Beaufort County, SC Parking Rules: Driveway Rules (2026)

50 (Parking Spaces, Lot Design and Layout) governs residential driveways. 4 sets the base standard: driveways from a public thoroughfare to off-street parking in all residential zones must be a minimum of 10 feet wide, and any driveway serving more than two dwelling units or longer than 150 feet needs a minimum width and turnaround that meet both Fire Department requirements and County Engineering Standards. 3 additionally requires driveway access to public thoroughfares to be by forward motion of the vehicle, ruling out backing directly into a public street from most residential driveways.

Subsection C is the surfacing rule at the center of unpaved-driveway enforcement: all off-street parking areas and driveways must be surfaced with materials approved by the County Engineer and maintained under the Engineering Standards and the county's Low Impact Development Manual, and that surfacing requirement extends across the entire area between the property line and the street, not just the portion nearer the house. C separately encourages pervious paving to promote on-site stormwater infiltration and aquifer recharge, so a gravel or permeable paver driveway approved by the County Engineer can satisfy the surfacing rule even though bare, unimproved dirt cannot.