The following qualify as open space for the purposes of this Unified Development Ordinance:

1. Outdoor Recreation Areas. All forms of outdoor recreation areas count as open space, including passive areas and nature reserves, ball fields, tennis courts, swimming pools, and golf courses.
2. Stormwater Facilities. Open air stormwater facilities count as open space. These facilities may be permitted in floodplains even though they are protected from being part of the developed portion of the site.
3. Bufferyards. The required bufferyards count as open space.
4. Required Landscape Areas. Required landscape areas, such as parking lot landscaping areas, count as open space. However, landscaping of private lots in residential subdivisions is not counted as open space.
5. Agriculture. Agriculture counts as open space in cluster or planned development options when it is part of the development plan.
6. Resource Protection Areas. All areas that are protected natural resources count as open space.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

1. Generally. Lot width is measured from one side lot line to the opposite side lot line at the front setback line. See Figure 7-24.1.2A, Measurement of Lot Width; Standard Lots.

Figure 7-24.1.2A Measurement of Lot Width; Standard Lots

2. Corner Lots. Lot width is measured from the interior side lot line to the side street lot line along the front building line, minus the difference between the street yard setback and the side yard setback. See Figure 7-24.1.2B, Measurement of Lot Width; Corner Lots.

Figure 7-24.1.2B Measurement of Lot Width; Corner Lots

3. Irregular Lots. Lot width is the distance from one side lot line to the opposite side lot line along the tangent of the curve representing the front building line. See Figure 7-24.1.2C, Measurement of Lot Width; Irregular Lots. Generally, the front building line is the front setback line. However, if an alternative front building line has been established on the plat of a subdivision that is more distant than the front setback line from the front property line, then the lot width is measured at the alternative front building line.

Figure 7-24.1.2C Measurement of Lot Width; Irregular Lots

Effective on: 1/1/1901

1. Building Coverage.
   1. Generally. Building coverage is the total of enclosed floor areas measured between the exterior faces of building walls along a horizontal plane at the main grade level of the principal building and all accessory buildings.
   2. Included. Enclosed floor area includes:
      1. The area enclosed by building walls of principal and accessory buildings;
      2. The area of enclosed porches; and
      3. The footprint of parking structures.
   3. Not Included. Enclosed floor area does not include:
      1. Open porches, terraces, and decks;
      2. Open gazebos and playground equipment;
      3. Driveways, walkways, steps, and other paved surfaces; and
      4. Outdoor pools and spas.
2. Building Coverage Ratio. Building coverage ratio is the percentage of the lot area that is covered by buildings (see Subsection A., above, for what qualifies as the lot area that is covered by buildings). See Figure 7-24.1.3, Building Coverage Ratio.

Figure 7-24.1.3 Building Coverage Ratio

In the illustration below, the principal building, including its enclosed front porch, and the accessory building are counted as building cover (these elements are shown in blue). The open porch at the back of the principal building, gazebo, driveway, walkway, and the pool are not counted). The total building coverage area is 1,450 square feet. The lot area is 5,000 square feet. The building coverage ratio is 1,450 sf. ÷ 5,000 sf. equals 29 percent.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

1. Generally. Setbacks are measured from lot lines towards the center of the lot, as follows:
   1. Front setbacks are measured from the front lot line. The front lot line is the lot line that abuts the right-of-way from which the lot takes its address.
   2. Rear setbacks are measured from the rear lot line. The rear lot line is the lot line that is opposite from the front lot line.
   3. Side setbacks are measured from side lot lines. Side lot lines are lot lines that intersect with front lot lines.
2. Flag Lots. On flag lots existing at the time of the Unified Development Ordinance (new flag lots would not be permitted), setbacks are measured as provided in Subsection A., above, except that the front setback line is measured from the "shared lot line." See Figure 7-24.1.4, Setback Measurement.

Figure 7-24.1.4 Setback Measurement

Effective on: 1/1/1901

1. Buildings. Building height is calculated by measuring the vertical distance from the average finished grade along the front building line to:
   1. The highest peak or ridge line of the roof for pitched roof styles; or
   2. The top of the parapet for flat roof style.
2. Other Structures. Structure height is calculated by measuring the vertical distance from the average finished grade around the base of the structure to the highest point on the structure. This measurement applies to:
   1. Structures without roofs (e.g., fences); and
   2. Amateur radio antennae, whether mounted on a roof, the ground, or another structure.
3. Specialized Structures and Building Appurtenances.
   1. Specialized structures and building appurtenances are not counted in the calculation of building height, provided that:
      1. They project not more than:
         1. 15 feet above the highest point on the building for buildings that are 38 feet in height or higher; or
         2. Seven feet above the highest point on the building for buildings that are less than two stories in height
   2. They occupy not more than 10 percent of the total roof area of the building; and
   3. They are not used for human habitation, commercial, or industrial purposes, except as incidental to the operation of the building.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Floor area is measured as the horizontal area of all habitable building floors in square feet, measured from the outside face of all exterior walls. No deduction shall apply for horizontal areas void of actual floor space (for example, elevator shafts and stairwells) unless specified in the applicable section as an exemption.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Floor Area Ratio (FAR) is calculated by dividing the sum of the total square feet of the climate controlled areas of a dwelling plus the total square feet of all accessory buildings located on the same lot as the dwelling by the lot's total square feet.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

1. In General. Separation of land uses, where required in this Unified Development Ordinance, is measured from the nearest property line of the existing site to the nearest property line of the proposed site.
2. Separation of Alcoholic Beverage Sales. Separation of uses of sales of alcoholic beverage sales for on-and off-premise consumption from specific uses as prescribed by the South Carolina Department of Revenue Alcohol Beverage Licensing (ABL) shall be measured in accordance with ABL Regulation 7-303.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

1. Generally. Base site area is used to calculate gross density. See Section 7-24.2.4, Density.
2. Calculation. Base site area equals the total area of the parcel proposed for development (gross site area), minus the sum of the areas of the following:
   1. Land within the planned right-of-way of existing streets or streets that are on the City's adopted Thoroughfare Plan.
   2. Land that is within major utility rights-of-way that are wider than 50 feet.
   3. Land that is cut off from development by railroads, limited access highways, waterbodies, or wetlands and is not proposed for development.
   4. Land that has previously been set aside as protected open space (e.g., subject to a conservation easement, plat restriction, or condition of development approval.). See Figure 7-24.2.1, Illustrative Calculation of Base Site Area.

Figure 7-24.2.1  Illustrative Calculation of Base Site Area

Effective on: 1/1/1901

1. Generally. Open space ratio and landscape surface ratio are used to ensure that a certain percentage of a parcel proposed for development is open and landscaped.
2. Open Space Ratio.
   1. Generally. Open space ratio (OSR) is the area of designated open space, inclusive of bufferyards, natural resource protection areas, and other commonly-owned open space (but not inclusive of individually owned yards) in a residential development, divided by the total area of the parcel proposed for residential development. OSR includes bufferyards, parking lot landscaping, foundation plantings, and natural resource protection areas.
   2. Exclusion from Accruement. Open spaces that do not qualify for the calculation of OSR include any areas on private, buildable lots and any commonly-owned open space that are less than 320 contiguous square feet.
   3. Calculation of Requirement. The amount of commonly-owned open space that is required in a residential development is calculated as the required OSR (see Division 2-3.2, District Development Standards) times the total area of the parcel proposed for development. See Figure 7-24.2.2A, Illustrative Measurement of Residential Open Space Ratio.
   4. Relationship to Other Requirements. If the combination of individual open space requirements (e.g., protection of natural resources and provision of bufferyards) requires less open space than the OSR, then the OSR applies. If it requires more than the OSR, the greater requirement applies.

Figure 7-24.2.2A Illustrative Measurement of Residential Open Space Ratio
EXAMPLE: 6 acres of Common Open Space DIVIDED BY: 12 acre Area of Parcel Proposed for Development EQUALS: 50% OSR
Total Area of Parcel Proposed for Development: 12 acres

3. Landscape Surface Ratio (LSR)
   1. Generally. Landscape surface ratio (LSR) is the area of designated landscaping and open space area on a nonresidential or mixed-use parcel proposed for development, divided by the area of the parcel proposed for development. LSR includes bufferyards, parking lot landscaping, foundation plantings, and natural resource protection areas. See Figure 7-24.2.2B, Illustrative Measurement of Nonresidential Landscape Surface Ratio.
   2. Exclusion from Accruement. Open spaces that do not qualify for the calculation of LSR include any areas on private, buildable lots and any commonly-owned open space that are less than 320 contiguous square feet.
   3. Relationship to Other Requirements. If the combination of individual landscaping and open space requirements (e.g., protection of natural resources, provision of bufferyards, parking lot landscaping) requires less landscaped or open space area than the LSR, then the LSR applies, and more landscaping is required. If the application of other landscaping standards requires more than the LSR, the greater requirement applies.

Figure 7-24.2.2B Illustrative Measurement of Nonresidential Landscape Surface Ratio
EXAMPLE: 5 acres of Bufferyards, Parking Lot Landscaping, and Drainage Facilities DIVIDED BY: 12 acre Area of Parcel Proposed for Development EQUALS: 41.7% LSR
Area of Parcel Proposed for Development: 12 acres

Effective on: 1/1/1901

1. Generally. Net buildable area is used to calculate net density. See Section 7-24.2.4, Density.
2. Calculation. Net buildable area is equal to the lesser of:
   1. Base site area (calculated as provided in Section 7-24.2.1, Base Site Area) minus areas of open water (streams are measured to the ordinary mean high water mark) and delineated wetlands that were not already subtracted from the area of the parcel proposed for development to calculate the base site area (e.g., wetlands or open water areas that are within previously dedicated conservation easements, or cut off from development by a limited access highway, are not subtracted more than once); or
   2. The total area of the parcel proposed for development minus the area of open space required for the development type in Division 2-3.2, District Development Standards. See Figure 7-24.2.3, Illustrative Calculation of Net Buildable Area.

Figure 7-24.2.3 Illustrative Calculation of Net Buildable Area

Using a 30 percent open space ratio for illustrative purposes, the net buildable area for the illustration on the left is calculated as base site area minus areas of open water and delineated wetlands; and the net buildable area for the right-hand illustration on the right is calculated as the total area of the parcel proposed for development minus the area of required open space.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

1. Generally. Density is measured in two ways: gross density and net density. The maximum number of units that are allowed in a residential development shall not exceed the lesser of the results of the gross density and net density calculations for the parcel proposed for development.
2. Gross Density. Gross density is the number of dwelling units per acre of base site area (see Section 7-24.2.1, Base Site Area). An example calculation is provided in Figure 7-24.2.4, Illustrative Density Calculations.
3. Net Density. Net density is calculated by dividing the number of dwelling units by the net buildable area of the parcel proposed for development. An example calculation is provided in Figure 7-24.2.4, Illustrative Density Calculations.

Figure 7-24.2.4 Illustrative Density Calculations

EXAMPLE: 28 homes are planned for an 11 acre parcel.

GROSS DENSITY The parcel proposed for development is 11 acres. 2.5 acres (including forest and open water) were previously dedicated as a conservation easement and 0.2 acres within planned right-of-way of an abutting street. There are no areas within major utility corridors or cut off from development. Therefore, the Base Site Area is 11 minus 2.5 minus 0.2 equals 8.3 acres. Therefore, 28 homes divided by 8.3 acres equals a gross density of approximately 3.38 units per acre.

NET DENSITY The required Open Space Ratio (OSR) in this example is 50 percent. Therefore, the Net Buildable Area is the lesser of 50 percent times 11 acres (5.5 acres) or the Base Site Area minus open water and wetlands. Since the open water area was counted in the Base Site Area calculation (because it is subject to a conservation easement), it is not subtracted again. Accordingly, the Net Buildable Area is 5.5 acres (because 5.5 acres is less than 8.3 acres). The net density is 28 homes divided by 5.5 acres, or 5.10 units per acre.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Lot area is the area within the lot lines. See Figure 7-24.2.5, Illustrative Lot Area Calculation.

Figure 7-24.2.5 Illustrative Lot Area Calculation
EXAMPLE The example at right is a rectangular lot. 80 feet Wide TIMES 125 feet Deep EQUALS 10,000 square feet Lot Area

Effective on: 1/1/1901

1. Hydrology Comparisons. All variables of pre-development and projected post-construction hydrology shall be compared in the required drainage study and report.
2. Runoff Frequencies. Minimum design frequencies for calculating rainfall runoff shall be as shown in Table 7-24.2.6A, Rainfall Runoff Frequencies.

3. Calculations for Runoff on Developments of 20 Acres or Less. Variance in design frequency shall depend upon the existing and expected density of development, the value of development, and the cost effectiveness of design. Minimum design frequency may be used if approved by the Director of Utilities. The formula and values as set out in Table 7-24.2.6B, Runoff Calculations, 20 Acres or Less shall be used for calculating all stream flow and runoff for the policies and regulations established by this Unified Development Ordinance. Runoff from drainage areas of 500acres or less may be determined by the "Rational Formula", Q=C x I x A, as follows:

4. Calculations for Runoff on Developments Greater than 20 Acres. The rational formula may not be used for calculating flows for sizing stormwater detention / retention facilities, or for any drainage areas greater than 20 acres. In these cases, all hydrologic computations shall be accomplished using a volume-based hydrograph method acceptable to the Director of Public Works and Utilities.
5. Storm Sewers, Channels, Culverts, and Bridges. The size of closed storm sewers, open channels, culverts, and bridges may be determined by using the "Manning Formula," which may be modified for use with runoff determined by the "Rational Formula” to: Q=1.486RSA,as set out in Table 7-24.2.6C, Storm Sewers, Channels, Culverts, and Bridges.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

The word "shall" is mandatory; the word "may" is permissive. The particular shall control the general. Words used in present tense shall include the future, and words used in the singular include the plural, and plural the singular, unless the context clearly indicates the contrary. All public officials, bodies and agencies to which reference is made are those of the City, unless otherwise indicated. The City of Florence shall be the City.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Set out in Table 7-25.1.2, Meaning of Acronyms and Abbreviations is the meaning of the acronyms and abbreviations used in this Unified Development Ordinance.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Effective on: 1/1/1901

100-Year Frequency Storm means a storm that is capable of producing rainfall expected to be equaled or exceeded on the average of once in 100 years. It also may be expressed as a probability to exceed with a one percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Accessory Dwelling Unit means a self-contained dwelling unit designed for occupancy by one family for living and sleeping purposes that provides complete independent living facilities, including its own entrance, kitchen, bathroom, and sleeping area; that is located on the same lot as a larger single family dwelling that serves as the principal use of the lot; and whose use is subordinate and incidental to the larger single family dwelling.

