Dorchester County, SC Right to Farm: Agricultural Zoning Protection (2026)

The Zoning and Land Development Standards Ordinance (Ord. No. 04-13) sets aside the AR, Agricultural Residential District under Section 9.1 for the county's rural land. Section 9.1.1 spells out that the district is meant "to provide for agricultural and residential use in rural portions of the County which are experiencing low or no development pressures" and "to preserve the viability of existing agricultural operations and the integrity of significant natural resource areas." Agriculture (Use Group 1(a),(b)) is a permitted use outright, while Use Group 1(c)(d) agricultural activities are allowed as conditional uses under Section 9.1.3, giving farm operations two tiers of zoning protection rather than treating farming as an afterthought use.

Density under Section 9.1.5(a) is capped at one principal dwelling per acre, which keeps residential subdivision pressure off land zoned for farming, and Section 9.1.5(c) requires that homes be sited so a future subdivision would still meet the lot standards in Section 9.1.6: a minimum one-acre (43,560 sq. ft.) lot and 100-foot lot width, plus 40-foot front, 10-foot side and 35-foot rear yards. Structures in the AR district are capped at two stories under Section 9.1.7 unless the fire-protection provider certifies it can serve a taller building.

Impervious surface is capped under Section 9.1.8 at 30% of gross acreage for non-residential AR uses and 50% for single-family and manufactured housing, limiting the amount of a farm parcel that can be paved or built over. Any AR-zoned parcel used for non-farm development still has to run through the county's Planning and Codes Enforcement Department for a zoning permit before construction, and the Zoning Administrator enforces the chapter under Section 14.2.1.