Bolthole Index

Pickens County, South Carolina

Building permits, zoning and septic in the Town of Central, SC

The Town of Central, South Carolina requires building permits through its own Building Permits and Inspections Department.1 Central enforces town zoning, while SCDES handles septic approval for property without public or community sewer.23 Central prohibits private septic systems where public sewer is available, so sewer service is a key question before buying land.4

At a glance

Building permits
Town Building Permits and Inspections Department issues building permits1
Zoning
Town Planning & Inspection Department enforces zoning2
Septic approval
SCDES; private septic prohibited where public sewer is available34
RV living
Town ordinance prohibits living or sleeping in parked or stored recreational equipment5
Owner-builder
State licensure exemption for qualifying owner/family occupancy; building codes and zoning still apply6
Farm structures
Conditional state building-code exemption; building permits may still be required7

Who to call

Building permits

Town of Central Building Permits and Inspections Department

Residential and commercial building permits, plan review and construction inspections

(864) 639-6381

1067 W Main Street Central, SC 29630

Zoning

Town of Central Planning & Inspection Department

Town zoning enforcement and building inspection coordination

(864) 639-6381

1067 W Main Street Central, SC 29630

Zoning

Central Town Hall

Current zoning ordinance and ordinance questions

(864) 639-6381

1067 W Main Street Central, SC 29630

Septic permits

South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES)

State septic site approval, construction permits and installation inspections

(803) 898-3432

[email protected]

2600 Bull St. Columbia, SC 29201

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 11, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Town of Central means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Do you need a building permit in the Town of Central, SC?

Central’s Building Permits and Inspections Department issues residential and commercial building permits, reviews building plans and conducts construction inspections.1 Central has adopted building codes, including successor codes adopted by the South Carolina Building Codes Council; an older edition listed in the town code should not be treated as the current construction standard.8

South Carolina’s owner-builder exemption covers qualifying work for the owner’s or family’s sole occupancy, with personal supervision, a signed building permit application and a recorded notice; applicable building codes and zoning still apply.6 Ask Central’s building department how to submit the owner-builder documentation with your particular project.1

Who issues building permits in the Town of Central, and where do you apply?

Use Central’s Building Permits and Inspections Department for a project inside town limits; the town’s published application process tells applicants to complete the building permit application and return it to City Hall.1 Central Town Hall is at 1067 W Main Street Central, SC 29630, and the published phone is (864) 639-6381.1

Central’s Planning & Inspection Department enforces zoning and schedules building inspections, so ask that department to confirm the proposed use before finalizing building plans.2 Request the residential application requirements, building permit fee and inspection sequence directly from the town building department.1

Does the Town of Central have zoning, and can you live in an RV or tiny home?

Central’s Planning & Inspection Department enforces town zoning regulations.2 Central’s recreational-equipment rule prohibits living, sleeping or housekeeping in equipment parked or stored inside town limits; it also prohibits parking an RV over 36 feet long on a residentially zoned lot.5 That parking rule does not provide permission to live in an RV while building a house.5

We could not confirm a dedicated tiny-home occupancy rule, a general minimum dwelling floor area or the applicable lot size and setbacks for your parcel; ask Central’s Planning & Inspection Department about the intended dwelling and district.2 Central warns that its online zoning ordinance may omit recent changes and directs readers to Town Hall for the current ordinance.9

How do sewer and septic permits work inside the Town of Central?

Central requires public sewer connection for qualifying occupied properties abutting a sewer-served street, alley or right-of-way, or within 300 feet of a public sewer, within 90 days after official notice; the general manager may waive the requirement under unusual or specific circumstances.10 Private septic systems are prohibited where public sewer is available.4

For a Central home without public or community sewer, SCDES handles septic approval and the permit to install the system.3 The state application fee is $150, and a Permit to Construct is valid for 5 years; renewal or approved changes require a new application and fee.11 The installer must arrange the SCDES inspection before covering the system.12

Building a home in the Town of Central: what should you do first?

Start by asking Central’s Planning & Inspection Department to confirm the zoning district and whether the proposed dwelling use is permitted, then obtain the current ordinance from Town Hall.29 Resolve sewer availability next: Central prohibits private septic where public sewer is available, and SCDES approval is required for a home that needs septic.43

Prepare the town building permit application and return it to City Hall using Central’s published process.1 Coordinate construction inspections with the town department and arrange the septic installation inspection through SCDES when applicable.112 If you plan a qualifying farm structure, file the state-required affidavit with the responsible building-code official before construction; the exemption leaves local building-permit authority intact.7

What should you check before buying land in the Town of Central?