Effective on: 9/19/2025

Accessory Structure refers to structures that are located on the same parcel of property as the principal structure and the use of which is incidental to the use of the principal structure. Accessory Structures should constitute a minimal investment, may not be used for human habitation, and be designed to have minimal flood damage potential.  Examples of accessory structures are detached garages, carports, storage sheds, pole barns, and hay sheds.

Effective on: 1/15/2018

Addition (to an existing building) means an extension or increase in the floor area or height of a building or structure. Additions to existing buildings shall comply with the requirements for new construction regardless as to whether the addition is a substantial improvement or not. Where a firewall or load-bearing wall is provided between the addition and the existing building, the addition(s) shall be considered a separate building and must comply with the standards for new construction.

Effective on: 1/15/2018

Adult Bookstore, Adult Novelty Store, Adult Video Store means a commercial establishment that devotes a significant or substantial portion of its business to any one or more of the following:

1. The sale, rental or viewing, for any form of consideration, of books, magazines, periodicals or other printed matter or photographs, films, motion pictures, video cassettes, slides or other photographic reproductions or mechanically, electronically, chemically, or digitally reproduced visual materials which are characterized by an emphasis upon the depiction, display or exhibition of specified sexual activities or specified anatomical areas;
2. The sale or rental of instruments, devices, or paraphernalia which are designed for use or marketed primarily for engaging in specified sexual activities; or
3. A significant or substantial portion of its business is shown by characteristics including, but not limited to, some or all of the following:
   1. A significant or substantial portion of its stock in trade consists of the items listed in items 1 and/or 2 above; or
   2. A significant or substantial portion of its revenues is derived from the rental or sale of items listed in items 1 and/or 2 above; or
   3. A significant or substantial portion of its floor space, shelf space or storage space is devoted to the items listed in items 1 and/or 2 above; or
   4. A significant or substantial portion of its advertising is devoted to the items listed in items 1 and/or 2 above.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Adult Cabaret means a nightclub, bar, restaurant, concert hall, auditorium, or other commercial establishment or private club which regularly features or presents live adult entertainment.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Adult Entertainment means any exhibition, display, activity or dance that involves the appearance or exposure to view of specified anatomical areas.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Adult Motel means a hotel, motel or similar commercial establishment which:

1. Offers accommodations to the public for any form of consideration and provides patrons with closed-circuit television transmissions, films, motion pictures, video cassettes, slides, or other photographic reproductions or mechanically, electronically, chemically, or digitally reproduced visual materials which are characterized by an emphasis upon the depiction, display or exhibition of specified sexual activities or specified anatomical areas; and has a sign visible from the public right-of-way which advertises the availability of this adult type of photographic reproduction; or
2. Offers a sleeping room for rent for a period of time that is less than ten (10) hours; or
3. Allows a tenant or occupant of a sleeping room to sub-rent the room for a period of time that is less than ten (10) hours.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Adult Motion Picture Theater means a commercial establishment or private club, where for any form of consideration, films, motion pictures, video cassettes, slides or similar photographic reproductions or mechanically, electronically, chemically, or digitally reproduced visual materials are regularly shown characterized by an emphasis upon the depiction, display or exhibition of specified sexual activities or specified anatomical areas. An establishment meeting the definition of an adult arcade is not an adult motion picture theater.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Adult Theater means a theater, concert hall, auditorium, or similar commercial establishment which, for any form of consideration, regularly features persons who appear in a state of nudity or live performances which are characterized by exposure of specified anatomical areas or by specified sexual activities.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Agent means an authorized person, firm, or corporation acting for or on behalf of a subdivider, developer, or owner.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Agricultural structure means a structure used solely for agricultural purposes in which the use is exclusively in connection with the production, harvesting, storage, drying, or raising of agricultural commodities, including the raising of livestock.  Agricultural structures are not exempt from the provisions of this ordinance.

Effective on: 1/15/2018

Agricultural Support/Rural Services means uses that support agricultural uses, including:

1. Farm supply services and feed stores;
2. Farm equipment dealers; and
3. Grain storage.

Effective on: 1/15/2018

Agriculture means land (with and without farm residences) which is primarily used for the commercial production of field crops for food, fiber, or energy; orchards; viniculture; horticulture; dairying; pasturage; aquaculture, and truck farming. The term “agriculture” also includes the raising or breeding of livestock, cattle, horses, poultry, where there is no more than one animal per acre, and the keeping of bees. The term includes the necessary accessory uses for storing the products and inputs needed to produce them.

The term does not include intensive agriculture, nor does it include the accessory use of land for personal gardens within required setbacks.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Airport means aircraft take-off and landing fields and flight training schools; or airstrips for personal aircraft for the private use of an individual.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Alcoholic Beverage Sales, Offsite Consumption means a business whose floor space is primarily devoted to the retail sale of beer, wine, or other alcoholic beverages for off-premises consumption and which requires a license under South Carolina state regulations.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Alcoholic Beverage Sales, Onsite Consumption means a business that is governed by state law which provides that the establishment must be a bona fide restaurant engaged primarily and substantially in the preparation and serving of meals.  For the purposes of this definition, “primarily” means that the establishment has a “commercial kitchen” so defined within this Division, and that food sales constitute at least 30% of the regular source of business to the licensed establishment, that meals are served upon the demand of guests and patrons during normal meal times that occur when the licensed business establishment is open to the public, and that an adequate supply of food is present on the licensed premises to meet the demand.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Alley means a private service road that provides secondary means of access to lots. Parking is not permitted in alleys and through traffic is discouraged. An alley may also be described as a minor way used for service access to the back or side of properties otherwise abutting on a street. An alley shall not serve as the principle means of ingress or egress to a lot or parcel.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Alteration means a change in the external architectural features of any historic structure or in the interior of any such structure if the interior feature is specifically included in the historic designation; a change in the landscape features of any historic site or place; or work having an adverse effect upon designated archaeological resources.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Appeal means a request for a review of the local administrator's interpretation of any provision of this ordinance.

Effective on: 1/15/2018

Approved or Approval means the final action that results in the authorization of a site specific development plan by the official or body of the City authorized to approve a site specific development plan. This action shall include the payment of all associated fees.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Area of shallow flooding means a designated AO or VO Zone on a community's Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) with base flood depths of one to three feet where a clearly defined channel does not exist, where the path of flooding is unpredictable and indeterminate, and where velocity flow may be evident.

Effective on: 1/15/2018

Area of special flood hazard means the land in the floodplain within a community subject to a one percent or greater chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year.

Effective on: 1/15/2018

Asphalt or Concrete Plant means a concrete or asphalt batch plant that is assembled on a site for the construction of a particular improvement.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Assisted Living Facility means a residential facility that makes available to three or more adults room and board and at least the following services: Personal services; protective oversight; social care due to impaired capacity to live independently; and regular supervision that is available on a twenty-four-hour basis, but not to the extent that regular twenty-four-hour medical or nursing care is required. This phrase does not include any facility licensed in this state as a residential care facility.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Base Flood or 100-year Flood means the flood having a one percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Base Flood Elevation means the elevation for which there is a one-percent chance in any given year that flood levels will equal or exceed it.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Basement means any enclosed area of a building that is below grade on all sides.

Effective on: 1/15/2018

Bed and Breakfast means a place of lodging that:

1. Provides five or fewer rooms for short-term rental; and
2. Is limited to two consecutive week stays.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Best Management Practices (BMPs) means a wide range of management procedures, schedules of activities, prohibitions of practices, maintenance procedures, and other management practices which have been demonstrated to effectively control or reduce the discharge of pollutants directly or indirectly to stormwater, receiving waters, or stormwater conveyance systems. BMPs also include treatment practices, operating procedures, and practices to control site runoff, spillage or leaks, sludge or water disposal, or drainage from raw materials storage. See also Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs).

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Block means a parcel of land that is surrounded on all sides by streets highways, parks, other publicly owned areas, or railroad rights-of-way or by physical barriers such as water bodies or public open spaces. Blocks are normally, but not necessarily, divided into lots.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Building Envelope means the area on a lot that is bounded by setback lines, on which development of a principal building is permitted.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

 See also Alcoholic Beverage Sales, Onsite Consumption. A tavern, public house, restaurant, or hotel which produces on the permitted premises a maximum of 2,000 barrels (62,000 gallons) a year of beer for sale on the premises and is compliant with SC Code of Laws Title 61.

Effective on: 11/4/2020

Brewery

For the purposes of this ordinance, a brewery is considered a heavy industrial use which produces over 15,000 US barrels (465,000 gallons) of beer annually and is compliant with SC Code of Laws Title 61.

Effective on: 11/4/2020

Building Permit means a written warrant or license issued by the Building Official that authorizes the construction or renovation of a building or structure at a specified location.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Build-to Line means the line at which construction of a building facade is to occur on a lot, running parallel to the front property line without setback, and thus ensuring a uniform (or more or less even) building facade line on the street.

Effective on: 12/28/2018

Caliper means a method of measuring the diameter of a tree trunk. The measurement is taken six inches above the ground up to and including four-inch caliper size. If the caliper at six inches above the ground exceeds four inches, the caliper is measured at 12 inches above the ground. The measurement is taken according to the methodology set out in the most current edition of the American Standard for Nursery Stock, published by the American Nursery and Landscape Association.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Canopy.  See the definition of marquee.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Cart means any portable vending device, pushcart, or any other wheeled vehicle or device which is moved without assistance of a motor and which is not required to be licensed and registered by the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, used for the displaying, storing, or transporting of articles offered for sale by a vendor and which does not exceed four (4) feet in width, six (6) feet in length, and five (5) feet in height, excluding canopy or cover. A Cart shall be appropriately licensed by S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

Effective on: 6/14/2019

Cemetery means any place, including a mausoleum, niche, or crypt, in which there is provided space either below or above the surface of the ground for the interment of the remains of human bodies.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Certificate of Historical Appropriateness means a document issued by the Board of Historical Review, following a prescribed review procedure, certifying that the proposed actions by an applicant are found to be acceptable in terms of design criteria relating to the individual property or the historic district.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Child Care Center means a facility, by whatever name known, that is maintained for the whole or part of a day for the care of five or more children who are 18 years of age or younger and who are not related to the owner, operator, or manager thereof, whether the facility is operated with or without compensation for such care and with or without stated educational purposes. The phrase "child care center" includes, but is not limited to facilities commonly known as:

1. Day care centers;
2. School-age child care centers;
3. Before and after school programs;
4. Nursery schools;
5. Kindergartens;
6. Preschools;
7. Day camps;
8. Summer camps; or
9. Centers for developmentally disabled children.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Child Care, In-Home means a home in which care is given as a home occupation by a resident and no others during the day only for up to and including no more than six children, including the residents’ own children.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

City means the incorporated are of the City of Florence.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

City Code means the Code of Ordinances, City of Florence, South Carolina.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

City Staff means members of the Department of Urban Planning and Development who are authorized by the Director to process or decide applications for development approval.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Clean Water Act means The Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. § 1251 et seq.), and any subsequent amendments thereto.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Commercial Amusement, Indoor means uses that provide commercial amusement indoors (except sexually oriented businesses), including, but not limited to:

1. Bowling alleys and pool rooms;
2. Indoor sports arenas
3. Movie theaters and live theaters;
4. Indoor skating rinks (ice or roller); and
5. Video arcades.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Commercial Amusement, Outdoor means uses that provide commercial amusement outdoors (except sexually oriented businesses), including, but not limited to:

1. Outdoor arenas or stadiums (including, but not limited to, amphitheaters, sports stadiums, concert facilities, rodeos, and racing facilities);
2. Amusement parks or theme parks;
3. Fairgrounds;
4. Miniature golf establishments;
5. Golf driving ranges;
6. Water slides; and
7. Batting cages.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Commercial and Industrial Water Use means water use integral to the production of goods and/or services by any establishment having financial profit as their primary aim.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Commercial Kitchen means a room for the preparation of food which must include at a minimum a functioning, fixed grill or stove; a cold storage unit with a minimum of 21 cubic feet capacity; dry storage for food; and counter space for the preparation of food.   The kitchen can include a microwave oven and/or other small appliances, but the presence of a microwave oven or other similar small appliances alone does not meet the definition of a “commercial kitchen.” Commercial kitchens will be subject to public health inspections.

