Florence County, SC Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Downtown Design Guide (2026)

Unincorporated Florence County does not maintain a downtown historic district code; its comparable design-standards instrument is Division 7 of the zoning ordinance, the Corridor Overlay District, added by Ord. No. 21-2023/24 (Jan. 18, 2024) and amended by Ord. No. 77-2023/24 (Aug. 15, 2024). 1(a), the corridor overlay's regulations apply on top of the underlying base zoning district, and wherever the two conflict, the overlay controls. 3 sets the building and structure design rules: unfinished concrete block masonry and plain corrugated or sheet metal ('sinewave') siding are prohibited on every exterior building face, though decorative styles such as box-rib or B-deck corrugated metal are allowed as accent material in residential and mixed-use districts.

Building and structure colors must be subtle, neutral, earth tone, or tied to the county's historic building palette; luminescent, sparkling, reflective, fluorescent, and intense colors are barred outright, and metal surfaces must be brushed-finish or painted in muted tones to cut glare. The same section requires buildings fronting the corridor roadway to orient their primary facade toward that roadway, sets a minimum six-foot depth for front stoops and porches, and requires fuel-dispensing canopies to sit in the side yard behind the building line. 10), all administered through the same zoning permit process as the rest of Chapter 30.