North Charleston, SC

North Charleston bans barbed and razor wire on residential fences outright: it's allowed only in commercial or industrial zones, and only atop an already-permitted fence material.

Front-yard fences in North Charleston's R-1, R-1A, R-2, and R-3 districts top out at four feet. Side and rear yards allow eight feet, industrial parcels allow ten feet, and fences…

Front yard retaining walls in the Olde North Charleston Historic District are capped at 2 feet unless a South Carolina engineer certifies a taller wall is necessary.

In unincorporated Charleston County, a fence over 6 feet tall triggers the general building permit requirement under the county's adopted building code. Fences at or under 6 feet are…

South Carolina is a closed-range, fence-in state. Under S.C. Code Section 47-7-110 the livestock owner, not the adjoining neighbor, must confine animals; letting them run at large is a…

North Charleston bans open burning citywide except for narrow categories listed in Code of Ordinances § 8-5(c), such as attended cooking or recreational fires kept a set distance from…

Recreational fires and cooking pit fires are legal only inside a contained device or pit meeting exact size and distance-from-structure limits set by the fire code.

South Carolina law permits the sale and use of most consumer fireworks. North Charleston allows fireworks but restricts their use near certain structures and during fire bans.

There is no statewide defensible-space mandate, but if you burn cleared brush you must follow SC Regulation 61-62.2. Land-clearing burns in non-residential areas must sit at least…

Every dwelling unit in unincorporated Charleston County must have an approved, listed smoke detector installed per the manufacturer's instructions and tested to UL 217. Sec. 4-28, §…

South Carolina regulates LP-gas (propane) storage, transport, and installation under Title 40 Chapter 82. The LP-Gas Board licenses dealers and enforces NFPA 58 standards uniformly…

The South Carolina Forestry Commission has statewide authority to declare wildfire emergencies, issue burn bans, and suppress forest fires. Title 48 designates protected forestland and…

The City of North Charleston requires every use to provide sufficient off-street loading space on the same lot it serves, keeping delivery trucks from blocking public streets, walks…

Recreational vehicles and boats can sit in North Charleston yards only as an accessory to the lot's primary use and can't be lived in on-site, while heavy commercial vehicles and…

North Charleston's zoning appendix clears two common hurdles for EV charging equipment. Section 4-7(6) exempts EV charging infrastructure, including mechanical equipment, cabinets…

A truck, car, trailer or boat that fails state or federal safety rules, cannot move under its own power, or sits dismantled for more than 72 hours is a declared public nuisance under…

North Charleston caps what a private tow company may charge to give your car back. Under Sec. 10.5-1113 a Class A tow of a vehicle rated 10,000 pounds GVW or less is capped at $185, a…

Trucks and tractor-trailers over two-ton capacity may not be parked or left unattended on any street in North Charleston's R-1, R-2, or R-3 residential districts.

Charleston County council can designate any portion of a county highway as a no-parking zone and post signs marking it, under Sec. 20-16 of the county code. "Parking" covers stopping…

Building a residential swimming pool in North Charleston requires a building permit under Sec. 5-310, with the filing fee scaled to the pool's cost under Chapter 5, Appendix A, and the…

North Charleston enforces pool barrier and fencing standards through its adopted South Carolina International Swimming Pool Code, enacted by the city as a mandatory part of its…

North Charleston bans unreasonably loud, excessive or unusual noise from a motor vehicle's operation on any city street under section 13-127 of the Code of Ordinances. The rule covers…

North Charleston bans gas-powered leaf blowers and lawn mowers within 300 feet of a residence between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., naming them as an example of unreasonably loud and…

North Charleston sets a five-tier decibel schedule for commercial sound and live music, from 75 dB on weekday afternoons down to 60 dB overnight and on unlisted days.

North Charleston bans music in outdoor seating and outdoor bar areas at commercial establishments after 11 p.m., on top of the amplified-sound permit and decibel limits that already…

A dog or other animal that repeatedly barks, howls, or whines loud enough to disturb neighbors counts as a public nuisance animal under North Charleston's animal control code.