Effective on: 8/28/2018

Commercial Retail means commercial and retail uses that do not include regular outside storage or sales. This phrase includes uses that are comparable to the following:

1. Furniture and home furnishings stores;
2. Electronics and appliance stores;
3. Paint and wallpaper stores;
4. Hardware stores;
5. Food and beverage stores;
6. Health and personal care stores;
7. Clothing and clothing accessory stores;
8. Sporting goods, hobby, book, and music stores;
9. General merchandise stores; and
10. Miscellaneous store retailers.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Commercial Stables means the stabling, training, feeding of horses, or the provision of riding facilities for the use of anyone other than the resident of the property. Equestrian trails that are constructed as part of the common open space of a subdivision and intended for the exclusive use of residents of the subdivision are not commercial stables.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Commercial Vehicle means:

1. Any motor vehicle, trailer, or semi-trailer that:
   1. Is designed or used to carry freight, other vehicles, equipment, passengers for a fee, or merchandise in the furtherance of any business enterprise; and
   2. Has a gross weight of more than 10,000 pounds; 2.
2. Any step van or truck that is designed for commercial moving or parcel delivery services;
3. Any truck that is used for retail sales (e.g., ice cream, lunches);
4. Any vehicle with more than four wheels that is used for business purposes;
5. Any trailer that is used to haul machinery, supplies, or equipment for business purposes (horse trailers, boat trailers, motorcycle trailers, RV trailers, and car trailers put to personal use are not included in the definition);
6. Any trailer that is used for commercial hauling (e.g., waste, junk, or lawn clippings), or commercial moving services;
7. Any tracked vehicle used for construction or excavation; and
8. Any vehicle which has permanently mounted outside brackets or holders for ladders, tools, pipes, or other similar equipment, unless such vehicle is used for on-call emergency services contracted by the City or other governmental entity.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Commercial Warehousing and Logistics means indoor warehousing, distribution, or logistics facilities; retail distribution centers; order fulfillment centers; and moving and storage services (including full-service moving and storage and indoor storage of shipping containers). The phrase does not include self-storage; warehousing and distribution that are accessory to a light industrial or heavy industrial facility, and parcel service drop-off locations that are not accessory to a parcel service processing facility.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Commissary means a sanitary food prep business appropriately licensed by S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control which leases space to multiple mobile businesses. Once the food is prepared at the commissary, it can be cooked in the mobile truck or cart.

Effective on: 6/14/2019

Community Recycling Bin means a dumpster that is provided in a publicly accessible location to collect mixed recyclable materials from residents of surrounding neighborhoods.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Comprehensive Plan means the official plan or any part thereof for the City of Florence and the Planning Commission, adopted in accordance with the provisions of the 1994 Planning Enabling Act.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Conditionally Approved or Conditional Approval means an action taken by the City that provides interim approval for a site specific development plan but is contingent upon additional approvals by other regulatory agencies.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Conditional Letter of Map Revision (CLOMR) means FEMA's comment on a proposed project that would, upon construction, affect the hydrologic or hydraulic characteristics of a flooding source and thus result in the modifications of the existing regulatory floodway, the effective Base Flood Elevations (BFEs), or the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). The letter does not revise an effective National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) map, it indicates whether the project, if built as proposed would be recognized by FEMA.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Conformity / Conforming means meeting all applicable codes and requirements for a proposed development.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Construction Activity means activities subject to NPDES construction permits. Such activities include but are not limited to clearing and grubbing, grading, excavating, and demolition.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Construction Yard, Temporary means an area used temporarily to stage construction of a site or infrastructure and may include storage of materials, manufactured construction offices, and associated activities only for the duration of the construction project.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Cottage means a small single-family detached residence that has a floor area on the first floor that is less than 1,000 square feet. Cottages are typically arranged in a cluster around a common green space. Vehicular access is provided by a shared parking lot.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Crime Against Morality and Decency means, for the purposes of this Unified Development Ordinance, a crime defined by S.C. Code of Laws, Title 16, Chapter 15, Offenses Against Morality and Decency, except for the crimes of:

1. Seduction under promise of marriage; and
2. Adultery or Fornication.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Critical Facilities means structures or facilities that produce, use or store hazardous, flammable, explosive, toxic and/or water-reactive materials, liquids, gases and solids as such are defined in the Uniform Fire Code, but not including retail structures and facilities that only stock and store products containing such substances in factory-sealed containers; hospitals, nursing homes, group homes, residential care facilities, congregate care facilities and housing likely to contain occupants who may not be sufficiently mobile to avoid death or injury during a flood; schools; daycare facilities; cemeteries; police stations, fire stations, vehicle and equipment storage facilities and emergency operations centers that are needed for flood response activities before, during and after a flood; and public and private utility facilities that are vital to maintaining or restoring normal services to flooded areas before, during and after a flood.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Deck means an exterior floor supported on at least two opposing sides by an adjacent structure, and/or posts, piers or other independent supports.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Detention Structure means a permanent stormwater management structure whose primary purpose is to temporarily store stormwater runoff and release the stored runoff at controlled rates.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Developer means the owner and/or subdivider of property, or his agent, engaged in the subdivision, development, re-development, or improvement of land or the construction of structures upon the land within the territorial jurisdiction of the City.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Development means any manmade change to improved or unimproved real estate, including, but not limited to, buildings or other structures, roads, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavating, other site work, utilities, drilling operations, or permanent storage of materials.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Development, Major means any development larger than a minor development.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Development, Minor means any development involving five or fewer lots and involving a land area of less than five acres and not requiring the construction or extension of any streets or other municipal utilities.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Dewatering means the removal of water from soil or rock, using centrifugation, infiltration, or other solid-liquid separation processes.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) means a measurement of the size of tree that is equal to the diameter of its trunk, measured four and one-half feet above the adjacent natural grade.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Director means the staff position responsible for administering and enforcing this Unified Development Ordinance, who is appointed by the City Manager, which includes any successor(s) of similar title(s), or a designee.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Director of Public Works means the staff position responsible for the City’s public works, who is appointed by the City Manager, which includes any successors with similar title(s), or a designee.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Director of Public Utilities means the staff position responsible for the City’s utility systems, who is appointed by the City Manager, which includes any successors with similar title(s), or a designee.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Disposal means facilities for the disposal of non-nuclear waste or fill, or the composting of organic wastes. The term includes landfill and composting facility.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

For the purposes of this Ordinance, a distillery is considered a heavy industrial use which distills, blends, and bottles alcoholic liquors on the licensed premises in this State with an alcohol content greater than 17% and which produces a quantity of greater than 125,000 cases (297,500 gallons) per year at the licensed premises and is compliant with SC Code of Laws Title 61.

Effective on: 11/4/2020

Donation Receptacles

Donation Receptacle

means any unattended container, box, or similar device that is used for soliciting and collecting donations, including but not limited to: clothing, footwear, books, and other salvageable household goods.

Effective on: 3/16/2022

Double Loaded Block means a block that contains two rows of lots that are arranged back-to-back or separated by an alley, where the two rows face streets that are roughly parallel to each other.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Drainage means surface water runoff; the removal of surface water or groundwater from lands by drains, grading, or other means which include runoff controls to minimize erosion and sedimentation during and after construction or development, the means for preserving water supply and the prevention or alleviation of flooding.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Drainage Area means an area contributing runoff to a single point; that area in which all of the surface water runoff resulting from precipitation is concentrated into a particular stream.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Drainage System means any previously existing or newly constructed drainage facility that conveys stormwater or surface runoff such as drainage-ways, watercourses, storm drainage pipe, culverts, catch basins, sewers, specifically designed for stormwater, open ditches, swales with or without inverts, and all appurtenances thereto.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Drip-Line means a circular area the circumference of which is determined by the outer reaches of a tree's widest branching points.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Driveway means a private access-way, primarily for vehicles, leading from a street to a parking or loading area.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Duplex means a single-family attached unit type that includes two units that are attached along a common wall or separated by a floor that is not penetrated for the purpose of interior access between the two units. The standard duplex has side-by-side units with a common wall (the units may be divided into separate lots along the common lot line for individual fee-simple ownership). The units in the over-under duplex are located on different floors (the units may be accessed via separate outside entrances or through a common foyer area). Vehicular access to duplex homes in either style is from the street or from an alley.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Easement means an interest in real property granted by the property owner to the general public, a corporation, or a certain person or persons of a strip or a parcel of land for use for a specific purpose.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Effective Date means the date that this Unified Development Ordinance first became effective.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Electrical Substation means a subsidiary station of an electricity generation, transmission, and distribution system where voltage is transformed.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Elevated building means a non-basement building built to have the lowest floor elevated above the ground level by means of solid foundation perimeter walls, pilings, columns, piers, or shear walls parallel to the flow of water.

Effective on: 1/15/2018

Elevation, Building, when not referring to the position of the building in three-dimensional space, means the principal vertical planes of the building. Buildings typically have four elevations: a front elevation (or front façade), two side elevations, and a rear elevation.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Encroachment means:

1. Generally:
   1. A building or structure, or part thereof, that is located:
      1. Between a lot line and the nearest required setback line for the building or structure; or
      2. In an easement which does not allow for the building or structure; or
   2. A part of a building or structure that crosses a lot line:
      1. Into another lot under separate ownership; or
      2. Onto a right-of-way.
      3. An addition to or change to the physical condition of a specified type of flood hazard area that results in the blockage, diversion or displacement of floodwaters.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Engineer means a registered engineer in good standing with the South Carolina Board of Engineers and Land Surveyors and the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Erosion means the wearing-away of land surface by the action of wind, water, gravity, ice, or any combination of those forces.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Event Facility or Banquet Hall means a facility that may temporarily hold a large number of persons that attend a special use such as a conference, ceremony, exhibit, etc. Meals may or may not be served or made available in such facilities.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Executive Order 11988 (Floodplain Management) - Issued by President Carter in 1977, this order requires that no federally assisted activities be conducted in or have the potential to affect identified special flood hazard areas, unless there is no practicable alternative.

Effective on: 1/15/2018

Existing Building means a building which existed, or for which a building permit was granted, prior to the effective date.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Existing construction means, for the purposes of determining flood insurance rates, structures for which the start of construction commenced before December 1, 1981.

Effective on: 1/15/2018

Existing Manufactured Home Park Or Manufactured Home Subdivision means a manufactured home park or subdivision for which the construction of facilities for servicing the lots on which the manufactured homes are to be affixed (including, at a minimum, the installation of utilities, the construction of streets, and either final site grading or the pouring of concrete pads) is completed before March 20, 1972.                                  

Effective on: 1/15/2018

Expansion To An Existing Manufactured Home Park Or Subdivision means the preparation of additional sites by the construction of facilities for servicing the lots on which the manufactured homes are to be affixed (including the installation of utilities, the construction of streets, and either final site grading or the pouring of concrete slabs).

Effective on: 1/15/2018

Extraction means uses that involve extraction of minerals and fossil fuels from the ground, including surface and subsurface mining and quarrying facility.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Facade means an elevation of a building that provides the principal expression of the building to a street.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Family means two or more persons related by blood, marriage, and / or adoption; or not more than five persons not related by blood, marriage, or adoption; or a group of people that occupy a "group home" as defined by the South Carolina Code of Laws or the South Carolina Code of Regulations. With respect to occupancy of residential dwelling units, this definition includes the operation of the family as a single housekeeping unit.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Farm Stand means a temporary or permanent structure or vehicle used for the sale of agricultural produce in-season, at least 50 percent of which is grown by the seller or farmers within 25 miles of the City limits. Farm stand operators are not itinerant vendor sales.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Fill means a deposit of materials of any kind placed by artificial means.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Five-Hundred Year Floodplain means the land in a drainage-way within a community subject to a two-tenths (0.2) percent or greater chance of flooding in a given year.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Floatable Materials means any material that is not secured in place or completely enclosed in a structure, so that it could float off site during the occurrence of a flood and potentially cause harm to downstream property owners, or that could cause blockage of a culvert, bridge or other drainage facility. This includes, without limitation, lumber, vehicles, boats, equipment, trash dumpsters, tires, drums or other containers, pieces of metal, plastic or any other item or material likely to float.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Flood or Flooding means a general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry lands areas from:

1. The overflow of waters; and/or
2. The unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Flood Fringe means that portion of the one-hundred-year floodplain between the floodway boundary and the upper limits of the base flood. Sheet flow areas with flood depths of less than one (1) foot are not considered part of the flood fringe. Sheet flow areas with flood depths between one (1) and three (3) feet, inclusive, are part of the flood fringe.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Flood Hazard Boundary Map (FHBM) means an official map of a community, issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, where the boundaries of the areas of special flood hazard have been defined as Zone A.

Effective on: 1/15/2018

Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) means the official map on which the Federal Emergency Management Agency has delineated the areas of special flood hazard, designated as A Zones, which is applicable to the City.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Flood Insurance Study - the official report provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency which contains flood profiles, as well as the Flood Boundary Floodway Map and the water surface elevation of the base flood.

Effective on: 1/15/2018

Floodplain Management Administrator means the Director, who is appointed by the City Manager, which includes any successor(s) of similar title(s), or a designee.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Flood-resistant material means any building material capable of withstanding direct and prolonged contact (minimum 72 hours) with floodwaters without sustaining damage that requires more than low-cost cosmetic repair.  Any material that is water-soluble or is not resistant to alkali or acid in water, including normal adhesives for above-grade use, is not flood-resistant.  Pressure-treated lumber or naturally decay-resistant lumbers are acceptable flooring materials.  Sheet-type flooring coverings that restrict evaporation from below and materials that are impervious, but dimensionally unstable are not acceptable.  Materials that absorb or retain water excessively after submergence are not flood-resistant.  Please refer to Technical Bulletin 2, Flood Damage-Resistant Materials Requirements, dated 8/08, and available from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.  Class 4 and 5 materials, referenced therein, are acceptable flood-resistant materials.

