Charleston County, SC Parking Rules: Street Parking Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Authority
- County council, by majority vote
- Definition of parking
- Stopping or standing, any reason
- Exceptions
- Traffic conflict, police direction, loading
- Notice required
- Signs posted before restriction binds
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor, up to $500 or 30 days
- State authority
- S.C. Code § 56-5-710
Summary
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 or standing a vehicle for any reason other than traffic control, police direction, or active loading and unloading. Ignoring a posted no-parking sign is a misdemeanor under the county's general penalty.
(b) Pursuant to section 56-5-710 of the Code of Laws of South Carolina, 1976, the county council hereby provides that it shall from time to time designate certain portions of designated county highways as areas in which the parking of vehicles is prohibited. (c) For the purpose of this section, parking of a vehicle shall mean the stopping or standing of a vehicle whether occupied or not, except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic or in compliance with the directions of a police officer or other traffic-control sign or signal or for the temporary purpose of and while actually engaged in loading and unloading. (d) The public shall be notified as to the location of these designated areas by the posting of "no parking" signs on the highway at that portion of the highway which is to be governed by such sign. (e) "No parking" signs shall be authorized by a majority vote of county council. (f) Disregarding "no parking" signs erected under this section shall be a misdemeanor punishable in accordance with section 1-8.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 21).
Full Breakdown
Sec. C. Code § 56-5-710 to regulate standing and parking on streets under their jurisdiction. The section defines "parking" broadly as stopping or standing a vehicle, occupied or not, except when necessary to avoid a traffic conflict, when directed by a police officer or another traffic-control sign or signal, or while actually loading or unloading. Once council designates a stretch of road, the public works department posts "no parking" signs along the governed portion of the highway to give notice; the restriction only binds drivers once the sign is up.
Disregarding a posted no-parking sign is a misdemeanor, punishable under Sec. 00 or up to 30 days' imprisonment when the ordinance sets no more specific fine. This general no-parking authority is separate from Sec. 20-17, which governs parking citations and towing on county-owned or county-leased property specifically, and from the county's separate rule barring RVs, boats, and trailers from parking on public streets and highways under Sec. 20-18. The county's stop-sign and traffic-control-device authority under Sec. 20-1, adopted under the same state statute, carries an identical misdemeanor penalty for disregarding a posted device.
Violations & Fines
Parking, stopping, or standing a vehicle in a stretch of road posted with a "no parking" sign under Sec. 20-16 is a misdemeanor. Because the article sets no dedicated fine, Sec. 1-8's general penalty applies: up to $500.00 or up to 30 days in jail, with each day of a continuing violation treated as a separate offense. The same misdemeanor penalty covers ignoring a posted stop sign or other traffic-control device under Sec. 20-1.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who decides where "no parking" applies on county roads in Charleston County?
What counts as illegal "parking" under the ordinance?
What's the penalty for parking where a sign prohibits it?
Does this cover parking on county-owned lots too?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Charleston County
Compare Charleston County to another location·View the South Carolina parking rules overview
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