fines and an order to cease the non-conforming use.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
richland-county-sc
Richland County has no ordinance banning residential backyard composting. Reasonable home compost piles are allowed, but a pile that becomes a nuisance, harb...
richland-county-sc
Richland County has no ordinance specifically permitting or prohibiting artificial turf on residential lots. Single-family yards are exempt from the county's...
richland-county-sc
Richland County does not require homeowners to plant native species, but its Land Development Code favors them: on development sites, trees and plants in par...
richland-county-sc
Rainwater harvesting is legal in South Carolina and Richland County has no ordinance banning or permitting residential rain barrels or cisterns. The county a...
richland-county-sc
Richland County itself imposes no permanent lawn-watering ordinance. Outdoor water use is governed by your water utility and by South Carolina's Drought Resp...
richland-county-sc
Richland County Code Sec. 18-4 treats overgrown grass, weeds, dead brush and noxious plants in developed areas as "unsafe and noxious vegetation." The sherif...
See how Richland County's zoning restrictions rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.