Effective on: 1/15/2018

Floodproofing means any combination of structural and non-structural additions, changes, or adjustments to property and structures subject to flooding which reduce or eliminate flood damage to real estate or improved real property, water and sanitary facilities, structures and their contents in a floodplain area.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Floodway (Designated Floodway) means the channel of a river or other watercourse and the adjacent land areas that must be reserved in order to discharge the base flood without cumulatively increasing the water surface elevation more than one foot.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Floor Area Ratio (FAR) is a regulation that controls the size of buildings in certain zoning districts. FAR is calculated by dividing the sum of the total square feet of the climate controlled areas of a dwelling plus the total square feet of all accessory buildings located on the same lot as the dwelling by the lot's total square feet.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Food Truck means a motorized wheeled vehicle, distinct from push carts, trailers (towed carts), and other retail vendors, currently registered with the S.C. Department of Motor Vehicles, which may or may not have on board power, refrigeration, and food prep facilities, which is designed and equipped to serve food or beverages and is appropriately licensed by S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

Effective on: 6/14/2019

Forest/Wooded Area means an area that is characterized by a significant stand of trees, where a larger percentage of the stand contains mature canopy trees, and may or may not include understory trees, shrubs, and grasses.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Foster Care Home means a residence of a family or person that gives temporary day to day care to a child under the age of eighteen years who is not related to the head of such home, except in the case of relative care. The term includes any foster care home receiving a child for regular twenty-four-hour care and any home receiving a child from any state-operated institution for child care or from any child placement agency.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Freeboard means the elevation above the base flood elevation to which a structure must be elevated, as set forth in the applicable requirements of this Unified Development Ordinance.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Front Building Line means a horizontal line across the portion of the primary facade of a building that is closest to the street.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Garage Sale means the temporary use of a dwelling unit or residential property to display tangible personal property for sale to the public, where the property that is offered for sale was obtained for the personal use of a resident of the premises. Garage sales are also commonly known as estate sales, yard sales, basement sales, attic sales, and rummage sales.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Geothermal Heating and Cooling System means a system of pipes used to heat and cool buildings by exchanging heat with the ground. There are four types of systems:

1. Vertical loop systems use pipes that are oriented vertically by insertion into a bore hole that extends deep into the ground.
2. Horizontal loop systems use pipes that are oriented horizontally, installed in trenches that are typically five or more feet deep.
3. Lake loop systems use pipes that extend into waterbodies, where they exchange heat with the water instead of the ground.
4. Open loop systems extract groundwater and then discharge it into a drainage ditch or waterbody.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Governing Body (Governing Authority) means the City Council of the City of Florence.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Group Home means a structure which provides residential, non-institutional housing for a group of six or more unrelated individuals or related and unrelated individuals, where physical assistance and/or other supportive services are provided by professional support persons at least one of whom lives in the residence. A group home shall have no more than twelve residents, inclusive of supervisory personnel, except as otherwise provided in this Code.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Hazardous Waste Disposal means any final action to abandon, deposit, inter, or otherwise discard hazardous waste after its use has been achieved or a use is no longer intended or any discharging of hazardous waste into the environment.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Hazardous Waste Disposal Site means all contiguous land, including publicly-owned land, under common ownership which is used for hazardous waste disposal; except that such phrase does not include any site which is in compliance with an approved reclamation plan contained in a permit issued by the State of South Carolina.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Heavy Industry means:

1. Primary processing or manufacturing or repair operations not specifically defined elsewhere in this Section, which involve:
   1. An outside storage area that is larger than the area of the first floor of buildings on the same lot;
   2. A material risk of environmental contamination, explosion, or fire;
   3. Perceptible ground vibration;
   4. Perceptive noise or dust;
   5. Emission of objectionable odors;
   6. More than 12 trips by semi-trailer trucks per day; or
   7. Processing of minerals (except precious and semi-precious stone cutting for jewelry or precision instruments such as lasers or watches), ores, or fossil fuels; or
2. Industries that are required to undergo New Source Review under the Federal Clean Air Act, or are subject to construction or operation permits pursuant to Title V of the Federal Clean Air Act.
3. For illustrative purposes, heavy industrial uses include, but are not limited to:
   1. Coal cleaning plants with thermal dryers; coke oven batteries; carbon black plants (furnace process); petroleum refineries; petroleum storage and transfer units (except retail gasoline stations); and bulk fuel dealers;
   2. Facilities used in the primary or secondary production of metals (e.g., primary zinc, copper, or lead smelters; primary aluminum ore reduction plants; iron and steel mills; sintering plants; secondary metal production plants; and blacksmith shops);
   3. Portland cement plants;
   4. Sawmills and pulp mills;
   5. Incinerators with the capacity to charge more than 250 tons of refuse per day;
   6. Lime plants; phosphate rock processing plants; sulfur recovery plants; and hydrofluoric, sulfuric, or nitric acid plants;
   7. Fossil fuel combustion (boilers or electricity generation) totaling more than 250 million BTUs per hour of heat input;
   8. Fabrication of building materials such as countertops, drywall, and cut stone;
   9. Fabrication of vehicles, manufacturing equipment, durable goods, or pre-fabricated homes or home components;
   10. Auto or marine body, paint, or upholstery shops;
   11. Drycleaner processing plants that use PERC or comparable petrochemical solvents;
   12. Meat or seafood processing plants;
   13. Manufacture of glass products (e.g., window panes, bottles and jars), except hand-blown products;
   14. Manufacture of plastic products (except assembly of parts that are manufactured elsewhere);
   15. Plasma arc welding, cutting, gouging, surfacing, or spraying; gas welding (but not brazing); arc welding with equipment that is rated at more than 200 amps; TIG welding; and other heavy welding procedures (e.g., for structural steel, automotive body, or heavy equipment manufacture or repair);
   16. Hot mix asphalt plants;
   17. Regional wastewater utilities;
   18. Fossil fuel power plants, waste-to-energy plants, and biomass plants that produce more than 100 megawatts of electricity;
   19. Fossil fuel power plants.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Heavy Retail means retail and/or service activities that have regular outside service or outside storage areas, larger than average enclosed floor areas devoted to commercial use, or partially enclosed structures, as listed below:

1. Permanent retail operations that are located outside of enclosed buildings, except nurseries;
2. Home centers;
3. Lumber and other building materials;
4. Lawn, garden equipment, and related supplies stores;
5. Warehouse clubs and super stores;
6. Recreational equipment rental where the equipment is stored outside;
7. Heavy truck or recreational vehicle leasing or sales;
8. Manufactured home sales; and
9. Industrial or construction equipment leasing or sales.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Helistop means an area used for the take-off and landing of private helicopters for the purpose of picking up and discharging of passengers or cargo. The use of the helistop is restricted to specific users or purposes (e.g., tenants of a corporate park; a hospital trauma center; etc.), and the term does not include facilities for general helicopter aviation use.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Highest Adjacent Grade means the highest natural elevation of the ground surface prior to construction next to the proposed walls of a structure.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Historic District means an area designated by City Council, upon the recommendation of the Board of Historical Review, and pursuant to the provisions of this Unified Development Ordinance.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Historic Property means any place (including an archaeological site or the location of a significant historical event), building, structure, work of art, fixture or similar object that has been individually designated by City Council or designated as a contributing property within a historic district by City Council.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Historic Structure means any structure that is:

1. Listed individually in the National Register of Historic Places (a listing maintained by the Department of the Interior) or preliminarily determined by the Secretary of the Interior as meeting the requirements for individual listing on the National Register;
2. Certified or preliminarily determined by the Secretary of the Interior as contributing to the historical significance of a registered historic district or a district preliminarily determined by the Secretary to qualify as a registered historic district;
3. Individually listed on a state inventory of historic places in states with historic conservation programs which have been approved by the Secretary of the Interior; or
4. Individually listed on a local inventory of historic places in communities which historic conservation programs that have been certified either:
   1. An approved state program as determined by the Secretary of the Interior; or
   2. Directly by the Secretary of the Interior in states without approved programs.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Home Occupation means any business, occupation or activity conducted for financial gain from within a dwelling unit where such use is incidental and accessory to the use of the building as a residence by the person engaged in the home-based business. The phrase "home-based business" does not include the phrases "in-home child care" or “foster home”.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Hospitals / Clinics / Medical Labs mean hospitals, walk-in clinics, birthing centers, and medical laboratories, including general medical and surgical hospitals and specialty hospitals. The term “hospitals” does not mean alcoholism or drug rehabilitation facilities, nor does it mean medical offices where patients are generally seen by appointment.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Impacts mean a change in the extent or elevation of the floodplain by development.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Impervious Surface means those areas which prevent or impede the infiltration of stormwater into the soil as it entered in natural conditions prior to development. Common impervious areas include, but are not limited to, rooftops, sidewalks, walkways, patio areas, driveways, parking lots, storage areas, compacted gravel and soil surfaces, awnings and other fabric or plastic coverings, and other surfaces which prevent or impede the natural infiltration of stormwater runoff which existed prior to development.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC) – applies to all new and renewed flood insurance policies effective on and after June 1, 1997. The NFIP shall enable the purchase of insurance to cover the cost of compliance with land use and control measures established under Section 1361. It provides coverage for the payment of a claim to help pay for the cost to comply with State or community floodplain management laws or ordinances after a flood event in which a building has been declared substantially or repetitively damaged.

Effective on: 1/15/2018

Institutional Residential means institutional housing combined with common food service, nursing, counseling, health care, or comparable services, but does not include assisted living facilities, congregate care, nursing homes, or continuing care neighborhoods. The phrase "institutional residential" includes:

1. Facilities, other than group homes, in which residents live in an institutional environment and are, generally, under the care or control of staff;
2. In-patient drug and alcoholism hospitals and rehabilitation centers, in which residents have institutional care, or are treated by staff in an institutional setting, rather than living independently; and
3. Any sheltered care, group care, group home, or residential substance abuse facility with more than eight total occupants.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Institutional Use – Public, semipublic, and private elementary schools, high schools, civic buildings, community buildings and uses, and public utility uses including substations, government buildings, churches, museums, art galleries, fire houses, post offices, police stations, reservoirs, libraries, parks, essential services, hospitals and similar uses.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Intensive Agriculture means:

1. Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) of any size,
2. Concentrated aquatic animal production facilities, ;
3. Any use where animals are tightly confined in buildings or outdoor pens or pastures with more than one animal equivalent unit per acre, including feedlots, hog farms, and poultry operations; or
4. Any other agricultural use that is required to obtain a discharge permit under the Federal Clean Water Act because of animal or poultry wastes.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Itinerant Vendor Sales means any person or business entity establishing a temporary place of business in the City for a time period of not more than 10 days in any 30 day period. Businesses established for a time period exceeding 10 days in any 30 day period are not permitted. The phrase shall include, but is not limited to:

1. A.
   Outdoor sales booths;
2. B.
   Truckload sales;
3. C.
   Sales from other vehicles; and
4. D.
   Outdoor display.

Sales of items include the following durable goods but are not limited to:

1. A.
   Rugs;
2. B.
   Paintings/posters;
3. C.
   Toys;
4. D.
   Used or new household items; and
5. E.
   Sunglasses and other apparel.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Kennel means any premises where any combination of dogs, cats or other household pets, totaling four (4) or more animals, six (6) months of age or older, are kept, boarded or bred for the intention of profit.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Land Disturbing Activity means any use of the land by any person such as clearing, grading, transporting, filling or any other activity that results in a change in the natural cover or topography that may cause erosion and contribute to sediment and alter the quality and quantity of stormwater runoff.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Landowner an owner of a legal or equitable interest in real property, including the heirs, devisees, successors, assigns, and person representatives of the owner. Landowner may include a person holding a valid option to purchase real property pursuant to a contract with the owner to act as his agent or representative for the purpose of submitting a proposed site specific development plan pursuant to this Unified Development Ordinance.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Letter of Map Amendment Based on Fill (LOMA-F) means a letter from FEMA stating that a structure or parcel of land that has been elevated by fill would not be inundated by the base flood.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Letter of Map Change (LOMC) means all letters of SFHA changes from FEMA including LOMR, LOMR-F, LOMAs and Physical Map Revisions (PMR).

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) means a letter from FEMA officially revising the effective National Flood Insurance Rate Map to show changes in zones, delineation and flood elevation of floodplains and floodways.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Light Automobile Service / Gas Station means:

1. Gasoline service stations (including gasoline service stations that are associated with grocery stores and warehouse clubs);
2. Gasoline convenience marts (a gasoline service station with a convenience store);
3. Quick service oil, tune-up, brake, inspections, and/or muffler shops in which:
   1. Repairs are made in fully enclosed bays;
   2. Repairs are of a type that is typically completed in less than two hours (e.g., oil changes, brake service, tire rotation and balancing, glass repair, tire replacement, fluid checks and replacement, muffler service, spark plug replacement, state inspections and comparable services); and
   3. Vehicles are generally not stored on-site, and on the occasion when overnight storage is necessary, vehicles are stored indoors; or
4. Any combination of 1., 2., or 3., above.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Light Industry means uses that involve research and development, assembly, compounding, packaging, testing, or treatment of products from previously prepared materials, with limited outside storage and limited external impacts or risks; or wholesale uses; or rental or sale of large items that are stored outside. For illustrative purposes, light industry uses include:

1. Assembly, testing, or refurbishing of products, instruments, electronics, office and computing machines, and fixtures from pre-manufactured components;
2. Offices of general contractors, specialty subcontractors, or tradesmen which include:
   1. Bay door access to indoor storage of tools, parts, and materials;
   2. Parking of commercial vehicles; or
   3. Outdoor storage areas that are smaller than the area of the first floor of the building that are used for storage of materials or vehicles that are less than 12 feet in height. 3.
3. Communications facilities, except wireless telecommunications facilities;
4. Data centers, server farms, telephone exchange buildings, and telecom hotels;
5. Food production and packaging other than meat and seafood processing and restaurants;
6. Furniture making or refinishing;
7. Manufacture of textiles or apparel;
8. Screen printing of apparel;
9. Printing and publishing, except copy centers (which are commercial and personal services), and except printing presses that require a Stationary Source permit or Title V permit for air emissions (which are heavy industry);
10. Research and development, scientific testing, and product testing;
11. Disassembly of consumer electronics and / or appliances into component parts, where all operations and storage are within an enclosed building;
12. Manufacture or compounding of pharmaceutical products, dietary supplements, health and beauty products, and herbal products; and
13. Packaging of products.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Limited Storage means an area used for storage and intended to be limited to incidental items that can withstand exposure to the elements and have low flood damage potential.  Such an area must be of flood resistant or breakaway material, void of utilities except for essential lighting and cannot be temperature controlled. If the area is located below the base flood elevation in an A, AE and A1-A30 zone it must meet the requirements of Section 4-12.6 of this ordinance.