Unincorporated Charleston County only exempts construction, demolition and mineral-extraction noise from its noise ordinance when the work happens during daytime hours. Sec. 3-44(7)…

Unincorporated Charleston County bars any excessive, unnecessary or unreasonable sound that is plainly audible between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., under Sec. 3-43(c). The curfew applies…

North Charleston requires a permit before cutting down any protected tree ten inches or more in diameter at breast height: Section 6-16(d) bans removal without one, and Section 6-16(b)…

North Charleston caps grass, weeds and brush at one foot tall on improved lots, declaring taller growth a public nuisance under Code of Ordinances § 9-67(2) unless the vegetation is…

You do not need a permit for light pruning, but in unincorporated Charleston County heavy pruning of a Grand Tree requires a Zoning Permit: removing three or more large limbs or…

South Carolina's Drought Response Act establishes a statewide framework for declaring drought stages and implementing mandatory water-use restrictions through DNR and local water…

North Charleston caps signage for a home-based business at two square feet, folded inside an eight-square-foot total sign allowance every single-family or multi-family residence gets…

North Charleston permits a customary home occupation as a conditional use only if it stays invisible from outside, employs no more than one non-resident, and uses no more than 25…

South Carolina's home-based food law lets you make and sell non-potentially hazardous foods from your home with no permit, license, or inspection, as long as each package carries the…

South Carolina requires family childcare homes serving more than a limited number of unrelated children to register or be licensed by DSS. State law establishes uniform health, safety…

South Carolina has never created a microenterprise home kitchen permit, so there is no route for selling meals cooked to order out of your own house to the general public. Regulation…

North Charleston's short-term rental definition doubles as its occupancy cap: Section 4-21(a) defines an STR as housing no more than two guests per bedroom, up to eight people…

Running a short-term rental in North Charleston costs more than the state's accommodations tax: Section 4-21(i) sets a $350 initial STR permit fee and a $250 annual renewal fee, on top…

A short-term rental in North Charleston needs more than a listing: Appendix A Section 4-21(b)(7) requires the property owner to hold both an STR permit and an active business license…

Charleston County's Article 6.8 does not mandate that a host be physically present during stays. A Limited Home Rental must be owner-occupied, but the ordinance permits professional…

Charleston County requires short-term rentals to provide one on-site parking space per permitted bedroom, plus the parking already required for the applicable use. The site plan…

Charleston County's Article 6.8 does not require a specific liability-insurance policy for short-term rentals. Instead, owners must comply with all county building-code requirements…

Charleston County caps how many days a home may be rented short-term. A Limited Home Rental may be rented up to 72 days per calendar year; an Extended Home Rental up to 144 days…

Charleston County does not impose a blanket primary-residence-only rule. A Limited Home Rental must be owner-occupied, but an Extended Home Rental may be owner-occupied or…

Dogs in North Charleston must be on a leash or chain, or at heel and muzzled, whenever they're on a street, sidewalk, park, or private property without the owner's consent.

Keeping any live hog or swine anywhere within North Charleston is banned outright and automatically treated as a public nuisance under the city's animal ordinance.

North Charleston zoning caps a residential pen, shelter, or structure kept for dogs or other small domestic animals at three animals: the threshold for the 'domestic animal shelter'…

North Charleston does not impose breed-specific bans. However, all dogs must be properly licensed, vaccinated, and under owner control. Dangerous dog designations are based on…

Charleston County does not require every pet to be spayed or neutered, but any dog or cat impounded by animal control must be sterilized, or the owner must pay an escalating "intact…

South Carolina law bars the sale of any carnivore that is not normally domesticated as a pet anywhere in Charleston County, covering raccoons, foxes, skunks, bobcats, coyotes, wolves…

Every cat owner in Charleston County must keep their cat currently vaccinated against rabies under S.C. Code § 47-5-60, with a veterinarian-issued metal tag worn on the collar at all…

South Carolina regulates the movement and disease inspection of honey bees under Title 46, Chapter 37, administered by Clemson's Department of Plant Industry. Bees brought into the…

South Carolina bans intentionally feeding black bears statewide under S.C. Code § 50-11-440 and restricts deer baiting by region under Department of Natural Resources rules. These…

North Charleston allows one accessory dwelling unit per R-1 lot as a conditional use, capped at two-thirds the size of the main house or 800 square feet, with an extra parking space…

Sheds and other rear-yard accessory buildings in North Charleston's R-1 district max out at eighteen feet to the ridge, need six feet of clearance from other structures and three feet…

Charleston County has no separate tiny-home ordinance. A tiny home on a permanent foundation is treated as an accessory dwelling unit or principal dwelling; a manufactured unit is…

Dumping litter or solid waste on any public or private property in North Charleston, including city waters, is banned outright under Code of Ordinances § 9-41(b)(1), with narrow…

In single-family residential areas, North Charleston limits construction dumpsters and portable toilets to one each per parcel, capping how long they can sit before code enforcement…

North Charleston supplies every household with a city-owned 96-gallon rollcart for garbage under Code of Ordinances § 9-45(b), or a 65-gallon cart on request, and only trash placed…

North Charleston collects bulk trash, white goods, furniture, building materials, and limbs curbside under Code of Ordinances § 9-46, but caps building-material loads at five cubic…

The City of North Charleston controls when garbage rollcarts sit at the curb: out no more than 12 hours before collection, back within 12 hours after, and off public property otherwise.

