ZLDR Amendments
ZLDR Amendments
Charleston County Planning Commission and County Council are reviewing amendments to the Zoning & Land Development Regulations Ordinance (ZLDR), which are in different phases of consideration and/or the adoption process, grouped in different "rounds". The various text amendments include in each "round" are detailed below.
ZLDR Amendments Round 3
Charleston County Planning Commission will consider the following proposed text amendments to the Zoning and Land Development Regulations Ordinance (ZLDR) on December 8, 2025:
Infrastructure Criterion
- Sec. 3.2.1.C, Comprehensive Plan Amendment Application Filing, and Sec. 3.2.6, Approval Criteria: Require letters of coordination from service providers and add an approval criterion to address infrastructure for Comprehensive Plan Amendment applications that propose changing to a more intense future land use category.
- Sec. 3.4.1.C, Zoning Map Amendment Application Filing, and Sec. 3.4.6, Approval Criteria: Require letters of coordination from service providers and add an approval criterion to address infrastructure for Zoning Map Amendment applications that propose changing to a more intense zoning district; require letters of intent for all Zoning Map Amendment applications.
- Sec. 4.25.9.A.10, Planned Development Application Traffic Impact Study Requirements: Clarify the traffic impact study requirements for Planned Development applications including the requirements for applications that propose more intense development than allowed by the existing zoning district.
- Sec. 4.25.9.A.20, Planned Development Application Letters of Coordination Requirements: Clarify letter of coordination requirements.
Sec. 4.25.8.A, Planned Development Application Approval Criteria: Clarify and expand the Planned Development application approval criteria for proposed Planned Developments to include criteria addressing compatibility with the surrounding area and infrastructure.
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Short-Term Rentals:
- 6.8.4.B, STR Violations: Add a violation provision for Short-term Rental Properties that operate without a zoning permit.
ZLDR Amendments Round 2
Charleston County Council will hold a public hearing regarding the following proposed text amendments to the Zoning and Land Development Regulations Ordinance (ZLDR) on December 9, 2025:
Dimensional Standards
- Sec. 4.2.3.D, Front Setbacks on Narrow Rights-of-Way, and 4.2.3.E, Front Setbacks on Narrow Ingress/Egress Easements: Provide administrative relief from front setback requirements on narrow rights-of-way and ingress/egress easements.
- Sec. 4.2.3.F, Setbacks on Double-Frontage Lots: Provide administrative relief from setback requirements for corner and double-frontage lots in the R-4 and UR Zoning Districts.
Table 5.3-5, Limited Commercial (LC) District Density /Intensity and Dimensional Standards: Clarify the minimum lot size required for single-family detached residential development within the JO-MHC-O Limited Commercial (LC) District.
Accessory Dwelling Units/Accessory Uses and Structures
- Sec. 4.24.2, Minimum Lot Standards for Accessory Dwelling Units on Parcels Which Contain or Abut an OCRM Critical Line: Clarify that a variance is not required for placing an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) in front of the Principal Dwelling Unit and provide clarification on the minimum setback requirements.
- Sec. 6.5.1.B.2, General Provisions: Provide a graphic illustration regarding the following requirement: “If any Accessory Building is attached to a Principal Building with a roof supported by columns or walls, it shall be deemed part of the Principal Building provided the attachment is a minimum of four feet in width with a minimum length to width ratio of four to one.”
- Sec. 6.5.1.B.3 and B.4, Purpose and General Provisions, and Chapter 12, Definitions: Remove the requirement for Accessory Dwelling Units to be subordinate to Principal Dwelling Units with regard to Building Height and make the corresponding changes to the definition of Accessory Dwelling Unit.
- Sec. 6.5.4, Agricultural Accessory Uses and Accessory Structures: Add requirements for Dumpsters as Agricultural Accessory Uses.
- Sec. 6.5.5, Commercial and Industrial Accessory Uses, and Sec. 6.5.9, Accessory Dwelling Units: Clarify that Accessory Dwelling Units are allowed on commercial and industrial zoned properties that are used residentially.
- Sec. 6.5.8.B.1 and B.5, Accessory Structures in Residential and Residential Office (RO) Zoning Districts: Allow flexibility in the placement of Accessory Structures and Accessory Dwelling Units.
