Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Florence County, South Carolina

Unincorporated Florence County requires building permits for construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, moving, conversion or demolition of a building or structure, with zoning compliance required¹. Florence County implements international building and residential codes within South Carolina’s statewide construction-code framework; the current statewide code set is the 2021 South Carolina Building Codes, effective since January 1, 2023^2,5,8. Qualifying farm structures have a building-code exemption, but residences and attached structures do not qualify; the owner must file an affidavit describing the farm purpose with the building-code official before construction, and National Flood Insurance Program standards still apply⁵. South Carolina’s owner-builder exemption requires personal supervision, signing the application, properly licensed trades and a recorded notice; selling or renting within two years creates a presumption against eligibility⁴. Florence County requires foundation, framing, final and applicable trade inspections, with violations corrected before the next construction phase¹.

The Florence County Planning Department is the starting point for county building permits, building inspection, zoning, code enforcement, engineering, E-911 addressing, and floodplain questions². Reach the department's main office at (843) 676-8600². The Planning Department's Florence office is at 518 S. Irby St., Florence, SC 29501⁹. Florence County's published process calls for zoning compliance, the building permit application, the plan-review fee, and three complete plan sets, along with other documents that apply to the project¹. Building permit fees depend on total project cost, the plan-review charge is half the permit fee, and the county publishes a separate fee schedule¹⁰. The checklist also asks for a receipt showing paid water and sewer taps, so ask Planning what documentation applies to a well-and-septic parcel¹. Timmonsville and Scranton have town building-permit requirements^11,12. Johnsonville requires building permits and consolidates planning, zoning and building inspection functions with Florence County^13,14. SCDES remains the state septic authority for homes without public or community sewer; Scranton also requires a town septic-connection permit and town inspection^3,15.

For unincorporated Florence County, Planning administers the county zoning ordinance and publishes zoning-code and map materials². Chapter 30 includes residential, business, rural and overlay provisions; the parcel’s district determines allowed uses¹⁶. Table III sets district-specific lot area, setbacks, height and impervious-surface requirements, so a large tract does not establish where a home, barn or driveway can fit¹⁶. We could not confirm minimum home size or accessory-dwelling eligibility; ask Planning for the parcel’s current standards². Subdividing unincorporated land requires county review, with a $100 review fee plus $25 per lot or acre¹⁰. Timmonsville has town zoning, Johnsonville uses a consolidated county planning arrangement, and Pamplico applies its town zoning ordinance^14,17,18. SCDES handles septic approval for homes without public or community sewer in those towns³.

Florence County does not issue septic permits itself; SCDES handles onsite wastewater permitting and inspection³. A home or manufactured home without public or community sewer needs SCDES approval and a permit to install before the county can issue its building permit¹⁹. The application fee is $150, the traditional process includes a site visit, and an approved Permit to Construct remains valid for five years; renewal or a modification requires a new application and fee¹⁹. Before the installation is covered, the installer must schedule an SCDES inspection; if the inspector has not arrived within 30 minutes of the appointment, a licensed installer may self-inspect and file the approved final-inspection form³. South Carolina does not require routine inspection of an existing septic system unless a local ordinance adds that requirement²⁰. Only about 17% of Florence County's soils are rated without severe limits for a conventional drain field, so make septic feasibility part of the land decision⁷.

In an unincorporated Florence County residential district, a recreational vehicle or boat over 17 feet may not be parked or stored in a required front or side yard setback or within five feet of the back property line²¹. The county ordinance allows a recreational vehicle to be used for temporary lodging for up to seven days; we could not confirm permission for longer stays on a residential lot, so ask the Planning Department before planning to live in an RV^2,21. Camps and RV parks, where the zoning table permits them, need a site of at least two acres and are limited to 12 vehicles per acre²². Tiny homes are allowed as residential structures, but only in districts where standard designed manufactured homes may be permanently located, and they must meet the building code in force when permitted²³. More than two tiny homes on a single lot triggers the manufactured home park requirements in Section 30-96²³. A manufactured home on land without public or community sewer requires SCDES approval and a septic permit before placement¹⁹. Inside incorporated municipalities, the city or town may apply different land-use rules²³.

1. Ask the Florence County Planning Department to confirm the parcel's zoning district, allowed use, address, floodplain status, and required county approvals².
2. If public or community sewer is unavailable, obtain SCDES approval and the septic permit before applying for the county building permit³.
3. If a residential well is needed, file the SCDES Notice of Intent and its $70 fee before drilling; use a South Carolina certified well driller⁶.
4. If you will use the owner-builder exemption, personally sign the application, supervise the work, use properly licensed trades, and record the required notice⁴.
5. Submit the county building permit application, the plan-review fee, three complete plan sets, and the other project-specific documents listed by Florence County¹.
6. If the driveway enters a state highway, coordinate the qualifying residential entrance with SCDOT²⁴.
7. Request each required county inspection at the specified construction phase and correct violations before starting the next phase¹.

Soils: only about 17% of Florence County soils are rated without severe limits for a conventional septic drain field, so make the SCDES site evaluation part of the purchase contingency when septic feasibility matters^7,20. Flooding: Florence County requires a permit for development in a regulatory floodplain or wetlands area, and regulatory-floodplain development requires an Elevation Certificate before, during, and after construction²⁵. Flood-damaged buildings require a building permit for repairs; repairs reaching 50% of building value must comply fully with current floodplain regulations²⁵. Water: an individual residential well requires a Notice of Intent and a $70 fee before construction, and the work must be done by a South Carolina certified well driller⁶. Access: a qualifying personal-use residential driveway within a state-highway right-of-way is handled by SCDOT, subject to safety and design conditions²⁴. The effective property-tax rate is about 0.4%, and the median annual property-tax bill is about $724⁷.