Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules in South Carolina (2026)
42 rules on the books across South Carolina, 24 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Sidewalk Repair
Who pays for sidewalk repair, the city or the property owner, including cost-sharing programs, inspection triggers, and timelines for fixing damaged sidewalks.
Oconee County
Significant RestrictionsOconee County takes on no default duty to build or repair sidewalks in unincorporated rights-of-way. A sidewalk is only…
Read full rule →Columbia
Some RestrictionsColumbia requires every property owner with a sidewalk on their frontage to keep it clean and free of obstruction, and…
Read full rule →Horry County
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Horry County, a developer installs new sidewalks and the county inspects them, but once the one-year…
Read full rule →Mount Pleasant
Some RestrictionsIn the Town of Mount Pleasant, the occupant of any building, or the owner of an unoccupied building or vacant lot, must…
Read full rule →North Charleston
Some RestrictionsNorth Charleston puts the job of keeping an abutting sidewalk clean squarely on the adjoining property's occupant…
Read full rule →Rock Hill
Some RestrictionsRock Hill does not require property owners to independently repair cracked or damaged public sidewalks on their own…
Read full rule →Richland County
Light RestrictionsThere is no ordinance putting sidewalk repair on the abutting homeowner in unincorporated Richland County. Instead, the…
Read full rule →Obstruction Rules
What you can and cannot place on sidewalks, including newspaper boxes, planters, sandwich boards, trash cans, and minimum pedestrian clearance widths.
Orangeburg County
Heavy RestrictionsDepositing litter or solid waste on a curb, sidewalk, street, road, highway or public right-of-way in unincorporated…
Read full rule →Horry County
Significant RestrictionsHorry County outlaws blocking a public accessway, the dead-end paths that lead from a road to the beach, marsh or river…
Read full rule →Charleston
Some RestrictionsCharleston bars anyone from placing signs, planters, canopies, or other private property on a public sidewalk or street…
Read full rule →Columbia
Some RestrictionsColumbia makes it unlawful to obstruct any street, including the sidewalk area within the right-of-way, without city…
Read full rule →Georgetown County
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Georgetown County, nobody may block a county- or state-owned sidewalk or bike path so a pedestrian or…
Read full rule →Mount Pleasant
Some RestrictionsTown Code § 95.07(A) bars anyone, without proper authority, from placing an obstruction in a Mount Pleasant street or…
Read full rule →North Charleston
Some RestrictionsIt's unlawful in North Charleston to knowingly block pedestrian or vehicular traffic on a public sidewalk, street, or…
Read full rule →Pageland
Some RestrictionsPageland Town Code Section 28-49 bans placing any obstruction on a street, sidewalk or public way that makes passage…
Read full rule →Richland County
Some RestrictionsAnyone building, digging or installing utilities within the right-of-way of a county-maintained road in unincorporated…
Read full rule →Rock Hill
Some RestrictionsRock Hill's City Code bans congregating on sidewalks to the point of obstruction and bars placing rocks, debris, or…
Read full rule →Aiken County
Light RestrictionsAiken County's temporary sign table bars A-frame signs placed on a sidewalk from blocking pedestrian movement, and it…
Read full rule →Encroachment Permits
Permits required when construction, landscaping, or other activities temporarily or permanently encroach on public sidewalks or rights-of-way.
Aiken County
Significant RestrictionsAiken County requires written permission from the county administrator before anyone places a structure, fence or other…
Read full rule →Charleston
Significant RestrictionsPlacing anything privately owned on, affixed to, or overhanging a Charleston public right-of-way, from canopies to…
Read full rule →Columbia
Significant RestrictionsAnyone excavating, encroaching on, or temporarily using a Columbia street, easement, or public right-of-way must obtain…
Read full rule →Florence County
Significant RestrictionsAnyone installing utility lines or doing construction work within a Florence County road right-of-way must first get a…
Read full rule →Horry County
Significant RestrictionsHorry County bans encroachment on public accessways, easements and rights-of-way without a permit. Anything from a…
Read full rule →Mount Pleasant
Significant RestrictionsBefore digging, cutting pavement, or building in a Mount Pleasant public right-of-way, easement or public property, §…
Read full rule →Orangeburg County
Significant RestrictionsAnyone digging, boring, tunneling or installing utility lines in an Orangeburg County road right-of-way, or within…
Read full rule →Anderson County
Some RestrictionsAnyone who wants to excavate, encroach on, or otherwise alter a county-maintained road or right-of-way in Anderson…
Read full rule →Berkeley County
Some RestrictionsAnyone installing a driveway, fence, sign, landscaping or utility line in a county-maintained easement or right-of-way…
Read full rule →Charleston County
Some RestrictionsCharleston County requires an encroachment permit before anyone builds in, digs into, or otherwise occupies the public…
Read full rule →Darlington County
Some RestrictionsAnyone installing utility lines or doing construction work within a Darlington County right-of-way must first obtain a…
Read full rule →Dorchester County
Some RestrictionsBuilding anything over, under or across a Dorchester County-controlled street or right-of-way, other than a driveway…
Read full rule →Georgetown County
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Georgetown County, South Carolina, anyone wanting to erect, construct or maintain a structure on…
Read full rule →Greenville County
Some RestrictionsAnyone disturbing or using a county road right-of-way in unincorporated Greenville County, including installations that…
Read full rule →Kershaw County
Some RestrictionsAnyone placing utility lines or other material within a county road right-of-way in unincorporated Kershaw County must…
Read full rule →Laurens County
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Laurens County, anyone installing utility lines within a county road right-of-way must obtain an…
Read full rule →Lexington County
Some RestrictionsA new driveway onto a public road in unincorporated Lexington County needs an approved encroachment permit before…
Read full rule →North Charleston
Some RestrictionsAnyone wanting to build steps, ventilator gratings, or similar fixtures into the sidewalk area of a North Charleston…
Read full rule →Oconee County
Some RestrictionsAnyone who wants to excavate, cut in a driveway, or otherwise alter a county-maintained road or right-of-way in…
Read full rule →Pageland
Some RestrictionsBuilding a driveway entrance or curb cut into a paved Pageland street requires a written permit from the town…
Read full rule →Pickens County
Some RestrictionsAnyone who wants to build a driveway onto a county-maintained road in unincorporated Pickens County must first notify…
Read full rule →Richland County
Some RestrictionsDigging, tapping utilities, or cutting a curb along a county road in unincorporated Richland County requires an…
Read full rule →Rock Hill
Some RestrictionsRock Hill requires anyone placing utilities in a city street, sidewalk, or right-of-way to first obtain an encroachment…
Read full rule →York County
Some RestrictionsIn York County's Baxter Village (BV) Traditional Neighborhood zoning district, anyone placing a street tree…
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