- Sec. 6.5.9, Accessory Dwelling Units: Clarify that detached Accessory Dwelling Units must have separate electric meters.
- Sec. 6.5.9.C, Accessory Dwelling Units: Remove the requirement for Accessory Dwelling Units to be located wholly to the rear of Principal Structures on parcels in Residential and Residential Office Zoning Districts in the Urban/Suburban Area as long as all setback and other dimensional standards are met.
Art. 6.9, Agritourism, and Chapter 12, Definitions: Add Agritourism as an Agricultural Accessory use and add a definition for Agritourism.
Short-Term Rentals
- Sec. 6.8.2.B, Short-Term Rental Property Site Plan Review Categories: Require a site plan drawn to engineer’s scale depicting the existing and proposed conditions, including parking, as part of the STRP, Administrative Site Plan Review submittal.
- Sec. 6.8.2.E,Short-Term Rental Property Annual Zoning Permit Renewal: Remove requirement for the affidavit for STRP Zoning Permit annual renewals to be notarized.
Sec. 6.8.5, Amortization of Nonconforming Short-Term Rental Properties: Remove regulations regarding the amortization of nonconforming Short-Term Rental Properties since the amortization period has concluded.
Landscaping, Screening, and Buffers
Table 9.4.4-1, Buffer Types by Roadway: Clarify that the Type C Buffer is allowed along Hungryneck Blvd.
Sec. 9.4.4.B.3, Land Use Buffers, and Chapter 12, Definitions: Allow flexibility in land use buffers and add a definition for Inverted Island.
Signage and Lighting Requirements
Sec. 9.8.1.I, General Provisions, and Sec. 9.8.5.A.2, Wall/Façade Signs, General: Clarify that the hanging of objects from signs is prohibited.
Sec. 9.8.1.C, Prohibited Signs, and Chapter 12, Definitions: Clarify that Flutter Flag signs are prohibited and add a definition for of Flutter Flag signs.
- Power Poles
Sec. 3.8.3.F, Zoning Permits, Application Filing: Limit power poles to 60 amps in residential zoning districts where no Dwellings exist or are proposed.
- Addressing and Street Names
Sec. 3.15.1, Authority: Update to reflect that the Zoning and Planning Director no longer assigns/changes physical addresses; that is a function of the GIS Department and Consolidated 9-1-1 Center.
- Planned Development Zoning District
Sec. 4.25.8, Planned Development Procedure: Require Conceptual PD Development Plan Presentation Workshops for all PD Zoning requests, regardless of total acreage or number of units.
- Conservation Subdivision
Table 4.8.3, AG-8 Density/Intensity and Dimensional Standards: Remove the note referencing Conservation Subdivisions for alternative development standards.
- Overlay Zoning Districts
- Sec. 5.11.6, Use Regulations: Clarify that permitted uses in the Neighborhood Commercial (NC) Zoning Designation corresponds with the General Office (GO) Zoning Designation as described in Table 5.11.6, Dupont-Wappo Area Overlay Zoning District Use Table.
- Sec. 5.11.9.A, Job Center District: Clarify that Single-Family Detached Dwelling Units in the Job Center District of the Du-Wap-OD shall comply with the Dimensional Standards of the Urban Residential (UR) Zoning District.
- Charleston County Non-Standard Roads
Sec. 6.4.12.B, Recreational Vehicle Park, Sec. 8.7.3, Lots, Access, and Sec. 9.3.7.E, Design, Access: Prohibit all uses except Manufactured Housing Units on individual Lots and Single-Family Detached Dwelling Units from using County Non-Standard Roads for access.
- Pedestrian Ways
Sec. 9.3.11, Pedestrian Ways, and Chapter 12, Definitions: Remove requirement for internal sidewalks in Industrial Parks and add a definition for Industrial Park.
- Nonconformities
Sec. 10.2.4.B.2, Loss of Legal Nonconformity Status; Sec. 10.3.6.B, Loss of Legal Nonconforming Status; Damage or Destruction: Increase the threshold for loss of nonconforming status due to damage or destruction from 12 months to 36 months.
- Definitions
- Chapter 12, Definitions: Add a definition for Approvable State.
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Email: ZLDR@publicinput.com
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