Florence County, SC Special Events & Permits: Park Event Permits (2026)

Section 30-112 sets up a special use permit specifically for large temporary gatherings: circuses, concerts, and public entertainment events on private property, public parks, or public rights-of-way where the crowd could reach 5,000 people or more. Sales promotions and grand openings are exempt if a temporary sign permit is obtained, as are private garage and rummage sales and uses regulated under other authority. The planning department requires a completed application 120 days before the event opens, and depending on what the planning director deems necessary, can require a site plan showing parking, driveways, and signage; a cash bond or signed disposal contract to guarantee post-event cleanup; a traffic-control arrangement coordinated with city police, the county sheriff, and the South Carolina Highway Patrol; documentation from the county health department that temporary sanitary facilities are secured; and a liability insurance policy naming the county as an additional insured.

The planning director must render a decision, approving, approving with conditions, or denying the application, within six working days of a completed submission, though an applicant can pay an additional fee for an accelerated decision. Approved permits can carry conditions such as a fixed operating period, hours of operation, security, temporary parking, and required restoration of the site afterward. An applicant or aggrieved person can appeal any determination to the planning commission, and the planning director can revoke a permit for factual misrepresentation in the application or for failing to comply with its conditions; a denied or revoked applicant cannot reapply for a similar permit for one year unless the planning director finds conditions have materially changed.