Base zoning districts.

Charleston, S.C., Zoning Ordinance § 54-201

in effect

Sec. 54-201. - Base zoning districts. a. Conservation, C District. A district designed primarily to protect and encourage the appropriate use of marshlands, forested areas, scenic areas, and agricultural areas that are not likely to be developed for urban purposes in the reasonable near future. b. Agricultural, AG-8 and AG-S Districts. The AG districts allow agricultural, crop production, animal production, forestry, and related uses as well as various type of residential and recreational uses, and other related uses, some commercial uses, resource extraction/mining, and some manufacturing and production uses as allowed uses, conditional uses or special exception uses depending on the specific type and size of the use. The AG-S district also allows asphalt and concrete recycling uses as a conditional use. Most of the regulations for the AG districts can be found in Article 10. c. Rural Residential, RR-1 District. The RR-1 district allows agricultural and silvicultural uses as well as most uses allowed in the SR districts. RR-1 requires a minimum lot size of 12,500 square feet and limits density to 3.5 units per acre. d. Single-family Residential, SR-1, SR-2, SR-3, SR-4, SR-5, SR-6, SR-7 and SR-8 Districts. The Single-family Residential (SR) districts allow for one-family detached dwellings with maximum densities of 4.8, 7.3, 7.3, 10.9, 17.4, 8.7, 1 and 2.9 units per acre respectively, with varying setback, height and lot occupancy requirements. e. Single- and Two-family Residential, STR District. The STR district allows single- and two-family dwellings and all uses permitted in the SR districts. The minimum lot size for a two-family dwelling is 9,000 square feet for a maximum density of 7.3 units per acre. f. Diverse Residential, DR-6, DR-9, DR-12, DR-1, DR-1F, DR-2, DR-2F Districts. The DR districts allow multi-family residential (3 or more) dwellings and one-family attached dwellings as well as single- and two-family dwellings. Density limitations are 6.0, 9.0, 12.0, 19.4, 19.4, 26.4 and 26.4 units per acre respectively. Within the DR-1, DR-1F, DR-2, DR-2F districts, the Board of Zoning Appeals may approve as a special exception, fraternity houses, sorority houses, dormitories, and homes for the elderly. g. Diverse Residential, DR-3 District. The DR-3 district is intended to promote acceptable living environments for occupants of mobile home parks as well as occupants of mobile homes, and manufactured homes and non-mobile home residential dwellings on single lots outside of mobile home parks. Uses allowed in SR and DR districts are also allowed in the DR-3 district. The minimum lot size for a mobile home or manufactured home on its own lot is one acre. h. Diverse Residential, DR-4 District. The DR-4 district allows multi-family dwellings of 20 or more units for the elderly. Such structures are subject to development standards relating to maximum lot area per living unit, height, lot coverage, as well as other development requirements. i. Residential Office, RO District. The RO District is intended to allow limited office uses within converted residential structures along major roadways. This district shall provide for the daily convenience and personal service needs of the surrounding community and shall be designed to mix compatibly and aid in the preservation and stabilization of the local neighborhood. The RO zoning district is not intended to permit the loss of viable housing stock. j. General Office, GO District. The GO district is intended to provide for professional, administrative, executive and government offices including, but not limited to, medical, insurance, real estate, attorney, engineering, and financial offices. Accessory uses intended to compliment office uses are permitted pursuant to Section 54-212. k. Commercial Transitional, CT District. The CT District is intended to protect, preserve and enhance residential areas while allowing commercial uses which are compatible with the adjacent residential areas. In addition to allowing a limited number of commercial uses, the size and hours of operation of certain uses are restricted. l. Limited Business, LB District. The LB district is intended to provide for a limited variety of commercial uses and services associated with neighborhood retail, financial and office activities which are compatible with residential areas. The hours of operation for most permitted commercial uses are restricted to between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. Gasoline service stations are permitted as a conditional use. Prohibited uses include, but are not limited to bars, liquor stores, car washes as a principal use, bowling alleys, billiard parlors, dance halls, restaurants with drive-thru service windows, and automobile sales. m. General Business, GB District. The GB district is intended to provide for a broad range of commercial uses and activities. It is the most intensive commercial zoning district. Prohibited uses include junk and salvage