search icon

Mount Pleasant City Zoning Code

SUBCHAPTER A

INTRODUCTION

§ 156.001 TITLE.

   (A)   This chapter is known and may be cited as the Zoning Code of the Town of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, and may be cited and abbreviated as the “Mount Pleasant Zoning Code” or “Zoning Code.”
   (B)   The map referred to herein shall be known and may be cited as the Zoning Map of the Town of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, and may be cited and abbreviated as the “Mount Pleasant Zoning Map” or “Zoning Map.”
(Ord. passed 1-14-25)

§ 156.002 PURPOSE.

   (A)   This chapter is enacted to:
      (1)   Regulate the:
         (a)   Location, bulk, number of stories, and sizes of buildings and other structures;
         (b)   Percentage of lots that may be occupied;
         (c)   Sizes of yards, courts, and other open spaces;
         (d)   Density and distribution of populations; and
         (e)   Uses of buildings, structures, and land for trade, industry, residence, recreation, conservation, protection against floods, public activities, and other purposes;
      (2)   Create districts for these purposes;
      (3)   Provide the method of administration, amendment, and appeal;
      (4)   Create and define the duties of the Planning Commission with respect to these regulations;
      (5)   Provide for the imposition of penalties for violations of these regulations;
      (6)   Establish a means by which conflicting regulations can be repealed; and
      (7)   For other purposes.
   (B)   These zoning regulations have been designed, among other things, to:
      (1)   Encourage such distribution of population and such classification of land uses and distribution of land development and utilization as would tend to facilitate economic and adequate provisions for transportation, communications, roads, airports, water supply, drainage, sanitation, education, recreation, or other public requirements;
      (2)   Lessen congestion on streets;
      (3)   Secure safety from fire, panic, and other dangers;
      (4)   Provide adequate light and air;
      (5)   Foster the state's agricultural and other industries;
      (6)   Protect the food supply;
      (7)   Guide the development of the town in accordance with existing and future needs;
      (8)   Prevent the overcrowding of land and the undue concentration of population;
      (9)   Protect scenic areas;
      (10)   Preserve historical and cultural resources;
      (11)   Promote desirable living conditions and the sustained stability of neighborhoods;
      (12)   Protect property against blight and depreciation;
      (13)   Secure economy in government expenditures;
      (14)   Conserve the value of land and buildings;
      (15)   Encourage the most appropriate use of land and structures;
      (16)   Conserve natural and environmental resources; and
      (17)   Accommodate housing that is affordable for the town’s entire spectrum of households.
   (C)   In their interpretation and application, the provisions of these regulations shall be held to be the minimum requirements adopted for the promotion of the public health, safety, and welfare. The zoning regulations in districts as herein established have been made in accordance with the town Comprehensive Plan for the above purposes.
(Ord. passed 1-14-25)

§ 156.003 AUTHORITY.

   This chapter is adopted pursuant to the authority conferred by the South Carolina Local Government Comprehensive Planning Enabling Act of 1994, S.C. Code Title 6, Chapter 29, as amended.
(Ord. passed 1-14-25)

§ 156.004 APPLICABILITY.

   (A)   Jurisdiction. The regulations in this chapter apply to all land and improvements within the corporate limits of the town, including any land and improvements hereafter annexed to the town.
   (B)   Application of regulations. These regulations apply uniformly to each class or kind of structure or land, and are the minimum standards for all site clearing, development, buildings, structures, or alterations to land or structures within the corporate limits of the town.
(Ord. passed 1-14-25)

§ 156.005 RELATIONSHIP TO COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.

   Pursuant to S.C. Code § 6-29-720, this chapter is based, in part, on and designed to implement the Comprehensive Plan, as amended from time to time. The Comprehensive Plan is the result of careful consideration of existing and projected conditions in the community. It is designed to help ensure efficient, equitable, and reasoned land use decisions, and is to be used as a guide to the Zoning Code and Zoning Map amendment process.
(Ord. passed 1-14-25)

§ 156.006 RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER REGULATIONS.

   (A)   This chapter works in conjunction with Chapter 155 and the other chapters in Mount Pleasant Code Title XV to regulate the development, redevelopment, and use of land and structures in the town.
   (B)   The use and development of land and structures is subject to all applicable requirements of this chapter; Chapter 150; Title IX; Chapter 116; and all other applicable requirements of the Mount Pleasant Code of Ordinances and state and federal law.
   (C)   In their interpretation and application, the provisions of this chapter are considered the minimum requirements adopted for the promotion of public health, safety, comfort, convenience, and general welfare. Meeting minimum requirements of this chapter may not be sufficient to meet minimum requirements of Chapter 150 or other chapters of the town code or state or federal law.
   (D)   When applicable regulations conflict with one another, the provisions of Subchapter M, Part 1 apply.
(Ord. passed 1-14-25)

§ 156.007 USE OF LAND OR BUILDINGS.

   (A)   No land or building shall hereafter be used or occupied, and no building or part thereof shall hereafter be constructed, erected, altered, or moved, unless in conformity with all of the regulations herein specified for the zoning district in which it is, or will be, located.
   (B)   When an area proposed for development forms an integral part of, or is immediately adjacent to, or otherwise clearly affects the future of any established section of the town, the design, scale, and location on the site shall be compatible with the adjacent community and consistent with the Comprehensive Plan.
(Ord. passed 1-14-25)

§ 156.008 STRUCTURES TO HAVE ACCESS.

   All structures shall be so located as to provide safe and convenient access for servicing, fire protection, and required off-street parking.
(Ord. passed 1-14-25)

§ 156.009 SEVERABILITY.

   Town Council declares that the requirements and provisions of this chapter are severable. If a court of competent jurisdiction declares any word, phrase, clause, or provision of this chapter unconstitutional or invalid, the court’s decision does not affect the validity of this chapter as a whole or any word, phrase, clause, or provision of this chapter other than the word, phrase, clause, or provision declared unconstitutional or invalid.
(Ord. passed 1-14-25)

§ 156.010 REPEAL OF EXISTING CODE.

   This chapter repeals Chapter 156: Zoning Code of the Town of Mount Pleasant Code of Ordinances, and all amendments to it, in effect prior to the effective date specified in § 156.011.
(Ord. passed 1-14-25)

§ 156.011 EFFECTIVE DATE.

   This chapter, the Zoning Code of the Town of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, was adopted on January 14, 2025, and takes effect on May 1, 2025.
(Ord. passed 1-14-25)