The City of North Charleston requires logs and limbs cut to six inches in diameter and four feet in length, with leaves and grass clippings bagged separately at curbside on garbage day.

Charleston County Code Sec. 10-24 requires every owner of residential or commercial property in the unincorporated county to use a licensed or governmental solid waste collection…

The South Carolina Solid Waste Policy and Management Act (Title 44 Chapter 96) bans certain materials from landfills statewide and sets a 40% recycling goal. Lead-acid batteries, used…

North Charleston bans construction of any new billboard, digital or static, under its zoning code, with narrow relocation rights only into designated billboard plazas along freeways…

In North Charleston's commercial and industrial districts, combined wall and window signage on any building facade can't exceed fifteen percent of that facade's area, under Appendix A…

Temporary signs such as garage-sale and special-event signs are allowed in unincorporated Charleston County under ZLDR Sec. 9.8. In residential and agricultural districts a temporary…

Small temporary political signs are allowed on private property in unincorporated Charleston County without a permit. A zoning permit is required only for political signs larger than…

The City of North Charleston confines sexually oriented businesses to M-1 and M-2 industrial zones and bars them within 1,000 feet of churches, schools, parks, and residential areas.

Tattoo parlors are a permitted use only in North Charleston's M-1 light industrial district, and Section 5-5(b)(5) keeps them 1,000 feet from churches, schools, parks and residential…

North Charleston requires anyone operating a salvage or junk business in the city to obtain an annual business license and screen the operation from view behind an eight-foot opaque…

Wrecker services must hold a city towing permit and decal, carry heavy liability insurance, and follow strict rules for nonconsensual private-property tows.

South Carolina regulates vape and e-cigarette retail through its tobacco and alternative-nicotine laws in Title 16, Chapter 17. Retailers may not sell to anyone under 21 under federal…

New and substantially improved homes in North Charleston's mapped flood zones must have their lowest floor built at least 2 feet above the base flood elevation under Sec. 5-409(b)(1)…

A grading or land-disturbing permit is required before excavation begins, and the application must meet South Carolina's Stormwater Management and Sediment Reduction Regulations…

North Charleston requires a development permit before any construction, land alteration, or structural change in FEMA-mapped special flood hazard areas, under Sec. 5-406, which adopts…

New subdivision lots 200 feet deep or less must drain to an approved swale, ditch or gutter at a minimum eight-tenths of one percent slope so water doesn't pool.

South Carolina's Coastal Tidelands and Wetlands Act gives SCDES (formerly DHEC's OCRM) exclusive permit authority over critical areas in the eight coastal counties. State critical-area…

North Charleston requires every business building in the city to be ratproofed and kept free of rats under the direction of the health officer, per Code of Ordinances § 9-107. Owners…

When the public safety and housing committee finds a North Charleston building unfit for habitation, it can order the owner to repair, alter, or demolish it within a set deadline.

Owners of vacant lots in unincorporated Charleston County must keep weeds and solid waste under control, and a lot that was once improved may not be allowed to revert to unimproved…

North Charleston puts the job of keeping an abutting sidewalk clean squarely on the adjoining property's occupant, tenant and owner under Code of Ordinances § 9-42, not on the city…

Anyone wanting to build steps, ventilator gratings, or similar fixtures into the sidewalk area of a North Charleston street needs a written agreement approved by the director of public…

It's unlawful in North Charleston to knowingly block pedestrian or vehicular traffic on a public sidewalk, street, or roadway, or to place sports equipment within 10 feet of the…

North Charleston imposes a 2 percent municipal accommodations fee on the gross proceeds from renting hotel rooms, motels, condos, bed and breakfasts, and any other lodging furnished to…

Installing solar panels in North Charleston requires an electrical permit under the city's Electrical/Solar Panels Permits fee schedule in Appendix A to Chapter 5, which charges a flat…

The City of North Charleston caps outdoor light fixture height by zoning district and requires cutoff or full cutoff fixtures in residential, commercial, and industrial areas to shield…

North Charleston caps how much light a commercial or industrial site can throw onto a neighboring residential lot. Appendix A Section 4-17(a)(i) limits spill-over to one-half…

North Charleston's AG zoning district reserves land for crop production, horse boarding, and forestry, shielding agricultural uses from development pressure under Section 5-15.