yards, and storage yards (except for vehicles and boats). Mini-warehouse/self-storage uses may be permitted as special exception uses subject to the approval of the Board of Zoning Appeals. Automotive repair shops, communication towers, gas stations, short term lenders, veterinary clinics, and stables may be permitted as conditional uses. n. Urban Commercial, UC District. The UC district is intended to allow high density residential development in a commercial zoning district that permits the same commercial uses as the General Business district. o. Mixed Use, MU-1 District. The MU-1 district is intended to permit high density residential uses along with a limited variety of neighborhood commercial uses and services in urban areas of the city. p. Mixed Use, MU-2 District. The MU-2 district is intended to permit high density residential uses along with a broad range of commercial uses and activities in urban areas of the city. q. Business Park, BP District. The BP district is intended to accommodate service type commercial, wholesale, storage, and light manufacturing uses with relatively limited external effects in a high quality environment. Uses which fit into this category are characterized by being low traffic generators, having no external environmental effects across property lines, and having all outdoor storage screened from adjoining rights-of-ways and properties by a minimum six-foot tall solid fence or wall and landscape buffer, if required. Automotive repair shops and veterinary clinics are permitted only as special exceptions subject to the approval of the Board of Zoning Appeals. r. Light Industrial, LI District. The LI district is intended to permit most commercial uses and low impact industrial uses which are compatible with surrounding commercial districts. More intensive industrial and manufacturing uses are permitted as conditional uses if the uses satisfy specific performance standards. Storage yards are permitted only as special exceptions subject to the approval of the Board of Zoning Appeals. s. Heavy Industrial, HI District. The HI district is intended to provide for a broad range of industrial uses. It is the least restrictive industrial zoning district. Junk yards and storage yards permitted only as special exceptions subject to the approval of the Board of Zoning Appeals. t. Gathering Place, GP District. The GP district is intended to promote mixed-use town, village, and neighborhood centers around the city at major intersections or along traditional commercial streets. Diverse housing, mixed-use, pedestrian oriented development are permitted within this district. u. Mixed Use 1, Workforce Housing, MU-1/WH District. The MU-1/WH district is incentive based and is intended to permit high density residential uses with a mixture of housing opportunities, along with limited neighborhood nonresidential uses and services in urban areas of the city. v. Mixed Use 2, Workforce Housing, MU-2/WH District. The MU-2/WH district is incentive based and is intended to permit high density nonresidential uses with a mixture of housing opportunities, along with a broad range of nonresidential uses in urban areas of the city. w. Upper Peninsula, UP, District. The UP District is intended to accommodate a mixture of dense residential and commercial and uses and taller buildings in the upper portion of the peninsula through the use of incentives designed to promote ecology, mobility, energy efficiency, diverse housing and privately maintained outdoor spaces accessible to the public. x. Job Center, JC District. The JC District is intended to promote small entrepreneurial businesses and industries consisting of consumer, special trade, services, office/warehousing and limited business park uses. Uses that fit into this category are characterized by being incubators for new small and entrepreneurial business, uses are low traffic generators, and do not have external environmental effects across property lines. The scale of the buildings and uses in the JC District are an appropriate transition between residential uses and more intense zone districts. The hours of operation for uses that are open to the public are limited to 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (Ord. No. 1997-525, § 1, 11-25-97; Ord. No. 1998-203, § 2, 11-24-98; Ord. No. 1999-22, § 2, 3-10-99; Ord. No. 1999-54, § 4, 4-27-99; Ord. No. 1999-137, § 2, 9-28-99; Ord. No. 2001-44, § 2, 5-8-01; Ord. No. 2002-84, § 2, 8-13-02; Ord. No. 2003-63, § 1, 7-15-03; 2003-69, § 4, 8-19-03; Ord. No. 2006-463, § 2, 10-17-06; Ord. No. 2011-157, § 1, 10-11-11; Ord. No. 2013-105, §§ 1—3, 10-8-13; Ord. No. 2014-67, § 2, 5-13-14; Ord. No. 2015-142, § 11, 10-13-2015; Ord. No. 2016-02, § 3, 9-13-16; Ord. No. 2017-026, § 1, 3-28-2017; Ord. No. 2018-031, § 4, 4-10-18; Ord. No. 2022-084, § 1, 6-21-22)

Source: City of Charleston, South Carolina, Code of Ordinances and Zoning Ordinance (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/sc/charleston/codes/zoning?nodeId=ART2LAUSRE_PT1DEBAZODIOVZO_S54-201BAZODIFetched: 11/7/2026