Buffer types.
Charleston, S.C., Zoning Ordinance § 54-348
in effectSec. 54-348. - Buffer types.
Buffer Type A
Required for properties which abut Class I roads. Buffer must maintain an average depth of fifteen feet, not to go below ten feet, and contain specified vegetation selected from Appendix A. The intent of this buffer type is to provide street frontage landscaping along Class I roads.
Required minimum plantings per one hundred feet:
2 recommended trees
3 understory trees
40 ornamental shrubs
[image omitted; see the official code]
Buffer Type A
Buffer Type B
Required for properties which abut an incompatible zoning. Buffer must maintain a minimum depth of fifteen feet and contain specified vegetation selected from Appendix A. The intent of this buffer type is to provide a dense visual screen which mitigates adverse impacts of incompatible developments.
Required minimum plantings per one hundred feet:
3 recommended trees
4 understory trees
20 buffer shrubs
[image omitted; see the official code]
Buffer Type B
Buffer Type C
Required for properties which abut Class II roads. Buffer must maintain a mean depth of twenty-five feet, not to go below fifteen feet and contain specified vegetation selected from Appendix A. The intent of this buffer is to provide street frontage landscaping along Class II roads.
Required minimum plantings per one hundred feet:
2 recommended trees
5 understory trees
60 ornamental shrubs
[image omitted; see the official code]
Buffer Type C
Buffer Type D
Required for properties which abut an incompatible zoning. Buffer must maintain a minimum depth of twenty-five feet and contain specified vegetation selected from Appendix A. The intent of this buffer type is to provide a dense visual screen which mitigates adverse impacts of incompatible developments.
Required minimum plantings per one hundred feet:
3 recommended trees
4 understory trees
30 buffer shrubs
[image omitted; see the official code]
Buffer Type D
Buffer Type E
Required for properties which abut Class III roads. Buffer must maintain an average depth of fifty feet, not to go below forty feet, and contain specified vegetation selected from Appendix B. At least fifty percent (50%) of supplemental understory vegetation must be evergreen. The intent of this buffer type is to provide dense street frontage landscaping along Class III roads while allowing for corridors of visibility.
Required minimum plantings per one hundred feet:
Existing trees with six inches and greater D.B.H. must remain
6 recommended trees
5 understory trees
20 buffer shrubs
[image omitted; see the official code]
Buffer Type E
Buffer Type F
Required for properties which abut Class IV roads or properties which abut incompatible zones. Buffer must maintain a minimum depth of fifty feet and contain specified vegetation. Plant materials used to supplement Class IV road buffers shall be selected from Appendix B. At least fifty percent (50%) of understory vegetation selected from Appendix B must be evergreen. Plant materials used to supplement other Type F buffers shall be selected from Appendix A. The intent of this buffer type is to ensure a very dense street frontage buffer along Class IV roads and between incompatible developments.
Required minimum plantings per one hundred feet:
Existing trees with six inches and greater D.B.H. must remain
6 recommended trees
9 understory trees
30 buffer shrubs
[image omitted; see the official code]
Buffer Type F
Buffer Type G
Required for properties which abut Class V Roads. Buffer must maintain a minimum depth of seventy-five feet and contain specified vegetation selected from Appendix B. At least fifty percent of supplemental understory vegetation must be evergreen. The intent of this buffer type is to provide dense street frontage landscaping along Class V roads while allowing for corridors of visibility. Such corridors, which may be absent of vegetation, shall not exceed thirty-three percent of total buffer length.
Required minimum plantings per one hundred feet:
Existing trees 6 inches D.B.H. and greater must remain
9 recommended trees
12 understory trees
35 buffer shrubs
[image omitted; see the official code]
Buffer Type G
Buffer Type H
Required for properties which abut Class VI Roads and scenic rivers. Buffer must maintain a minimum depth of seventy-five feet and contain specified vegetation selected from Appendix B. At least fifty percent of understory vegetation must be evergreen. The intent of this buffer type is to provide dense street frontage landscaping along Class VI Roads, while allowing for corridors of visibility. Such corridors, which may be absent of vegetation, shall not exceed thirty-three percent of total buffer length.
Required plantings per one-hundred feet:
Existing trees six inches and greater D.B.H. must remain
9 recommended trees
7 understory trees
30 buffer shrubs
One street tree (selected from recommended tree list) every fifty feet, to be setback twenty-five feet from front property line. (These trees may be counted to satisfy "Required plantings per one-hundred feet").
[image omitted; see the official code]
Buffer Type H
Buffer Type J
Required for properties which abut Class VII Roads and scenic rivers. Buffer must maintain a minimum depth of one hundred feet and contain specified vegetation selected from Appendix B. At least 50 percent of understory vegetation selected from Appendix B must be evergreen. River frontage buffers may provide a vision corridor or corridors not to exceed thirty three percent of total buffer length. Such corridor or corridors may be absent of vegetation. Remainder of river frontage buffer shall contain required vegetation. Road frontage buffers shall not contain vision corridors. The intent of this buffer type is to preserve the scenic character of property abutting Class VII Roads and rivers by maintaining a dense natural buffer.
Required minimum plantings per one hundred feet:
Existing trees with 6 inches and greater D.B.H. must remain
Existing understory vegetation listed on Table 2 must remain
24 recommended trees
20 understory trees
50 buffer shrubs
[image omitted; see the official code]
Buffer Type J
Buffer Type K
Required for properties which abut Class VIII Roads. Buffer must maintain a minimum depth of 200 feet and contain specified vegetation selected from Appendix B. At least fifty percent (50%) of the understory vegetation selected from Appendix B must be evergreen. The intent of this buffer type is to preserve the scenic character of the property abutting Class VIII Roads by maintaining a dense natural buffer.
Required minimum plantings per one hundred feet:
Existing trees with six inches and greater D.B.H. must remain
Existing understory vegetation listed on Table 2 must remain
24 recommended trees
20 understory trees
50 buffer shrubs
[image omitted; see the official code]
Buffer Type K
Buffer Type L
Required on all non-exempt properties within the zoning districts listed in Section 54-347.1 that abut SCDHEC-OCRM critical lines. The minimum width of the required buffer shall be as indicated in Section 54-347.1.a.2. Within the required buffer areas, as shown on approved plats or site plans pursuant to Section 54-347.1.a.4., existing vegetation shall remain pursuant to the following guidelines. The following activities or improvements shall be prohibited when establishing or maintaining buffers:
1. Manicured, grassed lawns; only native grasses shall be allowed;
2. Removal, damage or abuse in any manner of protected trees (trees with a diameter breast height of eight (8) inches or greater); and
3. Pruning shrubs below three (3) feet in height.
Only the following activities or improvements shall be allowed within the required buffer:
1 Supplemental planting with native trees, shrubs and native grasses listed in Appendix B;
2. Removal of trees with a diameter breast height less than eight (8) inches;
3. Water-dependent structures and pedestrian or vehicular accessways leading to water-dependent structures as defined in Section 54-120. Such accessways shall be designed to avoid channelization of stormwater runoff and be the minimum necessary to provide safe access;
4. Pedestrian or vehicular accessways specifically certified and approved for construction by OCRM or the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers;
5. Minimum utility line penetrations as specifically approved by applicable public utility service providers;
6. Use of vegetated surface swales or other approved means of surface runoff transport; and
7. Stormwater drainage outfalls if certified and approved for construction by OCRM or the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
(Ord. No. 2001-14, § 2, 2-27-01)
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=ART3SIRE_PT8LABURE_S54-348BUTYFetched: 11/7/2026