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

Town of Irmo’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Irmo town limits

  • Zoning is adopted as Appendix A - Zoning and Land Development of the Irmo Code.

  “The uses permitted in the several zoning districts established by article I, the off-street parking requirements, and the dimensional requirements of each are set forth herein.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Inside Irmo town: FA, RS and RG residential districts (columns FA, RS, RG in Table 2)

  • Front setback depends on street type: 25 ft major multi-lane, 40 ft major two-lane, 20 ft minor street.
  • Residential side setback FA 10 ft, RS 5 ft, RG 5 ft; residential rear FA 30 ft, RS 20 ft, RG 20 ft.
  • Accessory buildings 1,000 sq ft or less may be within three feet of side and rear lines (Sec. 3-8.1).

  side setback residential FA/RS/RG: 10/5/5 feet · rear setback residential FA/RS/RG: 30/20/20 feet

  “rear residential 30 20 20 na na na na non-residential 50 50 50 15 15 15 15”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Inside Irmo town: FA, RS and RG districts

  • Heights over 40 ft require an additional one-foot setback per foot over 40 ft; buildings over five stories need town fire department approval (note F).

  maximum height FA/RS/RG: <= 40 feet (additional setback above 40 ft)

  “maximum height (ft.) (b) 40 40 40 (f) (f) (f) (f)”

• Living in an RVTemporary only (with conditions)

  RVs and trailers on residential lots inside Irmo town

  • Limited to 14 days per calendar year; must be on paved driveway or approved surface if in front yard.
  • During on-premises construction under a valid building permit, occupancy allowed in renewable 60-day periods.
  • Not parkable in right-of-way; rental properties may not store RVs except back yard (Sec. 11-12(17)).

  temporary lodging limit: <= 14 days per calendar year (renewable 60-day periods during permitted construction)

  “recreational vehicles and trailers may be used for temporary lodging on a residential lot for up to 14 days per calendar year.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory apartments inside Irmo town

  • Accessory apartments are a conditional use under Article II; the specific conditions were not in the fetched text.

  “Where permitted or conditionally permitted by Table 1 no more than one single-family dwelling, manufactured home or duplex is allowed per lot. Refer to conditional uses for accessory apartments.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Occupied residential rental dwellings inside Irmo town

  • Applies to rental dwellings only; no general rule for owner-occupied new homes found.
  • Failure to have sewer service: fine of no less than $500.00 plus cleanup of illicit discharges.

  “Any occupied residential rental dwelling must at all times have water, sewer and electrical services connected to proper provider or shall be deemed unrentable.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision of land inside Irmo town

  • Planning official reviews exempt and minor subdivisions (ten working days); planning commission approves major subdivisions; county of jurisdiction (Lexington or Richland) processes civil plans.

  minor subdivision maximum lots: <= 5 lots

  “a minor subdivision is a subdivision that involves the creation of five or fewer lots on an existing street meeting the requirements of this appendix.”

Still unanswered

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

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