Columbia, SC Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Density Bonus Law (2026)

To unlock the density bonus, a project must go beyond the baseline green building features already required under Sec. 12(f)'s Schedule A and Schedule B menus. 12(e)(4), earning the density bonus specifically takes two features from Schedule A and four from Schedule B; a development can stack toward more than one incentive at once, for example density plus lot coverage, but must independently meet each incentive's own feature count, and features counted toward one incentive cannot be recycled toward another. The same section offers three other incentives on the same conditional basis: up to one additional story or 14 feet of building height beyond the district maximum, up to a 10-percent increase in maximum lot coverage, and a 15-percent reduction in minimum required parking spaces or a 15-percent increase in the maximum allowed spaces.

These incentives are available to development and redevelopment in every base zoning district citywide under Sec. 12(c), but Sec. 12(d) makes clear that where a green building incentive would conflict with the neighborhood compatibility standards in Sec. 6, the compatibility standards win. Procedurally, an applicant must submit a written request with the development application showing how the standards will be met, and the same decision-making body reviewing the underlying application, whether for a planned unit development, special exception, development agreement, certificate of design approval, or site plan, also reviews the incentive request under Sec. 12(e).