Horry County does not require homeowners to plant native or drought-tolerant species. Its landscape and tree-preservation standards apply mainly to non-residential and multifamily development. Native plantings are encouraged, and the county's Live Oak protections favor keeping mature native trees.
There is no Horry County ordinance requiring single-family homeowners to use native plants, and South Carolina imposes no such mandate. The Landscape, Buffer and Tree Preservation Standards in the Zoning Ordinance (Appendix B, Article V) govern landscape design for non-residential, quadraplex, townhome, and in-common residential projects, and require major residential subdivisions to meet perimeter/streetscape buffer plantings; individual single-family lots are largely exempt from plant-species requirements. Where planting lists apply to development, the county's tree-preservation program favors retaining native species and specimen live oaks. Homeowners are free to install native, pollinator, or drought-tolerant gardens, subject only to the twelve-inch 'unsightly growth' nuisance limit for uncultivated overgrowth and to any HOA landscaping covenants. Cultivated native beds are not 'uncultivated' growth and are
No penalty attaches to a homeowner's plant choices. Enforcement arises only if a native or naturalized planting becomes uncultivated 'unsightly growth' over twelve inches under Chapter 10, or a development fails required buffer/landscape plantings under Article V.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Horry County, SC
Horry County has no standalone animal-hoarding ordinance, but its care standards and South Carolina's cruelty law reach hoarding conditions. Depriving animal...
Horry County, SC
Horry County bans feeding domestic or migratory waterfowl in residential areas because large flocks contaminate ponds and cause erosion. You also may not cre...
Horry County, SC
Horry County parks are open from dawn until dusk unless a special event is scheduled. Being in a county park after closing hours can be treated as trespassin...
Horry County, SC
Horry County Zoning Ordinance Section 410 caps light spillover: no activity may cause illumination exceeding one (1) footcandle across any residential lot li...
Horry County, SC
Horry County has no dedicated dark-sky or sea-turtle lighting ordinance, but Zoning Ordinance Section 410 requires brighter fixtures to be full-cutoff or shi...
Horry County, SC
Garage-sale signs are temporary ground signs. Horry County allows one temporary ground sign per property (up to 6 square feet on a single-family lot), set ba...
See how Horry County's native plants rules stack up against other locations.
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