Title 6, Local Government—provisions Applicable to Special Purpose Districts and Other Political Subdivisions

(A) If a property owner files a notice of appeal with a request for pre-litigation mediation, the request for mediation must be granted, and the mediation must be conducted in accordance with South Carolina Circuit Court Alternative Dispute Resolution Rules and this section. A pe…

The county official whose duty it is to accept and record real estate deeds and plats may not accept, file, or record a land development plan or subdivision plat involving a land area subject to land development regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter unless the development …

The approval of the land development plan or subdivision plat may not be deemed to automatically constitute or effect an acceptance by the municipality or the county or the public of the dedication of any street, easement, or other ground shown upon the plat. Public acceptance of…

In circumstances where the land development regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter require the installation and approval of site improvements prior to approval of the land development plan or subdivision plat for recording in the office of the county official whose duty it …

The owner or agent of the owner of any property being developed within the municipality or county may not transfer title to any lots or parts of the development unless the land development plan or subdivision has been approved by the local planning commission or designated author…

(A) A local planning commission created under the provisions of this chapter shall, by proper certificate, approve and authorize the name of a street or road laid out within the territory over which the commission has jurisdiction. It is unlawful for a person in laying out a new …

Under this chapter, the submission of a land development plan or land use plan is not a prerequisite and must not be required before the execution of a deed transferring undeveloped real property. A local governmental entity may still require the grantee to file a plat at the tim…

Pursuant to 2025 Act No. 41, SECTION 8.B, for projects approved by a county, this section is effective on January 1, 2026. (A) For any county that has not adopted rural zoning or has not adopted ordinances establishing design and development standards for solar energy systems, an…

As used in this article: (1) "Advisory committee" means the State Advisory Committee on Educational Requirements for Local Government Planning or Zoning Officials and Employees; (2) "Appointed official" means a planning commissioner, board of zoning appeals member, or board of ar…

(A) The local governing body must: (1) by no later than December 31st of each year, identify the appointed officials and professional employees for the jurisdiction and provide a list of those appointed officials and professional employees to the clerk and each planning or zoning…

(A) There is created the State Advisory Committee on Educational Requirements for Local Government Planning or Zoning Officials and Employees. (B) The advisory committee consists of five members appointed by the Governor. The advisory committee consists of: (1) a planner recommen…

(A) Unless expressly exempted as provided in Section 6-29-1350, each appointed official and professional employee must: (1) no earlier than one hundred and eighty days prior to and no later than three hundred and sixty-five days after the initial date of appointment or employment…

(A) An appointed official or professional employee who has one or more of the following qualifications is exempt from the educational requirements of Section 6-29-1340: (1) certification by the American Institute of Certified Planners; (2) a masters or doctorate degree in plannin…

(A) An appointed official or professional employee must certify that he has satisfied the educational requirements in Section 6-29-1340 by filing a certification form and documentation with the clerk no later than the anniversary date of the appointed official's appointment or pr…

(A) The local governing body is responsible for: (1) sponsoring and providing approved education programs; or (2) funding approved education programs provided by a sponsor other than the local governing body for the appointed officials and professional employees in the jurisdicti…

(A) An appointed official is subject to removal from office for cause as provided in Section 6-29-350, 6-29-780, or 6-29-870 if he: (1) fails to complete the requisite number of hours of orientation training and continuing education within the time allotted under Section 6-29-134…

This article may be cited as the "Vested Rights Act".

As used in this article: (1) "Approved" or "approval" means a final action by the local governing body or an exhaustion of all administrative remedies that results in the authorization of a site specific development plan or a phased development plan. (2) "Building permit" means a…

(A)(1) A vested right is established for two years upon the approval of a site specific development plan. (2) On or before July 1, 2005, in the local land development ordinances or regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter, a local governing body must provide for: (a) the esta…

A vested right established by this article and in accordance with the standards and procedures in the land development ordinances or regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter is subject to the following conditions and limitations: (1) the form and contents of a site specific d…

A vested right pursuant to this section is not a personal right, but attaches to and runs with the applicable real property. The landowner and all successors to the landowner who secure a vested right pursuant to this article may rely upon and exercise the vested right for its du…

(A) If a local governing body does not have land development ordinances or regulations or fails to adopt an amendment to its land development ordinances or regulations as required by this section, a landowner has a vested right to proceed in accordance with an approved site speci…

This article may be cited as the "Federal Defense Facilities Utilization Integrity Protection Act".

