The territory under the jurisdiction of this ordinance is hereby divided into the following zoning districts:

1. General Zoning Districts, as provided in Chapter 4.0.
2. Planned Development Districts, as provided in Chapter 15.0.

Meggett is hereby divided into zones or districts as shown on the Official Zoning Map which together with all explanatory matter thereon, is hereby adopted by reference and declared to be a part of this ordinance.

The Official Zoning Map is maintained in the form of a machine-readable representation of a geographic phenomenon stored for display or analysis by a digital computer. The digital zoning database stored in the Geographical Information System (GIS) is hereby designated, established, and incorporated as a part of these regulations and the originals thereof, which are on file at the offices of the Planning Department, shall be as much a part of these regulations as if they were fully described in these regulations. Upon adoption of this Ordinance and any amendment thereto, the Planning Department may produce a paper version of the Official Zoning Map. In case of any dispute regarding the zoning classification of property subject to this Ordinance, the Official Zoning Map maintained by the Planning Department shall control.

In the event that the Official Zoning Map becomes damaged, destroyed, lost, or difficult to interpret by reason of the nature or number of changes and additions, the Town Council may by resolution adopt a new Official Zoning Map which will supersede the prior Official Zoning Map. The new Official Zoning Map may correct drafting and other errors or omissions in the prior Official Zoning Map, but no such correction will have the effect of amending the original Official Zoning Map as amended. The new Official Zoning Map will be marked, "This Official Zoning Map, adopted by resolution of the Town Council of the Town of Meggett, S.C., on (date) supersedes the Official Zoning map adopted (date) of the Town of Meggett, S.C." which statement will be signed by the Mayor, attested by the Town Clerk, and bear the seal of Meggett, S.C. Unless the prior Official Zoning Map is lost or has been totally destroyed, the map or any significant parts thereof remaining after partial destruction will be preserved, together with all records of the Town of Meggett regarding its adoption and amendment.

Where uncertainty exists with respect to the boundary of any zoning district shown on the zoning map the following rules shall apply:

1. Unless otherwise indicated, the district boundaries follow land lot lines; center line of streets, highways, alleys or railroads; center lines of water courses or impoundments of streams, reservoirs, or other bodies of water.
2. Where so indicated, district boundaries are parallel to the center lines of streets, highways, or railroads, or rights-of-way of same, or the center lines of streams, reservoirs, or other bodies of water, or said lines extended as such distance there from as indicated on the zoning map. If no distance is given, such distance will be determined by the use of the scale shown on said zoning map.
3. Where any district boundary is indicated on the zoning map as following approximately the Town boundary line, such Town boundary line or corporate limits line will be construed to be the zoning district boundary.

With the exception of lands within the ownership of national forests, swamp lands, wildlife refuge, and any other publicly designated conservation area, the S.C. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM) Critical Line will be the district boundary between marsh and other low lands abutting, surrounding or surrounded by all waterways including ocean, rivers, lakes, canals, tidal streams or creeks, in any adjacent zoning district. The OCRM will determine the boundaries and have jurisdiction over critical areas. Freshwater wetlands will have boundaries set by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).

Where a district boundary line on the zoning map divides an approved lot of record on the effective date of this ordinance, the district requirements for the least restricted portion of such lot will be deemed to apply to the whole thereof, provided that such extensions will not include any part of such a lot more than 50 feet beyond the district line. Thereafter, the existing zoning district boundary lines will govern all sections of newly created approved lots of record without extension considerations.

All annexed lands of the Town of Meggett will be zoned Rural Conservation (RC) District until changed by Meggett Town Council. Any use that was legally established prior to annexation by the Town of Meggett and which upon annexation by the Town of Meggett is located in a zoning district that classifies the use as a Special Exception use, Use with Conditions, or Prohibited Use, and which presently continues as an allowable use, shall not be considered a nonconforming use. Such uses shall be deemed Uses Permitted by Right as defined in this Ordinance.