Check flood exposure with Central’s building department before committing to a house design: new residential construction and substantial improvements in special flood hazard areas with base-flood-elevation data must place the lowest floor at least 1 foot above that elevation, and residential basements are prohibited.131 Central also regulates subdivision plats and planned developments through its own subdivision regulations.14

We could not confirm private-well requirements or temporary camping permission inside Central; ask Town Hall which approvals your proposal needs.9 For land outside town limits, consult the Pickens County guide: the county’s development ordinance applies to unincorporated Pickens County.15

Watch-outs

  • Central’s online zoning ordinance may omit recent amendments; obtain the current ordinance from Town Hall before relying on district requirements.9
  • Central’s RV storage and loading provisions do not authorize living or sleeping in a parked RV.5
  • A Central parcel with public sewer available cannot use private septic as an off-grid alternative.4

Sources

  1. Town of Central Building Permits and Inspections Department (cityofcentral.org)
  2. Town of Central Planning & Inspection Department (cityofcentral.org)
  3. Septic Tanks - Residential, Single Home Builder (Town of Central), quoted and re-checked
  4. Code of Ordinances, Sec. 17-79, Construction of privy, etc. (Town of Central), quoted and re-checked
  5. Official Zoning Ordinance, Sec. 723, recreational equipment (Town of Central), quoted and re-checked
  6. South Carolina Code Title 40, Chapter 59 — Residential Home Builders (South Carolina statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  7. South Carolina Code of Laws, Section 6-9-65 (South Carolina statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  8. Code of Ordinances, Sec. 4-26, Adoption of codes (Town of Central), quoted and re-checked
  9. Central Town Hall (cityofcentral.org)
  10. Code of Ordinances, Sec. 17-308, Use of public sewers required (Town of Central), quoted and re-checked
  11. Septic Tanks - Residential, Single Home Builder, quoted and re-checked
  12. Septic Tanks - Residential, Single Home Builder (Town of Central), quoted and re-checked
  13. Code of Ordinances, Sec. 8-52, Specific standards (Town of Central), quoted and re-checked
  14. Official Zoning Ordinance, Sec. 512.19, Subdivision plats (Town of Central), quoted and re-checked
  15. Unified Development Standards Ordinance (April 2024), quoted and re-checked

Written October 11, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Town of Central

Town of Central’s own rules

  • Building code adoptedAdopted

    Construction within Central town limits.

    • The ordinance states that successor codes adopted by the South Carolina Building Codes Council are immediately adopted as part of the Town Code.
    • The listed editions include South Carolina modifications.
    “Mandatory codes include the: (1) 2015 Edition of the International Building Code”
  • InspectionsRequired

    Commercial building renovations inside Central town.

    • Inspections occur during construction.
    • A final inspection is required after renovations.
    • The contractor must request inspections in the proper sequence and in advance.
    “Inspections are conducted over the course of construction and a final inspection is required”
  • Certificate of occupancyRequired

    Commercial buildings and renovations inside Central town.

    • The building must pass all inspections.
    • A separate inspection is required for issuance.
    • The tenant or business owner normally handles the application and inspection request.
    “Once your building passes all inspections you will need a Certificate of Occupancy.”
  • Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

    Structures in the R-12 One Family Residential District inside Central town.

    • Exceptions to height regulations are addressed in Article VII, Section 722.

    maximum building height: <= 35 feet (Exceptions in Article VII, Section 722.)

    “Maximum Building Height: Thirty-five (35) feet. For exceptions to height regulations, see Article VII, Section 722.”
  • Living in an RVLimited

    Use, parking, or storage of recreational vehicles on land inside Central town.

    • Recreational equipment may not be used for living, sleeping, or housekeeping when parked or stored within the municipal corporate limits.
    • A recreational vehicle over 36 feet may not be parked on a residentially zoned lot.
    • The cited section also contains a 24-hour loading/unloading provision.

    maximum residential-lot RV length: <= 36 feet · loading/unloading period: 24 hours

    “This equipment may be parked anywhere for a period of twenty-four (24) hours during loading or unloading. No such equipment shall be used for living, sleeping, housekeeping purposes when parked or stored on a municipal corporate limits. No recreational vehicle over thirty-six (36) feet in length shall be parked on any lot zoned for residential purposes.”
  • Accessory dwellingsAllowed (with conditions)

    A detached single-family dwelling in the R-12 district inside Central town.

