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

Under Greenwood County Code § 6-3-46(e)(5), the planned development district (PDD) sets a base minimum lot area of 1,800 square feet for multifamily attached dwellings and 6,000 square feet for single-family detached homes and mobile home subdivisions, on a PDD tract of at least five acres. The county then layers a density bonus of up to 25 percent more dwelling units on top of that base, tied directly to how much of the residential area the developer sets aside as common open space. The published Density Bonus Scale runs from a 4 percent bonus at 10 to 19 percent common open space, up through 8, 11, 15, 18 and 22 percent at each higher open-space tier, capping at a full 25 percent bonus once 70 percent or more of the residential area becomes common open space.

An applicant must include the tentative density bonus request in the preliminary concept development plan submitted to the joint county planning commission for review, and final approval is granted by the county council acting on an amendment to the official zoning map. PDD projects must also meet related dimensional standards: 40-foot front yards for all uses, 15-foot side yards for single-family and mobile homes, and 30-foot side yards for other residential or commercial uses that abut single-family development. Common open space itself must total at least ten percent of the gross residential area for multifamily projects, with no more than half of that space covered by water.