The General Assembly finds: (1) As South Carolina continues to grow, there is significant potential for uncoordinated development in areas contiguous to federal military installations that can undermine the integrity and utility of land and airspace currently used for mission rea…

(A) For purposes of this article and for the allocation of Base Protection Plan appropriations from the Department of Veterans' Affairs' Military Enhancement Fund, "federal military installations" includes Fort Jackson, Shaw Air Force Base, McEntire Joint National Guard Base, Joi…

(A) In any local government which has established a planning department or other entity, such as a board of zoning appeals, charged with the duty of establishing, reviewing, or enforcing comprehensive land use plans or zoning ordinances, that planning department or other entity, …

Nothing in this article is to be construed to apply to former military installations, or approaches or access related thereto, that are in the process of closing or redeveloping pursuant to base realignment and closure proceedings, including the former naval base facility on the …

For purposes of this chapter, "local planning commission" means a municipal planning commission, a county planning commission, a joint city-county planning commission, or a consolidated government planning commission.

The city council of each municipality may create a municipal planning commission. The county council of each county may create a county planning commission. The governing body of a consolidated government may create a planning commission. Any combination of municipal councils and…

(A) A municipality may exercise the powers granted under the provisions of this chapter in the total area within its corporate limits. A county may exercise the powers granted under the provisions of this chapter in the total unincorporated area or specific parts of the unincorpo…

(A) It is the function and duty of the local planning commission, when created by an ordinance passed by the municipal council or the county council, or both, to undertake a continuing planning program for the physical, social, and economic growth, development, and redevelopment …

(A) A local planning commission serving not more than two political jurisdictions may not have less than five nor more than twelve members. A local planning commission serving three or more political jurisdictions shall have a membership not greater than four times the number of …

(A) A local planning commission shall organize itself electing one of its members as chairman and one as vice-chairman whose terms must be for one year. It shall appoint a secretary who may be an officer or an employee of the governing authority or of the planning commission. The…

The governing authority may provide for the reference of any matters or class of matters to the local planning commission, with the provision that final action on it may not be taken until the planning commission has submitted a report on it or has had a reasonable period of time…

A local planning commission may cooperate with, contract with, or accept funds from federal government agencies, state government agencies, local general purpose governments, school districts, special purpose districts, including those of other states, public or eleemosynary agen…

(A) The local planning commission shall develop and maintain a planning process which will result in the systematic preparation and continual re-evaluation and updating of those elements considered critical, necessary, and desirable to guide the development and redevelopment of i…

(A) In the preparation or periodic updating of any or all planning elements for the jurisdiction, the planning commission may use advisory committees with membership from both the planning commission or other public involvement mechanisms and other resource people not members of …

The local planning commission may recommend to the appropriate governing body and the body may adopt the plan as a whole by a single ordinance or elements of the plan by successive ordinances. The elements shall correspond with the major geographical sections or divisions of the …

When the local planning commission has recommended and local governing authority or authorities have adopted the related comprehensive plan element set forth in this chapter, no new street, structure, utility, square, park, or other public way, grounds, or open space or public bu…

(A) Zoning ordinances must be for the general purposes of guiding development in accordance with existing and future needs and promoting the public health, safety, morals, convenience, order, appearance, prosperity, and general welfare. To these ends, zoning ordinances must be ma…

(A) For purposes of this section, "church-related activities" does not include regularly scheduled worship services. (B) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no zoning ordinance of a municipality or county may prohibit church-related activities in a single-family residence…

(A) When the local planning commission has prepared and recommended and the governing body has adopted at least the land use element of the comprehensive plan as set forth in this chapter, the governing body of a municipality or county may adopt a zoning ordinance to help impleme…

The regulations may provide that land, buildings, and structures and the uses of them which are lawful at the time of the enactment or amendment of zoning regulations may be continued although not in conformity with the regulations or amendments, which is called a nonconformity. …

In order to achieve the objectives of the comprehensive plan of the locality and to allow flexibility in development that will result in improved design, character, and quality of new mixed use developments and preserve natural and scenic features of open spaces, the local govern…

In accordance with a special development district parking facility plan and program, which includes guidelines for preferred parking locations and indicates prohibited parking areas, the planning commission may recommend and the local governing body may adopt regulations which pe…

(A) Before enacting or amending any zoning regulations or maps, the governing authority or the planning commission, if authorized by the governing authority, shall hold a public hearing on it, which must be advertised and conducted according to lawfully prescribed procedures. If …