Effective on: 1/15/2018

Live-Work means a dwelling unit that provides space that is designed for one or more commercial uses that are permitted in a particular zoning district. Access between the dwelling unit and the commercial space is provided within the unit.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Local Governing Body means the City, Planning Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals, Construction Board of Appeals, or the City of Florence Design Review Board.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Lot means a parcel of land whose boundaries have been established by a legal instrument such as a recorded deed, court order, or a recorded plat, which is recognized as a separate legal entity for purposes of transfer of title.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Lot Line means a line, including property line or a lease line, dividing one lot from another or from a street or other public place. There are four types of lot lines: front, rear, side, and street:

1. Front lot line means the lot line that follows the street right-of-way line of the street from which the lot takes access; or, where more than one street yard could safely provide this access, the street from which the address is assigned.
2. Rear lot line means the lot line opposite the front lot line.
3. Side lot line means the lot line that runs generally perpendicular or at angles to the street or any line that is not a front, street, or rear lot line.
4. Street side lot line means any side lot line that is also a street right-of-way line.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Lot-Line Home means a single-family detached housing type that differs from the typical single-family unit in that it is situated on the lot so that one side building wall is located on a side lot line, and the other side is designed to have a large private yard behind the street facade.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Lot, Through means a lot with a rear lot line that is coterminous with a street right-of-way. Lots with rear lot lines that abut alleys are not through lots.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Lowest Adjacent Grade (LAG) means an elevation of the lowest ground surface that touches any deck support, exterior walls of a building or proposed building walls.

Effective on: 1/15/2018

Lowest Floor means the lowest floor of the lowest enclosed area of a building (including any basement or crawlspace). An unfinished or flood resistant enclosure, usable solely for parking of vehicles, building access or storage, in an area other than a basement area, is not considered a building’s lowest floor, provided that such enclosure is not built so as to render the structure in violation of the applicable non-elevation design requirements of Floodplain Management Regulations.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Lumen means a unit of measurement of the quantity of light that falls on an area of one square foot every point of which is one foot from the source of one candela.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Major Drainage Channel means all channels which drain an accumulation of primary and/or secondary drainage channels. These channels shall be the natural drainage channels of the watershed or manmade channels draining an area of one square mile or more.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Major Governmental Project means a construction project being built by a governmental agency (federal, state, county, or city) and for which the total costs of the initial construction exceeds $25 million.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Manufactured Construction Office means a manufactured home that is used temporarily as a construction office, or storage unit. The phrase includes shipping containers that are 20 feet or more in length, when they are used to store construction materials. The phrase does not include portable on-demand storage units.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Manufactured Buildings means a manufactured home that is used temporarily as a classroom, dwelling unit, or storage unit. The phrase includes shipping containers that are 20 feet or more in length, when they are used to store construction materials. The phrase does not include portable on-demand storage units.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Manufactured Home means homes that are transportable in one or more sections, that are built on a permanent chassis and designed for use with or without a permanent foundation when connected to the required utilities. Manufactured homes are built to standards promulgated by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. They are generally manufactured in single-wide (one section), double-wide (two sections), or triple-wide (three sections) configurations.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Manufactured Home Park or Subdivision means a parcel of land that is divided into two or more plots for long-term lease or sale, with infrastructure designed for the installation of manufactured homes.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Marquee means a shelter structure attached to or cantilevered from a building and wholly or partially supported by a building and/or supported by columns, braces, or poles extended to the ground and constructed of materials which are permanent in nature such as metal, wood, concrete, plastic, glass, canvas , or treated cloth or vinyl.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Mean Sea Level means, for the purpose of this ordinance, the Nations Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD) of 1929, North American Vertical Datum (NAVD) of 1988, or other datum, to which the base flood elevations shown on a community’s Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) are shown.

Effective on: 1/15/2018

A manufacturer which produces beer with an annual maximum production capacity of 15,000 barrels (465,000 gallons) per year at the licensed premises primarily engaged in production and off-site sales and is compliant with SC Code of Laws Title 61.

Effective on: 11/4/2020

A manufacturer which distills, blends, and bottles alcoholic liquors with an alcohol content greater than 17% and which produces a maximum quantity of 125,000 cases (297,500 gallons) per year at the licensed premises and is compliant with SC Code of Laws Title 61.

Effective on: 11/4/2020

Mixed Use means development in which a combination of residential and commercial uses (e.g., residential-over-retail), or several classifications of commercial uses (e.g., office and retail), are located on the same parcel proposed for development.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Mobile Food Vendor means a person who sells food and/or beverages from a non-permanent venue such as a truck, cart, or trailer.

Effective on: 6/14/2019

Means the on-site provision of commercial or community services to residents or employees of the site. Provision of services to drive-up customers or customers from other locations is expressly prohibited. The phrase shall include, but is not limited to: 

1. A.
   Dog grooming;
2. B.
   Vehicle cleaning;
3. C.
   Building pressure washing;
4. D.
   Health/dental exams;
5. E.
   Library services;
6. F.
   Video game trucks;
7. G.
   Windshield replacement.

[Ord. # 2026-04, 03/09/2026]

Effective on: 3/9/2026

Model Homes and On-site Real Estate Offices mean a dwelling unit that is temporarily used as a model to display the layout and finishes of other dwelling units that are or will be available for sale within a subdivision or condominium development. Sales Office means: a dwelling unit within a subdivision; a dwelling unit within a condominium; or a modular unit that is temporarily used as a sales office for a subdivision or condominium.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Multifamily means a building that includes three or more dwelling units, which is not designed as townhomes or multiplex buildings. Multifamily also means two or more residential units that are located on the upper floors of a mixed-use building.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Multiplex means a residential building that is constructed to look like a large single-family detached residence.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

North American Vertical Datum (NAVD) of 1988 means vertical control, as corrected in 1988, used as the reference datum on Flood Insurance Rate Maps.

Effective on: 1/15/2018

Natural Drainage-way means a channel that becomes a tributary to carry water to a larger body of water during rain events.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Natural Waterway means waterways that are part of the natural topography. They usually maintain a continuous or seasonal flow during the year and are characterized as being irregular in cross-section with a meandering course. Construction channels such as drainage ditches shall not be considered natural waterways.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

New Construction means structures for which the start of construction commenced on or after the effective date.

New Manufactured Home Park or Subdivision means a manufactured home park or subdivision for which the construction of facilities for servicing the lots on which the manufactured homes are to be affixed (including at a minimum the installation of utilities, the construction of streets, and either final site grading or the pouring of concrete slabs) is completed on or after December 01, 1981.[Ord. # 2025-09, 03/10/2025]

Effective on: 3/10/2025

Nonconforming Building means a building that was lawfully constructed prior to the effective date of this Unified Development Ordinance (or amendment hereto) that does not conform to the height, yard, building coverage, impervious surface ratio, density, intensity, building scale, or design standards that are applicable to the same type of building in the district in which the building is located.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Nonconforming Landscaping means landscaping (or lack thereof) that does not conform to the landscape area or planting requirements of Article 10, Landscaping and Buffering, or other provisions of this Unified Development Ordinance that require the designation of open space or landscape surface areas or the buffering of uses.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Nonconforming Lots mean lots that were lawfully created before the effective date of this Unified Development Ordinance, or amendments hereto, but which no longer comply with the lot width, frontage, area, or access requirements of this Unified Development Ordinance.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Nonconforming Parking means parking spaces, drive aisles, and loading areas that do not conform to the requirements of this code that are set out in Article 9, Parking and Loading, in terms of their number or dimensions or the surfacing and maintenance of off-street parking areas.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Nonconforming Structure means a structure other than a building that was lawfully constructed prior to the effective date of this Unified Development Ordinance (or amendment hereto) that does not conform to the standards that are applicable to the same type of structure in the district in which the structure is located.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Nonconforming Use means a use of land that was lawfully established (i.e., it was allowed and legally authorized, if legal authorization was required) on a parcel or lot before the effective date of this Unified Development Ordinance (or amendment hereto), that is no longer allowed after the effective date of this Unified Development Ordinance (or amendment hereto).

Effective on: 1/1/1901

No Rise means a calculated rise in flood depth of 0.00 feet as rounded to the nearest one-tenth (0.1) of a foot.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Nonstructural Development means any use of property that does not involve a structure. Nonstructural development may include, but is not limited to, the construction or installation of or use of a property for parking lots, utilities, detention ponds, fences, trails, pathways, outdoor storage, cultivation of vegetation or placement of fill.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Non-Substantial Improvements means any repair, reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, or other improvement of a structure, the cost of which is less than 50 percent of the market value of the structure before the start of construction of the improvement. This phrase includes structures which have incurred Substantial Damage, regardless of the actual repair work performed. For the purposes of this definition, substantial improvement is considered to occur when the first alteration of any wall, ceiling, floor, or other structural part of the building commences, whether or not that alteration affects the external dimensions of the structure. The phrase does not, however, include either:

1. Any project for improvement of a structure to comply with existing state or local health, sanitary, or safety code specifications which are solely necessary to assure safe living conditions; or
2. Any alteration of a structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places or a State Inventory of Historic Places.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

NPDES Permit means the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit issued to the City pursuant to Section 402 of the Federal Clean Water Act.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Nude Model Studio means any place where a person who appears semi-nude, in a state of nudity, or who displays specified anatomical areas, is provided to be observed, sketched, drawn, painted, sculptured, photographed, or similarly depicted by other persons. Nude Model Studio does not include a proprietary school licensed by the State of South Carolina or a college, junior college or university supported entirely or in part by public taxation; a private college or university which maintains and operates educational programs in which credits are transferable to a college, junior college, or university supported entirely or partly by taxation; or a business in a structure:

1. That has no sign visible from the exterior of the structure and no other advertising that indicates a nude or semi-nude person is available for viewing; and
2. Where in order to participate in a class a student must enroll at least three days in advance of the class; and
3. Where no more than one nude or semi-nude model is on the premises at any one time.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Nudity or State of Nudity means the appearance or display of specified anatomical areas.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Nursery or Greenhouse (Wholesale or Retail) means an enterprise that conducts the retail and / or wholesale sale of plants whether grown on or off the premises. The terms also include, as an accessory use, the sale of a limited selection of items (e.g., soil, planters, pruners, mulch, lawn or patio furniture, garden accessories, etc., but not power equipment) that are directly related to the care and maintenance of landscapes.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Nursing Home means a residential facility that is maintained primarily for the care and treatment of inpatients under the direction of a physician. The patients in such a facility require supportive, therapeutic, or compensating services and the availability of a licensed nurse for observation or treatment on a twenty-four-hour basis. Nursing care may include but is not limited to terminal care; extensive assistance or therapy in the activities of daily living; continual direction, supervision, or therapy; extensive assistance or therapy for loss of mobility; nursing assessment and services which involve assessment of the total needs of the patient, planning of patient care, and observing, monitoring, and recording the patient's response to treatment; and monitoring, observing, and evaluating the drug regimen. "Nursing home" includes intermediate nursing facilities for the mentally retarded or developmentally disabled.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Obstruction means any physical barrier, structure, material or impediment in, along, across or projecting into a watercourse that may alter, impede, retard or change the direction or velocity of the flow of water, or that may, due to its location, have a propensity to snare or collect debris carried by the flow of water or to be carried downstream. Obstruction shall include, but not be limited to, any dam, wall, wharf, embankment, levee, dike, pile, abutment, protection, excavation, channelization, bridge, conduit, culvert, building, wire, fence, rock, gravel, refuse, fill, structure, and vegetation in, along, across or projecting into a watercourse.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Office, General means uses in which professional, outpatient medical, or financial services are provided. The term includes:

1. Accounting, auditing and bookkeeping;
2. Advertising and graphic design;
3. Architectural, engineering, and surveying services;
4. Attorneys and court reporters;
5. Banks, mortgage companies; and financial services;
6. Call centers;
7. Computer programming;
8. Corporate headquarters;
9. Counseling services;
10. Data processing and word processing services;
11. Detective agencies;
12. Government offices;
13. Insurance;
14. Interior design;
15. Medical, dental, and chiropractic offices;
16. Real estate sales;
17. Research and development that does not include on-site manufacturing;
18. Retail catalog, internet, and telephone order processing, but not warehousing; and
19. Virtual office services.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Official Zoning Map means a map or maps showing the location of existing or proposed public street, highway, and public utility rights-of-way, public building sites and public open spaces, maintained by the City.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

One-Hundred Year Floodplain means the land in a drainageway subject to a one-percent or greater chance of flooding in a given year, whether designated as such by FEMA or by the City.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Optical Sensor - A device that automatically determines the ambient illumination and is programed to automatically dim according to ambient light conditions, or that can be adjusted to emit less than or equal to 0.3 foot candles over ambient illumination measured at the required distance.

