Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Rockville, South Carolina

Town of Rockville’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  All land inside Rockville town limits (Charleston County planning staff act as the town's planning department)

  • UDO adopted April 2000, updated and republished 2002, 2009, July 2010; later amendments not confirmed

  “this ordinance pertains to and describes the various zoning categories for the town of rockville as shown on the accompanying map.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Rockville town zoning districts

  • Also a Planned Development district

  districts: R-1/2, R-1, RC, CH, PD

  “all parcels in rockville have been classified into one of the following descriptive zoning districts: r 1/2 residential 1/2 acre lots r1 residential 1 acre lots rc rural commercial ch highway/waterway commercial”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-1 low-density single-family residential district inside Rockville town

  • lot shape ratio 1 to 5

  minimum lot size: >= 1 acre · lot width: >= 100 ft

  “land use zone r-1 lot size 1 acre minimum lot shape ratio of 1 to 5 (1/5) lot width 100'”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1/2 single-family residential district inside Rockville town

    “land use zone r- ½ lot size ½ acre minimum lot shape ratio of 1 to 3 (1/3) lot width 100'”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 and R-1/2 residential districts inside Rockville town, by road frontage

  • Front setback varies by road (25' or 50'); interior 10'; critical line 35'
  • Other roads (e.g. Maybank Highway segments) have their own front figures

  front setback (Rockland Ave/Cherry Point Rd): 50 ft · front setback (Marina, Sea Island Yacht Club, Grace Chapel roads): 25 ft · interior setback: 10 ft · critical line setback: 35 ft

  “front interior critical line rockland avenue cherry point road 50' 10' 35' marina road 25' 10' 35' sea island yacht club road 25' 10' 35'”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  R-1 district inside Rockville town (R-1/2 is also 20% bulk)

  • Heated floor area also capped at 3,500 sq ft in R-1

  bulk (lot coverage): <= 20 percent · max heated square footage: <= 3500 sq ft (R-1 only)

  “structures individual construction height 35' bulk 20% screening 30' front 3' interior”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-1 and R-1/2 residential districts (also RC and CH) inside Rockville town

  • Height measured from FEMA-required first floor elevation, otherwise ground floor elevation

  maximum height: <= 35 ft

  “structures individual construction height 35' bulk 20% screening 30' front 3' interior”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  R-1 and R-1/2 districts inside Rockville town

  • Accessory unit not to be subdivided, for employee or family member use, not to be rented

  accessory units per principal unit: <= 1 unit

  “accessory unit - an additional unit on the same property. not to be subdivided; for use by an employee or family member; not to be rented.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision of land inside Rockville town

  • Preliminary plats decided by planning commission; final plats by planning director

  “unless expressly exempted, no subdivision shall be made, platted, or recorded for any purpose nor shall parcels resulting from such subdivisions be sold or offered for sale”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Rockville or Charleston County directly.

• Building permit — Building permits inside Rockville town
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Rockville town
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Rockville town
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Rockville town
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside Rockville town

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.