South Carolina protects established agricultural operations from nuisance lawsuits when surrounding land uses change under the Right to Farm Act.

Single-family homes in North Charleston's R-1 district need a 20-foot front setback, a 5-foot side setback (10 feet on one side for newer subdivided lots), and a rear yard equal to 15…

In most residential districts, including R-4 Single Family Residential and rural AGR, the maximum building height is 35 feet, measured from base flood elevation to the roof. Height is…

In both the R-4 Single Family Residential and rural AGR districts, maximum building coverage is 30% of the lot. Coverage counts principal and accessory buildings, roofed areas, and…

North Charleston bans drinking any alcoholic liquor, beer, or wine on streets, parks, or public places not licensed for on-premises consumption, with a narrow carve-out for city…

North Charleston's only loitering ordinance targets loitering meant to induce or solicit prostitution in streets or public places: it doesn't ban general loitering.

Charleston County's Clean Indoor Air ordinance bans smoking inside enclosed workplaces but does not extend that ban outdoors. Sec. 14.5-155 expressly allows smoking outside a workplace…

Vendors operating from private commercial or industrial property in North Charleston need a city-issued transient merchant host-location permit, plus a paid set-up inspection before…

Every food truck in South Carolina is a mobile food establishment that must hold a valid permit under Regulation 61-25 before serving the public. Each unit runs from an approved…

North Charleston requires electrical work to be permitted in the name of a licensed contractor under Sec. 5-33(a)(3), and that work is inspected against the National Electrical Code…

Reroofing in North Charleston is billed under the same valuation-based fee table that covers building, fence, pool, and solar work, and skipping the permit triples every fee once the…

North Charleston requires all plumbing work to be permitted in the name of a contractor licensed by both the city and the State of South Carolina, under Code of Ordinances §…

North Charleston requires anyone peddling goods door-to-door in the city to first obtain the state hawkers and peddlers license and to comply with zoning and building codes before…

North Charleston reserves its toughest tree protection for 'grand trees,' healthy trees 24 inches or more in diameter at breast height: Section 6-16(f)(2)a bars removal unless the…

North Charleston requires every rental dwelling unit to have running water, a working toilet and bath, windows, and weathertight walls: code enforcement can order repair, vacation, or…

Under S.C. Code § 27-40-710, a landlord may terminate for nonpayment if rent stays unpaid for 5 days after it is due and the landlord gives written notice. For other material lease…

Under S.C. Code § 27-40-530, a landlord must give the tenant at least 24 hours' notice before entering the unit and may enter only at reasonable times, except in an emergency. The…

Under S.C. Code § 27-40-770, either the landlord or tenant may end a month-to-month tenancy by giving the other at least 30 days' written notice before the termination date. A…

South Carolina law preempts local rent control. Under S.C. Code Ann. § 27-39-60, no county or municipal corporation may enact or enforce any ordinance regulating the rent charged for…

South Carolina sets no statutory cap on a residential security deposit. Under S.C. Code Ann. § 27-40-410, when a tenancy ends the landlord must refund the deposit, less any accrued…

Under S.C. Code § 15-67-210, occupation of land is presumed subordinate to the legal owner unless the property has been "held and possessed adversely" for 10 years before an action is…

North Charleston closes every city park and playground to the public from dark until daylight under section 14-1 of the Code of Ordinances. City-sponsored events and organized…

Wood and charcoal smokers are legal for backyard use in Charleston County because cooking fires are exempt from SC's open-burning ban. There is no county smoker permit, but persistent…

Backyard propane and charcoal grilling is legal in Charleston County, and cooking fires are expressly exempt from the open-burning ban. Multifamily buildings, however, face the…

In unincorporated Charleston County, a garage sale of second-hand goods used on the premises is allowed as an accessory use but may be conducted only once per calendar year from the…

South Carolina state law prohibits cultivation, possession, and use of marijuana for any purpose, including medical and personal home grow. Cities cannot legalize home cultivation…

South Carolina state law restricts recreational drone use over correctional facilities and prohibits drone harassment of hunters and anglers. Federal FAA rules govern airspace, but…

South Carolina preempts local governments from setting minimum wage rates above the federal floor under Section 6-1-130 of the state code.