Effective on: 4/5/2018

Outstanding Resource Waters means an exceptional recreational and/or ecological resource and suitable for drinking water source with minimal treatment.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Overnight Accommodations mean places that offer overnight accommodations for short-term rental in increments of not less than 20 hours, including hotels and motels. This phrase also includes hotels that offer convention facilities or meeting rooms. This phrase does not include a bed & breakfast inn.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Parcel Proposed for Development means any legally described parcel of land which is designated by the owner or developer as land to be used or developed as a single unit, or which has been developed as a unit as determined by the Director.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Parking (Stand-Alone Lot) and Transit Facilities means:

1. Parking that is not accessory to a specific use, where a fee is typically charged. A facility that provides both accessory parking for a specific use and regular fee parking for people not connected to the use is also classified as a Parking Facility. This includes small structures intended to shield attendants from the weather.
2. Terminals used for the ticketing, loading, and unloading of bus or train passengers. Food and beverage sales conducted during normal terminal operations are included as accessory uses.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Patio means a hardscaped ground level area, usually (but not necessarily) paved with concrete or decorative pavers, that adjoins a home and is designed for use as an area for outdoor lounging, dining, or other comparable leisure activities.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Patio Home means a single-family detached unit, or a single-family attached unit (in a duplex-like configuration), which is typically situated on a reduced-size lot (compared to single-family detached or lot line forms) that orients outdoor activity within rear or side yard patio areas (for better use of the site for outdoor living space). Only the rear yard is fenced on the patio home, preserving a narrow side yard that is visible from the street. Vehicular access to patio homes is provided from alleys.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Person means any individual, corporation, business or land trust, estate, trust, partnership, association, two or more persons having a joint or common interest, or any legal entity as defined by South Carolina laws.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Personal Services means a use that provides non-medical services that generally used on a recurring basis, and generally require one-to-one interaction between the proprietor or employee and the customer in order to provide the service. Examples of personal services include beauty and barber shops and tailoring. The phrase does not include "professional services, instruction, or counseling."

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Phased Development Plan means a development plan submitted to the City by a landowner that shows the types and density or intensity of uses for a specific property or properties to be developed in phases, but which do not satisfy the requirements for a site specific development plan.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Photovoltaic Array (also called "PV Arrays" or "Solar Arrays") means an array of solar cells that convert energy from sunlight directly into electricity.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Place of Public Assembly means a place where the people assemble for civic, educational, cultural, or day care purposes. This use includes the following:

1. Places of worship; theaters; conference centers;
2. Cultural or arts centers; museums; and aquariums;
3. Libraries;
4. Pre-schools;
5. Elementary, middle, and high schools;
6. Adult day care; and
7. Child care centers.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Planned Cluster means a residential development that consists of a variety of lot sizes and more than one housing type. The housing type may include:

1. Single family detached;
2. Patio home;
3. Duplex;
4. Townhouse;
5. Multiplex; and
6. Multifamily.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Planned Residential means a residential development in the RU district; or the residential portion of a mixed use development in the AC, CBD, and DS districts; that consists of more than one housing type. The housing type may include:

1. Townhouse; and
2. Multifamily.

The term does not include single family nor patio home types, unless certain standards and limitations are met.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Planning Commission (Commission) means the Planning Commission designated by City Council.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Planning Commission Secretary means that person employed to serve the Planning Commission in a staff capacity.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Plat (plan) means a map or drawing upon which the developer's plan for a subdivision is presented. The term includes a sketch plan, a development plan, and a final plat.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Plot (Manufactured Home Plot) means a lot in a manufactured home subdivision or a lease lot in a manufactured home park.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Police or Fire Stations mean police facilities or fire facilities, including substations of each. The phrase "police or fire stations" does not include training facilities of a different character than the station, such as shooting ranges or fire training centers that conduct live burns.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Porch, Enclosed means a covered entrance to a building or structure which is enclosed by screens, walls or windows. Porches generally project out from the main wall of the building, and may have a separate roof or a roof that is integrated with the building to which it is attached. This definition includes porches that are enclosed by solid walls that are at least 30 inches in height, used in conjunction with or instead of balustrades or railings.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Porch, Open means a covered entrance to a building or structure which is not enclosed by walls or windows, but may have columns that support the porch roof and railing. Porches generally project out from the main wall of the building, and may have a separate roof or a roof that is integrated with the building to which it is attached.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Portable Storage Units are enclosed storage containers that are less than 20 feet in length, which are left at a location for temporary storage on-site, or for filling and moving to another site (which may include an off-site storage facility).

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Post Office means a facility that contains service windows for mailing packages and letters, post office boxes, offices, vehicle storage areas, and sorting and distribution facilities for mail.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Private Club means organizations or associations of persons for some common purpose, such as a fraternal, social, educational or recreational purpose, but not including clubs organized primarily for-profit or to render a service which is customarily carried on as a business. Examples of private clubs include (but are not limited to) 4-H Clubs, veterans organizations, Boy Scout and Girl Scout facilities, Elks Lodges, YMCA, YWCA, private community clubhouses, golf clubhouses, and fraternities and sororities that do not include residential facilities. The phrase "private club" does not include organizations with a principal purpose of serving alcoholic beverages to its members or others.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Private Improvement means any improvement required by a development plan which is not deemed by the City to be a public improvement.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Professional Services, Instruction, or Counseling means services that principally involve communication between the proprietor or employee and the client, and which may involve services to more than one client at a time by a single proprietor or employee, including music instruction, yoga instruction, dance instruction, martial arts instruction, marriage counseling, and financial planning. The phrase does not include "personal services."

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Protective Care means housing where the residents are assigned to the facility and are under the protective care of the county, state, or federal government. This use includes: jails or prisons; work release; psychiatric hospitals; and comparable facilities.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Public Improvement means any on-site or off-site roadways, water lines, sewer lines, stormwater facilities, open space, landscaping, street lighting, street furniture, traffic control devices, sidewalks, trails, transportation improvements, parking areas and similar infrastructure and related improvements to be constructed and dedicated for public use, or otherwise providing a public benefit and made available for public use by easement, license or other form of agreement.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Public Space (within a building) means spaces designed for use by the public, such as auditoriums, court rooms, lobbies, entrance halls, etc. These spaces are usually gathering places as opposed to corridors for public use.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Real Property means all real property that is subject to the land use and development ordinances or regulations of the City, as contained in this Unified Development Ordinance, and includes the earth, water, and air above, below, or on the surface, and includes improvements or structures customarily regarded as a part of real property.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Receiving Waters means bodies of water that receive runoff or wastewater discharges, such as rivers, streams, lakes, estuaries, and ground water.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Reconstruction means to rebuild a structure without increasing its footprint, when the structure has been:

1. Partially or completely destroyed by any cause (i.e., fire, wind, flood), or
2. Partially or completely torn down. Reconstruction that also meets the definition of redevelopment is considered redevelopment.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Recreation, Indoor means uses that provide recreation opportunities indoors for the public (open to the community) or residents of a subdivision or development, which are not commercial in nature. Specifically excluded from the definition are health and exercise clubs and commercial amusement uses. This phrase includes:

1. Community recreation centers;
2. Gymnasiums;
3. Indoor swimming pools; or 4.
4. Tennis, racquetball, or handball courts.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Recreation, Outdoor means uses that provide recreation opportunities outdoors for the public (open to the community) or residents of a subdivision or development, which are not commercial in nature (except for golf courses or skate parks, which may be commercial in nature). The phrase "recreation, outdoor" includes public areas for active or passive recreational activities including, but not limited to:

1. Jogging, cycling, tot-lots, playing fields, playgrounds, outdoor swimming pools, and tennis courts;
2. Golf courses (regardless of ownership or membership);
3. Skate parks, manned or unmanned;
4. Arboretums, wildlife sanctuaries, forests, and other natural areas which may be used for walking or hiking; or
5. Other passive recreation-oriented parks, including picnic areas, and garden plots.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Recreational Facilities means facilities or equipment that are used for private or public recreational or natural resource purposes that have a relatively low flood damage potential and do not involve a structure. This includes, without limitation: bicycle, equestrian or pedestrian trails and paths; benches; ball fields; tennis and basketball courts; interpretive facilities; and golf courses.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Recreational Vehicle means a vehicle which is:

1. Built on a single chassis;
2. 400 square feet or less when measured at the largest horizontal projections;
3. Designed to be self-propelled or permanently towable by a light duty truck; and
4. Designed primarily not for use as a permanent dwelling but as temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, travel, or seasonal use.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Recycling, Drop-Off means a facility or land use, regardless of name or title, at which recoverable resources, such as newspapers, magazines, glass, metal, plastic materials, tires, grass and leaves, and similar items, except hazardous waste and medical waste are collected, cleaned, sorted, stored, flattened, shredded, dismantled, crushed, bundled, or separated by size, grade, quality, or type, and compacted, baled, or packaged for shipment or delivery for the eventual manufacture of new products.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Recycling and Salvage means any land or structure used for collection, sorting, aggregation, and re-sale (or transfer) of recyclable materials or for the aggregate storage of inoperable man-made equipment, machinery, scrap, or other used or discarded materials having a total cubic volume of at least 700 cubic feet, for the purposes of recycling, re-using, or re-selling components. The phrase does not include "waste transfer stations," (even if they include a separate space for collection of recyclable materials), and does not include facilities where the materials are actually recycled into raw materials (such uses are typically heavy industry). This phrase also does not include yards that are primarily used for storage of materials, but does include:

1. Recycling centers;
2. Composting facilities;
3. Vehicle recycling or scrap metal processing; and
4. Collection, dismantlement, storage, and salvage of inoperable vehicles, boats, trucks, farm vehicles or equipment, or other types of heavy machinery.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Redevelopment means any modification, expansion, or addition that increases the gross floor or site area of an existing building, structure, site, or parking facility, irrespective of whether a change in land use occurs. Redevelopment is further defined as follows:

1. Major Redevelopment means a modification, expansion, or addition that increases the gross floor or site area of an existing building, structure, site, or parking facility by at least 15 percent or 3,000 square feet, whichever is less.
2. Minor Redevelopment means a modification, expansion, or addition that increases the gross floor or site area of an existing building, structure, site, or parking facility by less than 15 percent or 3,000 square feet, whichever is more.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Regional Improvement means an improvement, facility, network or system that exists, is planned, or is designed, primarily to benefit or to serve more than a single subdivision or development, including the future occupants of a parcel proposed for development. Examples of regional improvements include, but are not limited to: traffic signals; major intersection improvements; utilities; arterial road infrastructure and related facilities; street infrastructure serving public facilities (such as schools, parks, libraries, and government offices); bridges; parks; schools; libraries; and public transportation facilities. Regional improvements do not include funding for operation of services or facilities.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Regulation(s) means the particular requirements contained within an ordinance.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Repetitive Loss means a building covered by a contract for flood insurance that has incurred flood-related damages on 2 occasions during a 10 year period ending on the date of the event for which a second claim is made, in which the cost of repairing the flood damage, on the average, equaled or exceeded 25% of the market value of the building at the time of each such flood event.

Effective on: 1/15/2018

Reserved Strip means a strip of land adjacent to a public street or similar right-of-way which has been reserved for the purpose of controlling access to the public right-of-way.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Restaurant, Drive-In or Drive-Through

means a restaurant located either within a retail center, or situated on its own freestanding pad, that is engaged predominately in the preparation and serving of meals.  For the purposes of this definition, “predominately” means that the establishment has a “commercial kitchen” so defined within this Division and that food sales constitute at least 50% of the regular source of business to the licensed establishment.  Furthermore, the establishment:

1. Contains a drive-in or drive-through facility;
2. Primarily serves food that is prepared and packaged within five minutes; and
3. Customarily serves food in disposable containers.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Restaurant, No Drive-In or Drive-Through

means an establishment engaged predominately in the preparation and serving of meals to customers for consumption on-site or off-site, but does not include drive-in or drive-through facilities (but may include designated parking spaces for "curbside pickup" of food ordered in advance if the curbside pickup is a clearly subordinate function to the restaurant's operations).   For the purposes of this definition, “predominately” means that the establishment has a “commercial kitchen” so defined within this Division and that food sales constitute at least 50% of the regular source of business to the licensed establishment. These establishments include:

1. Full-service restaurants;
2. Limited-service eating facilities; and
3. Special foodservices.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Re-subdivision means any combination of previously recorded lots or tracts of contiguous land for the purpose of creating additional lots or revising lot lines, including eliminating lot lines.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Riparian Buffer means an area of trees, shrubs, and other vegetation that borders an existing watercourse, wetland, or other water body (including open stormwater conveyances) for the purpose of reducing contamination from surface water runoff.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Runoff means a portion of the precipitation on the land which reaches the drainage system.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Seasonal Sales means sales of seasonal items by occupants of a commercial or institutional parcel. Seasonal sales are not itinerant vendor sales.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Secondary Drainage Channel means all drainage channels which drain an area of less than 200 acres and the primary benefit is to the development.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Section 1316 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 - The act provides that no new flood insurance shall be provided for any property found by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to have been declared by a state or local authority to be in violation of state or local ordinances.

Effective on: 1/15/2018

Self-Storage Facility means an establishment that offers for rental, lease, or ownership of individual bays that are intended for the storage, warehousing, or safe-keeping of goods or possessions, regardless of the duration of such storage, warehousing, or safe-keeping.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Semi-Nude means the showing of the female breast below a horizontal line across the top of the areola at its highest point or the showing of the male or female buttocks. This definition shall include the entire lower portion of the human female breast, but shall not include any portion of the cleavage of the human female breast, exhibited by a dress, blouse, skirt, leotard, bathing suit or other wearing apparel, provided the areola is not exposed in whole or in part.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Services used alone means commercial services, personal services, and professional services.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Services, Commercial means non-medical services that are, typically provided to the general public without the requirement of an appointment or membership, such as:

1. Copy centers;
2. Social services, except those defined elsewhere in this Unified Development Ordinance;
3. Repair services and shops, except automobile, truck, large appliance, and heavy equipment repair;
4. Parcel service drop-off locations and mailbox services; and
5. Laundry and dry-cleaning services with customer pick-up and drop-off (does not include wholesale or centralized dry cleaner processing plants.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Setback means a minimum distance that is required from a lot line to a building, structure, or sign, as the context requires.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Sex Crime means a crime of a sexual nature, such as those set out in S.C. Code of Laws §§ 16-3-615, Spousal Sexual Battery; 16-3-652, Criminal Sexual Conduct in the First Degree; 16-3-653, Criminal Sexual Conduct in the Second Degree; 16-3-654, Criminal Sexual Conduct in the Third Degree; 16-3-655, Criminal Sexual Conduct with a Minor; 16-3-656, Criminal Sexual Conduct: Assaults with Intent to Commit; 16-3-810, Engaging Child for Sexual Performance; 16-3-820, Producing, Directing or Promoting Sexual Performance by Child; 16-17-470, Peeping or Voyeurism.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Sexual Encounter Center means a business or commercial establishment or private club that offers, for the purpose of sexual arousal, pleasure, gratification, or abuse, for any form of consideration, a place where two or more persons may congregate, associate, or consort and observe, view, participate, or engage in specified sexual activities or expose specified anatomical areas.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Sexually Oriented Business means an adult arcade, adult bookstore, adult cabaret, adult novelty store, adult video store, nude model studio, adult motel, adult motion picture theater, or sexual encounter center.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Shallow Flooding Areas (AO or AH Zones) means a designated AO or AH zone on a community’s Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) with one percent chance or greater annual chance of flooding to an average depth of one to three feet where a clearly defined channel does not exist, where the path of flooding is unpredictable and where velocity flow may be evident. Such flooding is characterized by ponding or sheet flow.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Short Term Rentals means a furnished residential unit that is rented out by the property owner for financial gain for a period of no more than 29 consecutive days and not to exceed 72 days in the aggregate during any calendar year.

