Greenwood County, SC Sign Regulations: Political Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 6-3-40(d)(4)e, C-1 district
- Exempting ordinance
- Ordinance No. 24-90, Title 9 Ch. 1
- C-2/I-1/I-2 counterpart
- Ordinance No. 25-90
- Non-political sign permit fee
- $20.00 per 3 months
- Enforcing office
- County Building Official
Summary
In unincorporated Greenwood County, the temporary and portable sign permit rules other businesses must follow, including a $20.00 permit fee, a 60-square-foot size cap, and building-official sign-off, do not apply to political signs. Greenwood County Code § 6-3-40(d)(4)e expressly carves political signs out of that permit scheme, pointing instead to Ordinance No. 24-90 (Title 9, Chapter 1) as the governing rule.
(4)Temporary or portable signs for which a permit is required:a.One temporary or portable sign per tax parcel; provided however, in the case of a multiple business constituting a shopping or business center, one temporary or portable sign per 100 feet of road frontage is permitted. Such sign shall:1.Not exceed 60 square feet in area;2.Be located no closer than ten feet to the nearest property line;3.Not have flashing lights or blinking lights; and4.Meet all code and safety requirements of the governing authority. ... c.Upon the payment of a permit fee of $20.00, permits shall be issued for a period of three months. Permits may be renewed for successive three-month periods upon the payment of an additional fee of $20.00 for each period. ... e.Subsections (d)(4)a. through d. of this section shall not apply to political signs, except as provided by Ordinance No. 24-90 (section 9-1-1 et seq.) pertaining to political signs.
Full Breakdown
Greenwood County Council regulates most signs through the zoning ordinance's district-by-district sign sections. In the C-1 neighborhood commercial district, Code § 6-3-40(d)(4) requires anyone erecting a temporary or portable sign to get a building-official permit, pay a $20.00 fee good for three months (renewable for another $20.00 with a seven-day grace period), and keep the sign under 60 square feet and at least ten feet from the property line. Subsection (d)(4)e then removes political signs from that entire structure, stating the permit steps 'shall not apply to political signs, except as provided by Ordinance No.
24-90 (section 9-1-1 et seq.) pertaining to political signs.' The C-2 general commercial, I-1 light industrial, and I-2 heavy industrial district sign sections repeat the identical exemption, crediting the companion measure Ordinance No. 25-90. Both were codified as Title 9, Chapter 1 of the county code, a freestanding licensing title this Municode export does not carry in full text; the zoning chapter's own cross-reference note at § 6-3-115 confirms 'political signs, tit. 9, ch. 1' as the operative citation. Practically, a resident or campaign posting a political sign in unincorporated Greenwood County does not file a sign-permit application with the building official and owes no $20.00 fee, unlike a business posting a temporary banner.
General placement limits elsewhere in the sign article, such as the ban on placing any sign within a road right-of-way under § 6-3-115(j), are not part of the (d)(4) permit scheme and are unaffected by this exemption.
Violations & Fines
Because § 6-3-40(d)(4)e exempts political signs from the permit process, there is no $20.00 fee, no building-official application, and none of the six-month permit-ineligibility exposure that (d)(4)d imposes on a person convicted in magistrate's or municipal court of running an unpermitted or noncompliant temporary sign. That court-conviction penalty, plus revocation of any active permit, still applies to non-political temporary and portable signs erected without the required permit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a county permit to put up a political sign in unincorporated Greenwood County?
What sign rules do apply to non-political temporary signs in the county?
Does the exemption apply outside the C-1 district?
Where is the actual political-sign ordinance text?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Greenwood County
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