South Carolina has no statewide paid sick-leave or paid family-leave mandate, and no city has adopted one. Section 6-1-130 preempts only local minimum-wage rules, so no statute…

South Carolina allows concealed carry under permit and, since 2024, lawful permitless carry by eligible adults aged 18 or older.

South Carolina law preempts local governments from regulating firearms, ammunition, components, and related accessories beyond what state law expressly authorizes.

South Carolina permits open carry of handguns by eligible adults under the 2021 Open Carry With Training Act and the 2024 permitless carry law.

South Carolina allows lawful adults to carry a loaded handgun in a private vehicle without a permit under the 2024 constitutional carry expansion of Section 23-31-215.

South Carolina outlaws lotteries and raffles unless conducted under one of three authorized programs: the state Education Lottery, Charitable Bingo (S.C. Code § 12-21-3910 et seq.), or…

South Carolina's 1802 gaming law, Section 16-19-40, makes it a crime to play cards or dice for money in a private home, kitchen, or barn -- there is no exception for a friendly poker…

South Carolina bans sports betting outright. S.C. Code § 16-19-130 makes it a crime to bet at a race track, sell pools, run a bookmaking operation, or record wagers on the outcome of…

South Carolina's Homeowners Association Act imposes only one meeting rule and one records rule. Section 27-30-140 requires at least forty-eight hours' notice before the meeting at…

South Carolina protects exactly one flag. S.C. Code Section 27-1-60 overrides any restrictive covenant, declaration, rule, contract, lease or homeowners' association document that…

South Carolina sets no dollar cap on homeowners association fines and requires no notice, hearing or cure period before one is imposed. The Homeowners Association Act, S.C. Code…

South Carolina gives condominium associations a statutory assessment lien but denies it any priority over a mortgage. S.C. Code Section 27-31-210(a) makes unpaid common-expense…

South Carolina places no statutory limit on how far a homeowners association may restrict leasing. There is no grandfathering clause for owners already renting, no cap percentage, no…

No section of the South Carolina Code authorizes, defines, or regulates a DUI checkpoint. The words checkpoint and roadblock appear in exactly three sections of the whole code, and…

South Carolina has no statute granting a right to film police and no buffer-zone offense keeping bystanders back from an arrest. What protects you instead is the state wiretap chapter…

South Carolina has never enacted a general stop-and-identify statute. A pedestrian stopped on a Columbia sidewalk or outside a Charleston bar commits no offense by declining to give a…

South Carolina has not legalized cannabis, so it has none of the possession-is-not-probable-cause language other states built their vehicle-search pages on. What it has instead is a…

To drive a golf cart on a South Carolina public highway the owner must obtain a permit decal and registration certificate from the Department of Motor Vehicles, showing proof of…

Federal Tobacco 21 law bars selling tobacco, vapor, or alternative nicotine products to anyone under 21, and this applies in South Carolina. South Carolina's own statute (§ 16-17-500)…

South Carolina has not enacted a statewide ban on flavored tobacco or vapor products, and local flavor bans face preemption challenges under state tobacco law.

South Carolina permits extra lamps only from a closed list with fixed counts and mounting heights: one spot lamp, two fog lamps, one auxiliary passing lamp and one auxiliary driving…

South Carolina never wrote a windshield allowance. Section 56-5-5000 simply forbids driving with any sign, poster or other nontransparent material on the front windshield, sidewings or…

Lane splitting is expressly illegal in South Carolina. S.C. Code Section 56-5-3640(c) states that no person shall operate a motorcycle between lanes of traffic, or between adjacent…

A tinted licence plate cover is illegal in South Carolina by name. S.C. Code Section 56-3-1240(D) forbids displaying any other licence plate, lighting equipment, tag, sign, monogram…

A radar or laser detector is lawful in a private passenger vehicle in South Carolina. The phrase radar detector appears nowhere in the S.C. Code of Laws, and the word radar itself…

South Carolina has no studded tire season. S.C. Code Section 56-5-5040 makes it permissible to use regular and snow tires with studs on any vehicle for increased safety at any time of…

South Carolina sets one figure and applies it almost everywhere. Under S.C. Code Section 56-5-5015(C) and (D)(2), after-market film on the front side wings, the side windows beside and…