Effective on: 6/14/2019

Shrub means:

1. A woody plant of less size than a tree, and usually with several stems from the same root;
2. Perennial plants that reach at least three feet in height; and
3. Ornamental grasses that reach at least three feet in height.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Sidewalk Sales and Farmers' Markets means sales that are conducted by either the store owner or occupant, outside their store, or by one or more commercial farms, on:

1. A public sidewalk;
2. A private sidewalk;
3. Pedestrian areas adjacent to a sidewalk, such as pedestrian plazas.

Sidewalks sales conducted by other entities are itinerant vendor sales.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Sight Distance Triangle means the triangular area formed by a diagonal line connecting two points located on intersecting street right-of-way lines (or a right-of-way line and the curb or edge of a driveway).

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Sign means any object, device, display, or structure, or part thereof, situated outdoors or indoors, which is used to advertise, identify, display, direct or attract attention to an object, person, institution, organization, business, product, service, event, or location by any means including words, letters, figures, design, symbols, fixtures, colors, illumination, or projected images.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Sign, Abandoned means a sign structure no containing a sign for 120 continuous days or a sign not in use for 120 continuous days, or a sign advertising a business no longer occupying the site on which the sign exists or to which it refers.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Sign, Advertising means any sign, including but not limited to billboards, which directs attention to a business, commodity, service or entertainment conducted, sold, or offered elsewhere than upon the premises where such sign is located, or to which it is affixed.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Sign, Animated means any sign that uses movement or change of lighting to depict action or creates a special effect or scene.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Sign, Awning, Canopy, or Marquee means a sign that is mounted or painted on or attached to an awning, canopy, or marquee.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Sign, Building means any sign attached to any part of a building.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Sign, Business means any sign which gives the name of or which directs attention to a lawful uses of the premises on which it is located, including signs indicating the business transacted, services rendered, goods sold or produced on the premises, the name of the business, person, firm, or corporation occupying the premises.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Sign, Changeable Copy means a sign or portion thereof with characters, letters, or illustrations that can be changed or rearranged without altering the face or the surface of the sign.  a sign in which the message changes more than eight times per day shall be considered an animated sign and not a changeable copy sign for purposes of this Unified Development Ordinance.  A sign in which the only copy that changes is an electronic or mechanical indication of time or temperature shall be considered a "time and temperature" portion of a sign and not a changeable copy sign for purposes of this Unified Development Ordinance.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Sign, Directional means a sign, generally informational, that has a purpose secondary to the use of the zone lot on which it is located, such as "no parking," entrance," "loading only," "telephone," and other similar directives.  No sign with a commercial message legible from a position off the zone lot on which the sign is located shall be considered incidental.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Sign Face means the area or display surface used for the message.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Sign Face Area means the sum of the gross display area of a sign. The sign face area is computed by calculating the area of the geometric forms necessary to enclose said face, and excludes any structural or framing elements lying outside of the sign face and not forming an integral part of the display.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Sign, Free-Standing means any nonmovable sign not affixed to a building.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Sign, Identification means a sign giving the nature, logo, trademark, or other identifying symbol; or any combination of the name, symbol, and address of a building, business, development, or establishment on the premises where it is located.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Sign, Off-premises means a sign that identifies or communicates a message related to an activity conducted, a service rendered, or a commodity sold, which is not the primary activity, service or commodity provided on the premises where the sign is located.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Sign, On-premises means a sign that identifies or communicates a message related to an activity conducted, a service offered, or a commodity sold, on the premises upon which the sign is located and shall include non-profit event signs.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Sign, Permanent means a sign attached to a building, structure or the ground in some manner and made of materials intended for more than short term use.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Sign, Political means a temporary sign announcing or supporting political candidates or issues in connection with any national, state, or local election.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Sign, Portable means a sign designed to be transported, but not limited by means of wheels.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Sign, Projecting means a sign that is wholly or partly dependent upon a building for support and which projects more than 12 inches from such building.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Sign, Roof means a sign that is mounted on the roof of a building or which is wholly dependent upon a building for support and which projects above the point of building with a flat roof, the ridge line of a building with a gambrel, gable, or hip roof or the deck line of a building with a mansard roof. Signs mounted on the sloping section of a roof or the gable end of a roof shall be classified as a wall sign.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Sign, Roof Integral means a sign whose structure is integrated into the structure of the roof, and is an integral part thereof.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Sign, Temporary means a sign that is used only for a short period of time and is not permanently mounted.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Sign, Wall means any sign attached to and within six inches of a wall, painted on the wall surface, or erected and confined within the limits of an outside wall of any building or structure, which is supported by such wall or building, and which displays only one sign surface.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Sign, Window means a sign that is applied or attached to the exterior or interior of a window or located in such manner within a building that it can be seen from the exterior of the structure through a window.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Single-Family (also called "Single-Family Detached") means dwelling units that are:

1. Located in individual buildings that are constructed on:
   1. Individual lots; or
   2. Land that is designated as a limited common element in a declaration of condominium.
2. Separated from each other by outside walls; and
3. Intended for the use of a single housekeeping unit.

The term also includes modular homes.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Single-Family Attached means:

1. More than two dwelling units that are designed so that individual units have individual ground-floor access and are separated from each other by unpierced common walls from foundation to roof (e.g., side-by-side duplexes and all types of townhomes); or
2. More than two dwelling units that are designed so that individual units:
   1. May or may not have individual exterior doors, but provide no direct access between the first floor and second floor unit (access may be through a common interior foyer that provides access to both units or through separate exterior doors); and
   2. Are separated from each other by a floor (e.g., over-under duplexes).

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Single-Family Cluster means a development of single-family detached dwelling units that are arranged to provide common open spaces, sized according to minimum open space ratios that are established by this Unified Development Ordinance.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Site Specific Development Plan means a complete plan, plat, or application as defined within this Unified Development Ordinance or the Code of Ordinances. For the purposes of this Unified Development Ordinance, a site specific development plan shall include and be limited to the following: certificate of zoning compliance including approval of a permitted special exception use permit, building permit, demolition permit, variance, summary of plat approval, special exception, planned development, sketch/preliminary plan, development plat, preliminary approval of a certificate of appropriateness, and/or certificate of appropriateness.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Skate Park means a public facility that is designed for use by persons riding skateboards, in-line skates, or roller blades.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Source Water Protection Areas mean the critical areas of protection necessary to prevent the contamination and pollution of the lakes, rivers, streams, springs, and ground water that serve as sources of drinking water.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) means the land in the floodplain subject to one percent or greater change of flooding in any given year. It is the land area covered by the floodwaters of the base flood on the National Flood Insurance Rate maps. The SFHA is the area where the National Flood Insurance Program's floodplain management regulations must be enforced and the area where the mandatory purchase of flood insurance applies. The SFHA includes Zones A, AO, AH, A1-30, AE, A99, AR, AR/A1-30, AR/AE, AR/AO, AR/AH, AR/A, VO, V1-30, VE, and V.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Specialty Use means a commercial use that tends to be an indicator of urban blight, particularly when located in close proximity to established residential areas. This phrase includes, but is not limited to:

1. A.
   Shops where smoking tobacco and other products is permitted, such as a cigar shop or hookah bar;
2. B.
   Shops that principally sell paraphernalia associated with the use of illicit drugs, such as water pipes, roach clips, glass pipes, pipe screens, vaporizers, rolling papers, rolling machines, scales or balances, blacklight-responsive posters, incense, cigarette lighters, whipped-cream chargers and taps, and products claimed to give false negative results for drugs on urinalysis tests;
3. C.
   Consignment stores;
4. D.
   Thrift stores;
5. E.
   Retail stores that stock some sexually related goods but not at the volume where they are classified as a sexually oriented business;
6. F.
   Movie rental stores and theaters that offer some sexually explicit movies but not at the volume where they are classified as sexually oriented businesses;
7. G.
   Pawn shops;
8. H.
   Bail bonds;
9. I.
   Payday loans and check cashing stores; and
10. J.
    Title loans.

[Ord. # 2024-12, Amending Sec. 1-2.8.4.S and definition of Specialty Use related to Tattoo Facilities, 07/08/2024] 

Effective on: 7/15/2024

Specified Anatomical Areas means and includes any of the following:

1. Less than completely and opaquely covered human genitals, pubic region, buttocks, anus, or female breasts below a point immediately above the top of the areolae; or
2. Human male genitals in a discernibly turgid state, even if completely and opaquely covered.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Specified Criminal Act means any offense which involves unlawful sexual behavior. Specified criminal act also includes any offense involving soliciting for prostitution, prostitution, patronizing a prostitute, pandering, pimping, public indecency, or the distribution or possession of obscene materials.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Specified Sexual Activities means and includes any of the following:

1. The fondling or other intentional touching of human genitals, pubic region, buttocks, anus, or female breasts;
2. Sex acts, actual or simulated, including intercourse, oral copulation, masturbation, or sodomy;
3. Flagellation, mutilation or torture for purposes of sexual arousal, gratification, pleasure, or abuse; 4. Human genitals in a state of sexual stimulation, arousal, or tumescence; or
4. Excretory functions as part of or in connection with any of the activities set forth in list items 1 through 4 of this definition.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Staff, when used in reference to subdivision plat review, means both the Department of Urban Planning and Development staff and those City employees designated to assist the Department of Urban Planning and Development staff in the technical review of subdivision plans. The term includes, but is not be limited to, employees of the Public Works and Utilities Department and the Fire Department.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Start of Construction includes Substantial Improvement, and means the date the building permit was issued. The actual start means the first placement of permanent construction of a structure on a site, such as the pouring of slab or footings, the installation of piles, the construction of columns, or any work beyond the stage of excavation; or the placement of a manufactured home on a foundation. Permanent construction does not include land preparation, such as clearing, grading and filling; nor does it include the installation of streets and/or walkways; nor does it include the installation on the property of accessory buildings, such as garages or sheds not occupied as dwelling units or not part of the main structure. For a substantial improvement, the actual start of construction means the first alteration of any wall, ceiling, floor, or other structural part of the building, whether or not that alteration affects the external dimensions of the building.

Effective on: 1/15/2018

Storage Yard means outdoor storage of operable equipment and building or infrastructure construction materials for off-site projects. Storage yard does not include outdoor storage areas that are associated with an on-site heavy industrial use. The phrase also includes temporary construction offices housed in manufactured buildings.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Storm Drain means a sewer which carries storm and surface waters and drainage, but excludes sewage and polluted wastes.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Storm Drainage System means publicly-owned facilities by which stormwater is collected and/or conveyed, including but not limited to any roads with drainage systems, municipal streets, gutters, curbs, inlets, piped storm drains, pumping facilities, retention and detention basins, natural and human-made or altered drainage channels, reservoirs, and other drainage structures.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Storm Drainage Plan means the development plan for one or more lots which shows the existing and proposed conditions of the lot including: topography, vegetation, drainage, flood-plains, waterways, easements, streets and any other information pertaining to the proposed development of the storm drainage system. This site plan can be a part of the required site plan.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) means a wide range of management procedures, schedules of activities, prohibitions of practices, maintenance procedures, and other management practices which have been demonstrated to effectively control or reduce the discharge of pollutants directly or indirectly to stormwater, receiving waters, or stormwater conveyance systems. BMPs also include treatment practices, operating procedures, and practices to control site runoff, spillage or leaks, sludge or water disposal, or drainage from raw materials storage. See also Best Management Practices (BMPs).

