Greenwood County, SC Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 6-3-41(d)(6), C-2 district
- Max display area
- 300 sq ft
- Max display dimensions
- 12 ft tall, 25 ft long
- Spacing between billboards
- 500 radial feet
- Property-line setback
- 5 feet
- Also applies in
- I-1 (§ 6-3-43), I-2 (§ 6-3-44)
Summary
In unincorporated Greenwood County's C-2 general commercial district (and the matching I-1 and I-2 industrial sections), billboards face hard numeric limits: a 300-square-foot display cap, a 12-foot display height and 25-foot display length ceiling, a 25-foot overall height limit, a five-foot property-line setback, and a 500-radial-foot spacing rule between permitted billboard sites, per Code § 6-3-41(d)(6).
(6)Billboards shall comply with the following conditions:a.No portion of a billboard may be located closer than 500 radial feet from any site for which a permit for the erection of a billboard has been issued by the county building official, so long as that permit is valid.b.The display area of a billboard shall not have a total surface area in excess of 300 square feet nor may the height of the display area exceed 12 feet nor may the length of the display area exceed 25 feet.c.No portion of a billboard may extend higher than 25 feet above the surface of the closest road, extended horizontally along an imaginary plane to the site where the billboard is to be installed.d.No portion of a billboard may be located closer than five feet to any property line or right-of-way, extended upward in an imaginary plane from the ground.
Full Breakdown
Greenwood County Council's zoning ordinance treats billboards as a distinct sign category inside the county's commercial and industrial districts. Code § 6-3-41(d)(6), governing the C-2 general commercial district, sets four conditions a billboard must meet. First, spacing: no portion of a new billboard may sit closer than 500 radial feet to any site already holding a valid county building-official permit for a billboard, so an operator cannot cluster boards along the same corridor. Second, size: the display area is capped at 300 square feet total, with the display no taller than 12 feet and no longer than 25 feet, fixing the panel's proportions as well as its area.
Third, overall height: no part of the billboard structure may rise more than 25 feet above the surface of the nearest road, measured on an imaginary plane extended horizontally to the installation site, so a board on elevated ground cannot use the grade to exceed the limit. Fourth, setback: no portion of the billboard may stand closer than five feet to any property line or right-of-way, measured on an imaginary plane extended upward from the ground. The I-1 light industrial district (§ 6-3-43) and I-2 heavy industrial district (§ 6-3-44) repeat these same four conditions for billboards sited along the county's industrial corridors, so a sign facing a state highway in unincorporated Greenwood County is measured against the identical 300-square-foot, 500-foot-spacing standard regardless of which of the three districts it sits in. Billboards are not listed as a permitted or conditional use in the county's residential, agricultural, or forest-agricultural districts.
Violations & Fines
A billboard that violates the 500-foot spacing rule, exceeds the 300-square-foot display area or 12-by-25-foot display dimensions, tops the 25-foot overall height limit, or sits inside the five-foot property-line setback is out of compliance with Code § 6-3-41(d)(6). County ordinance violations run through Title 12: § 12-1-1 makes noncompliance with any county ordinance unlawful, § 12-1-2 treats each day a violation continues as a separate offense, and § 12-1-3 sets the fine or imprisonment at whatever maximum state law authorizes for that type of violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big can a billboard be in unincorporated Greenwood County?
How close together can two billboards be placed?
Do these billboard rules apply in industrial zones too?
What happens if a billboard doesn't meet the setback or height limit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Greenwood County
Compare Greenwood County to another location·View the South Carolina sign regulations overview
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