Dorchester County, SC Parking Rules: Loading Zones (2026)

3 of the county's Zoning and Land Development Standards Ordinance (Ord. No. 04-13) applies to "every lot on which a business, trade, industry, multi-family residential use or manufactured housing community containing ten (10) or more units" is established. Each required off-street loading space must measure at least 12 feet by 40 feet and stay "clear and free of obstructions at all times," with access to an alley or, absent an alley, to a street. Retail businesses must provide one space per 5,000 square feet of gross floor space.

Transportation, port, wholesale, industrial, governmental and institutional uses (including public assembly places, hospitals, and educational or recreational facilities) get one space for the first 25,000 square feet, then a stepped schedule: two spaces for 25,001 to 99,999 square feet, three spaces for 100,000 to 159,999 square feet, four spaces for 160,000 to 239,999 square feet, and one additional space per 100,000 square feet (or fraction) above 240,000 square feet. Multi-family or mobile home developments of ten or more units need at least one loading space.

The Zoning Administrator or Planning Commission may require additional spaces beyond the schedule where an applicant's documented land use pattern shows a greater need, so long as the extra space will not harm adjacent properties or the street network. Loading areas must sit on the same lot as the structure they serve and can never be counted toward a project's separate off-street parking requirement, and no vehicle loading or unloading may be allowed to stand in or project into a public street, walk, alley or way.