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Stormwater Management means, for:

1. Quantitative control, a system of vegetative or structural measures, or both, that control the increased volume and rate of stormwater runoff caused by manmade changes to the land;
2. Qualitative control, a system of vegetative, structural, or other measures that reduce or eliminate pollutants that might otherwise be carried by stormwater runoff.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Stormwater Management and Sediment Control Plan means a set of drawings, other documents, and supporting calculations submitted by a person as a prerequisite to obtaining a permit to undertake a land disturbing activity, which contains all of the information and specifications required by an implementing agency.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) means a document which describes the best management practices and activities to be implemented by a person or business to identify sources of pollution or contamination at a site and the actions to eliminate or reduce pollutant discharges to stormwater, stormwater conveyance systems, and/or receiving waters to the maximum extent practicable. A stormwater pollution prevention plan means the same as a stormwater management and sediment control plan.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Stormwater Runoff means direct response of a watershed to precipitation and includes the surface and subsurface runoff that enters a ditch, stream, storm sewer, or other concentrated flow during and following the precipitation.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Street(s) means a public right-of-way affording primary access to abutting property. For the purposes of this chapter, the term "street" shall also mean boulevard, road, lane and other public ways. Streets are divided into the following categories:

1. Major Streets: Those streets designated by the Florence Area Transportation Study and those streets designated as major at the time of development as determined by the Public Works and Utilities Department and approved by the Planning Commission. Such streets are designed primarily for the movement of large volumes of traffic from one area to another. Major street includes the terms limited-access highway, freeway, thoroughfare, expressway, arterial street and commercial collector street.
   1. Arterial Streets: Arterials are the highest order inter-regional streets. They are designed to carry relatively high traffic volumes. The function of arterials is to promote the free flow of traffic. Therefore, parking and direct residential access are usually not available. Collector streets feed arterials, and arterials feed regional roads such as expressways and freeways. Average Daily Traffic (ADT) for arterials is approximately 3,000 - 5,000+ vehicles per day (vpd).
   2. Collector Streets (Commercial): The highest order of commercial streets. Distributes traffic between lower-order commercial streets and higher-order streets such as arterials. Average Daily Traffic (ADT) for commercial collector streets is approximately 3,000 - 5,000 vehicles per day (vpd).
   3. Expressways: Divided highways usually having two or more lanes in each direction, with partial control of access. Preference is given to through traffic, but there may be access connections with selected public roads at the same grade and some driveways.
   4. Freeways: Divided highways usually having two or more lanes in each direction, with full control of access. Preference is given to through traffic.
   5. Thoroughfares: Any major street.
2. Minor Streets: A street used primarily for providing direct access to and from abutting property (individual lots) that are internal to a subdivision. Minor street includes the terms residential collector street, minor local street, cul-de-sac, marginal access street, alley and looped drive.
   1. Collector Streets (Residential): The highest order of residential streets. Collects and distributes traffic from local residential roadways, such as minor streets or cul-de-sacs, to streets that are designed to carry higher volumes of traffic, such as arterials and other major streets. Carries large traffic volume at fairly high speeds. The function of residential collectors is to promote free traffic flow. Therefore, there is typically no direct access to homes from this level street. Average Daily Traffic (ADT) for residential collector streets is approximately 2,000 - 5,000 vehicles per day (vpd).
   2. Cul-De-Sacs: Minor local streets having only one open end and being terminated by a vehicle turnaround. Design of turnaround may vary. Average Daily Traffic (ADT) is approximately 250 vehicles per day (vpd).
   3. Local Streets (Sub-Collector Streets): These middle-order facilities are located in subdivisions and neighborhoods and primarily serve abutting land uses. Traffic volumes are typically moderate, with motorists having origin or destination within the immediate neighborhood. These streets feed into collector streets, which then feed into arterials. Average Daily Traffic (ADT) is approximately 1,000 - 2,000 vehicles per day (vpd).
   4. Looped Drive: A street that terminates on the same road at two different points, or a street that terminates on itself.
   5. Marginal Access Streets: Minor streets which are parallel to and located on the side of an arterial, expressway, freeway, or other major street for service to abutting land uses. Average Daily Traffic (ADT) is approximately 500 - 1,000 vehicles per day (vpd).

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Structure means, anything constructed or erected, the use of which requires its permanent location on the ground (or its attachment to something having a permanent location on the ground), including but not limited to: garden walls, fences, signs, kiosks, swimming pools, or similar uses. The term "structure" does not include the word "building" unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. With regard to floodplain management, a structure is a walled and roofed building, a manufactured home, including a gas or liquid storage tank that is principally above ground.

Effective on: 1/15/2018

Structural soil is tree planting backfill material as described in planting notes and illustrated in the planting details.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Subdivider means any person who causes:

1. A parcel of land to be subdivided into two or more lots;
2. A single lot to be created from two or more lots; or
3. A modification to the configuration of lots, easements, servitudes, or rights-of-way on an approved plat.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Subdivision means all divisions of a tract or parcel of land into two or more lots for any purpose. The term includes all division of land involving a new street or a change in existing streets, re-subdivision and, where appropriate, relates to the process of subdividing, or to the land or area subdivided.

The following exception is included within this definition only for the purpose of requiring that the Planning Commission or Department of Urban Planning and Development staff be informed, and have record of such subdivision: The division of land into parcels of five acres or more where no new streets and/or new utility line extensions are involved, and each individual lot/parcel fronts on a public road. Plats of such exceptions indicate such facts on the plats.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Substantial Change means any change to the use of property that alters the operational characteristics of the use such that it increases the required parking, or results in increased vehicular or pedestrian traffic that may change the impacts of light, noise, odor, or any other noticeable change in the nature or character of the use.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Substantial Damage means damage of any origin sustained by a structure whereby the cost of restoring the structure to its before-damaged condition would equal or exceed 50 percent of the market value of the structure before the damage occurred. Such repairs may be undertaken successively, and their costs counted cumulatively. Please refer to the definition of "substantial improvement."

Effective on: 1/15/2018

Substantial Hardship, as it relates to hardship in meeting the Unified Development Ordinance's historic conservation provisions, means hardship, caused by unusual and compelling circumstances, based on one or more of the following:

1. The property cannot reasonably be maintained in the manner dictated by the ordinance;
2. There are no other reasonable means of saving the property from deterioration, or collapse; or
3. The property is owned by a nonprofit organization and it is not feasible financially or physically to achieve the charitable purposes of the organization while maintaining the property appropriately.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Substantial Improvement

- any repair, reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, or other improvement of a structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds 50 percent of the market value of the structure before the start of construction of the improvement.  This term includes structures that have incurred repetitive loss or substantial damage, regardless of the actual repair work performed. The term does not, however, include either: 

a)    any project of improvement to a structure to correct existing violations of State or local health, sanitary, or safety code specifications which have been identified by the local code enforcement official and which are the minimum necessary to assure safe living conditions or, 
b)    any alteration of a historic structure, provided that the alteration will not preclude the structure's continued designation as a historic structure.

Permits shall be cumulative for a period of five years.  If the improvement project is conducted in phases, the total of all costs associated with each phase, beginning with the issuance of the first permit, shall be utilized to determine whether "substantial improvement" will occur.

Effective on: 1/15/2018

Substantially Improved Existing Manufactured Home Park Or Subdivision means where the repair, reconstruction, rehabilitation or improvement of the streets, utilities and pads equals or exceeds 50 percent of the value of the streets, utilities and pads before the repair, reconstruction, or improvement commenced.

Effective on: 1/15/2018

Surveyor means a registered land surveyor in good standing with the South Carolina Board of Engineers and Land Surveyors and the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Tattoo Facility means any room, space, location, area, structure, or business, or any part of these places, where tattooing is practiced or where the business of tattooing is conducted.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Tent Sale/Outdoor Sales Event means sales of items by occupants of a commercial or institutional parcel. The use may or may not include temporary tents. Tent sales and outdoor sales that are offered by businesses that are not occupants of the parcel are itinerant vendor sales or permanent accessory sales depending on their duration.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Thoroughfare Plan means the official Transportation Plan (also known as Florence Area Transportation Study), a part of the Comprehensive Plan and the Planning Commission.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Townhome means three or more attached dwelling units that are arranged in rows with common side walls.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Trailer means a non-motorized transport vehicle with a tongue that is connected by a hitch ball and hauled by an automobile or truck.

1. Commercial Trailer means a trailer used for commercial purposes, which may include, but is not limited to, a utility trailer, concession trailer, auto hauler, horse or livestock trailer, dump or dump body trailer, day freight trailer, refrigerated dry freight trailer, tank trailer, transfer box, gooseneck trailer, logging trailer, lowboy trailer, pole trailer, flatbed trailer, bulk commodity trailer, or semi-trailer.
2. Residential Trailer means a trailer used for non-commercial purposes that has a bed surface of no longer than 15 feet, measured from front to back edge.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Transitional Area means an area located on a roadway of four or greater travel lanes, containing a mixture of commercial and residential uses within the surrounding area.

Effective on: 4/5/2018

Truckload Sale means the sale of various goods outdoors by persons who are not employed by the owners or managers of the parcel on which the sale occurs, or tenants of buildings on the parcel on which the sale occurs.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Turning Radius means the radius (distance from center to edge) measurement of the smallest circle a vehicle can make while turning.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Unduly means improperly or unjustly. As used in the Floodplain Management Regulations, "unduly" is used to mean that floodplain use shall not improperly or unjustly restrict the capacity of any channels or floodways.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Utilities, Neighborhood means water or wastewater facility that serves an area of one square mile or less (but not individual water wells or individual sewage disposal systems); utility substations or lift stations; local utility distribution or collection facilities, including electric, gas, telephone, water, sewer, and stormwater; and the generation of not more than 250kW of electricity using wind energy conversion systems or ground-mounted photovoltaic arrays. The phrase “utilities, neighborhood” does not include the production of electricity using fossil, biomass, waste, or nuclear fuels, nor the storage of natural gas.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Utility Line means the extension of water or wastewater lines and related facilities constructed in accordance with engineering standards as determined by the Director and accepted by the City for ownership, maintenance, and use.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Utility Line Costs means the actual costs incurred to design and construct a utility line, acquire easements, and other related costs, as approved by the Director, that are reasonable and necessary to provide for the utility line.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Utility Line Reimbursement means the per acre charge imposed under this Unified Development Ordinance against a utility line user to provide the funds for reimbursing the person installing the utility line for the utility line costs incurred.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Utility Line User means a property owner who connects to a utility line constructed by another property owner within 20 years of the date the City accepts the utility line.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Utility Pole means a pole from which utility service lines (e.g., lines for electricity or communications services) are suspended, or through which they are transitioned from above-ground installations to underground installations, and / or to which street lighting, traffic signals, or civil defense speakers are attached. The phrase "utility pole" includes guy wires and all other components that are necessary for the use and structural support of the utility pole.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Variance - is a grant of relief from a term or terms of this ordinance.

Effective on: 1/15/2018

Vehicle Sales, Rental, and Service means uses that sell, rent and perform service on automobiles, light trucks, boats, and motorcycles, where the inventory is stored for any length of time on-site. The phrase does not include auto body (e.g., collision repair), paint or upholstery services.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Vehicle Wash means any area or business using self-service, in-bay automatic, or conveyor equipment for cleaning and washing motor vehicles, whether as a part of another business operation (e.g., as an accessory use to light automobile service / gas station or vehicle sales, rental, and service), or as a stand-alone operation, of any type, on a commercial basis. The definition includes fleet and municipal in-bay automatic and conveyor vehicle wash facilities.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Vested Property Right means the right to undertake and complete the development and use of property under the express terms and conditions of a site specific development plan.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Vested Right means the right to undertake and complete the development of property under the terms and conditions of a site specific development plan as approved in this Unified Development Ordinance, the Vested Rights Act, or other regulations adopted by the City.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Veterinarian, Small Animal means veterinary clinics and hospitals that provide care for small domestic animals such as dogs, cats, and birds. The term does not include large animal and livestock veterinarians.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Veterinarian, Large Animal means an animal hospital or clinic that provides services for horses and other livestock.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Vibration means rapidly fluctuating motions in which an object moves in equal distances from its initial starting point, so that there generally is no “net” movement and that occurs more than eight times in a 24-hour period with a minimum separation of one minute.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Violation – the failure of a structure or other development to be fully compliant with these regulations.

Effective on: 1/15/2018

Waste Transfer Station means the use of land or a facility, regardless of name or title, to unload waste of any kind or type from vehicles, and, with or without intermediate processing such as compaction, sorting, or shredding, subsequently re-load the waste onto other vehicles for delivery to another transfer site, storage site, or disposal site. The phrase "waste transfer station" includes a facility for drop-off of recyclable materials (e.g., waste paper, motor oil, scrap metal, polystyrene foam, porcelain, batteries, electronic components, textiles, plastics, discarded shoes, cardboard, and other discarded household materials), where the materials are sorted, temporarily stored, and then shipped in bulk to other locations for processing. The phrase "waste transfer station" does not include a wastewater treatment facility.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Water or Wastewater Facilities, Community Scale means a water or wastewater facility that is designed to provide services to more than one square mile of land area; and the generation of not more than 500kW of electricity using wind energy conversion systems or ground-mounted photovoltaic arrays. This phrase does not include the production of electricity using fossil, biomass, waste, or nuclear fuels, nor the storage of natural gas.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Water Surface Elevation means the height, in relation to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD) of 1929 (or other datum, where specified), of floods of various magnitudes and frequencies in the floodplains of coastal or riverine areas.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Wetland means an area where the soil near the surface is inundated or saturated with water either permanently or seasonally, especially if it forms a habitat for wildlife and/or flora.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Wing Wall means a non-structural wall that extends from the wall of a building, often used for screening a portion of the side yard of a building.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Wireless Telecommunications Facilities means radio or television broadcasting towers, telecommunications towers, and antenna arrays (free-standing or tower mounted). The phrase does not include residential satellite dishes, TV or HDTV antennae, or amateur radio antennae.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Wireless Telecommunications Facilities, Stealth Freestanding Facilities means a tower that blends into its environment and does not resemble a typical telecommunications tower as determined by the Director.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Wireless Telecommunications Facilities, Non-Stealth Facilities means a lattice tower, monopole, or other structure that is widely used to support telecommunications equipment.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Wholesale means the wholesale trade, durable and non-durable, except:

1. Farm products;
2. Combustible or hazardous materials, and
3. Wholesale clubs that are open to the public for membership;

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Works as used in the Floodplain Management Regulations means structures in engineering (such as bridges, docks, or embankments) intended for watershed protection and similar uses.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Yard means the area between a lot line and a building. Yards are designated by the lot line to which they relate (e.g., an interior side yard is located between the interior side lot line and the building).

Effective on: 1/1/1901

Zoning Map means the Official Zoning Map, adopted pursuant to Section 1-2.2.2, Official Zoning Map.

Effective on: 1/1/1901