Building permits, zoning and land rules in McCormick County, South Carolina

Yes. Structures constructed, assembled or placed on site in unincorporated McCormick County require a building permit, and a zoning permit must be issued first¹. McCormick County enforces South Carolina's mandatory building codes, while local administrative procedures remain the county's responsibility⁶.

Apply before work begins: a permit lapses if work has not started within six months or is suspended or abandoned for at least one year¹. McCormick County posts its fee schedule in the Zoning Officer's office, and the applicable fees must be paid before the county acts on an application or appeal¹. A qualifying owner may act as an unlicensed builder for a home intended for the owner or family, but must personally sign the permit application, use licensed trades where required and record the required notice⁴.

McCormick County Planning & Zoning is the first stop for building and zoning permits in the unincorporated county. The Zoning Officer reviews applications, and the zoning permit must precede the building permit¹. The office is at 610 South Mine Street, McCormick, and its published phone is (864) 852-2231³.

Bring the parcel number, proposed use, structure type and sewer plan when asking which applications and drawings are required. McCormick County requires at least one inspection before issuing a certificate of occupancy for a structure subject to that requirement; county staff or a county contractor may perform it¹. Ask the office for the inspection sequence and current fee schedule before construction begins¹.

Yes. McCormick County administers zoning in county-governed areas, while incorporated municipalities may apply separate rules³. The official zoning map assigns district-specific uses and dimensions¹.

The Forest/Agriculture district has a one-acre minimum parcel size and requires at least 50 feet of access to a publicly dedicated, accepted or maintained road¹. The Rural Development district requires one acre for one single-family or manufactured home; its residential setbacks are 50 feet in front, 10 feet on the side and 40 feet in the rear¹. The Commercial and Mixed-Use districts state no minimum lot size, but their use, frontage, setback and other standards still apply¹. Confirm the parcel's district with Planning & Zoning before relying on a listing³.

SCDES, not the county, handles onsite wastewater permits and construction inspections in McCormick County where a property uses septic². Confirm sewer availability first because an onsite wastewater permit cannot be issued where public sewer is accessible⁷. For a home or manufactured home without public or community sewer, apply through the SCDES ePermitting portal; the application fee is $150, and a Permit to Construct is valid for five years^2,8.

The county cannot issue the building permit until SCDES approves the septic system². The installer must schedule inspection before covering the system; if the inspector does not arrive within 30 minutes, a licensed installer may self-inspect using the approved final-inspection form⁹. About 45.7% of county soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional drain field, so settle the septic location before the house layout¹⁰.

McCormick County zoning limits campers and camper lots, but the available rule does not give the district standards or establish a countywide duration for residential or temporary RV use³. Ask Planning & Zoning about the parcel's district, proposed duration and camper use while building³.

A permanent-foundation modular unit that meets the Modular Buildings Construction Act and is built without chassis-based mobility provisions may be located in any residential zoning district¹. The ordinance does not call that structure a tiny home or establish a general minimum dwelling floor area in the cited provision¹. A tiny house on wheels may be classified differently, so ask Planning & Zoning to confirm its allowed use, setbacks and permits³. A dwelling using septic where public or community sewer is unavailable needs SCDES approval before the county building permit².

1. Confirm that the parcel is in unincorporated McCormick County and ask Planning & Zoning for its zoning designation, allowed use and dimensional standards^1,3.
2. Verify whether public or community sewer is accessible; if it is not, apply to SCDES for septic approval before seeking the county building permit^2,7.
3. If using a private residential well, submit the state Notice of Intent and applicable fee before construction⁵.
4. Submit the county zoning application first, then the building-permit application; an owner-builder must complete the exemption's personal-signature and notice requirements^1,4.
5. Schedule the required building inspections and have the septic installer arrange inspection before covering the system^9,11.
6. Before occupancy, ask the county which final approvals or certificate are required, because we could not confirm McCormick County's complete closeout procedure.

Start with jurisdiction, zoning and legal access. County zoning regulates land occupancy, and subdivision activity is regulated, so confirm the parcel's district, lawful use and recorded configuration with Planning & Zoning^3,12. Forest/Agriculture parcels need one acre and at least 50 feet of qualifying public-road access, while Rural Development lots need one acre for one single-family or manufactured home¹.

Check sewer availability and septic suitability before choosing a house site⁷. Only about 45.7% of county soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional drain field¹⁰. The county is about 83.6% wooded, which can affect clearing and site-layout costs¹⁰. We could not confirm the floodplain development procedure or county-road driveway rules, so ask Planning & Zoning which contacts and approvals apply before closing³.