    • The separate unit may have no more than one bedroom.
    • The separate unit may be up to 700 square feet or one-fourth of the combined floor area, whichever is larger.
    • The owner must live in one of the two units.
    • The exterior must not be altered so as to change the appearance as a single-family structure.

    maximum separate-unit bedrooms: <= 1 bedroom · maximum separate-unit floor area: 700 square feet (Or one-fourth of the total floor area of both units combined, whichever is larger.)

    “Single Family dwellings, detached with a separate dwelling unit fully contained therein, provided that the separate or second unit has no more than one (1) bedroom. And a maximum of seven hundred (700) feet in floor area, or one-fourth (¼)of the total floor area of the two units combined, whichever is larger. The owner of the dwelling must live in one of the two units. The exterior of the dwelling must not be altered so as to change the appearance as a single-family structure.”
  • Off-grid sanitationProhibited

    Privies, septic tanks, cesspools, or other sewage-disposal facilities on property inside Central town where public sewers are available.

    • The prohibition is limited by the phrase where public sewers are available.
    • Private sewage systems must also comply with state health regulations.
    “It shall be unlawful to construct or maintain any privy, privy vault, septic tank, cesspool”
  • Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

    A property inside Central town abutting a street, alley, or right-of-way with a public sanitary sewer, or within 300 feet of a public sewer.

    • The owner must install suitable toilet facilities and connect directly to the public sewer within 90 days after official notice.
    • The general manager may waive the provision under unusual or specific circumstances.
    • A private septic system is prohibited where public sewers are available.

    public sewer distance: <= 300 feet · connection deadline after official notice: 90 days (The general manager may waive under unusual or specific circumstances.)

    “The owner of any house, building or property used for human occupancy, employment, recreation, or other purposes, abutting on any street, alley, or right-of-way in which there is a public sanitary sewer, or within 300 feet of a public sewer at the expense of the owner shall install suitable toilet facilities and shall connect such facilities directly with the public sewer, within 90 days after date of official notice to do so. Under unusual or specific circumstances, the general manager may waive this provision.”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Subdivision plats and planned developments inside Central town.

    • Final Development Plan approval authorizes preparation of subdivision plats only in accordance with the Town of Central Subdivision Regulations.
    “Town of Central Subdivision Regulations.”
  • Building in a floodplainRequired

    New construction or substantial improvements in Central town areas of special flood hazard where base-flood-elevation data has been provided.

    • Residential structures, including manufactured homes, must have the lowest floor at least one foot above base flood elevation.
    • No basements are permitted for residential construction.
    • Nonresidential construction must also be elevated at least one foot above base flood elevation, with specified floodproofing alternatives in A-zones.
    • Manufactured homes have additional anchoring and elevation requirements.

    minimum elevation above base flood elevation: >= 1 foot

    “shall have the lowest floor elevated no lower than one foot above the base flood elevation.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Central

Town of Central does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

  • Who permits septicState

    Onsite wastewater systems serving property inside Central town when public or community sewer is unavailable; SCDES administers the septic approval, permit, and inspection process.

    • Central's code requires private sewage systems to comply with state health regulations.
    • Pickens County is served by the Greenville/Spartanburg SCDES regional office.
    “you must first obtain SCDES's approval and a permit to install a septic system.”
  • Septic inspectionRequired

    Septic installation inside Central town under the SCDES onsite wastewater process.

    • The installer must contact SCDES before the installation is covered to schedule inspection.
    • If the SCDES inspector does not arrive within 30 minutes of the scheduled time, a licensed installer may self-inspect using the approved form.

    inspector arrival threshold: 30 minutes (A licensed installer may proceed with self-inspection if the inspector does not arrive within this period.)

    “the installer must contact SCDES to schedule a time for the inspection”

Still unanswered

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

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Central town.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Central town.
  • Lot coverage — Residential and agricultural development inside Central town.
  • Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Central town.
  • Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Central town.
3 more unanswered
  • Well permit
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Short-term rentals

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Town of Central publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Pickens County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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