Sumter County Unincorporated
City Zoning Code

A.

It shall be prohibited in all residential districts to park or store in the open, wrecked or junked vehicles, power driven construction equipment, or any miscellaneous scrap or salvageable material in quantity, e.g., used lumber, metal, rubbish, or appliances.

1.

No automobile or vehicle of any kind or type, without a valid license plate attached thereto, shall be parked or stand on any residentially-zoned property unless it shall be in a completely enclosed building except for such off-road vehicles which by law do not require a license plate, provided the same is in operating condition.

2.

No automobile or vehicle of any kind or type, which shall be inoperative or in a junk condition, or abandoned, shall be parked or stand on any property unless:

a.

It shall be in an enclosed building;

b.

A vehicle in inoperative or junk condition shall include, but shall not be limited to, any automobile, vehicle, trailer of any kind or type, or contrivance, or a part thereof, the condition of which is one or more of the following:

1)

Wrecked;

2)

Dismantled;

3)

Partially dismantled;

4)

Inoperative;

5)

Abandoned;

6)

Discarded;

7)

Scrapped; or

8)

Does not have a valid license plate attached thereto.

c.

Nothing in this section shall authorize the maintenance of a public or private nuisance as defined under other provisions of law.

d.

This section shall not be the exclusive regulation of abandoned, discarded, dismantled, wrecked, scrapped, ruined or junk motor vehicles, or contrivances, within the unincorporated limits of the county, but shall be supplemental to and in addition to other regulations and ordinances of the county and statutes or provisions of law heretofore and hereinafter enacted by the county, state or other legal entity or agency having jurisdiction.

e.

For purposes of repair or restoration, one inoperable and unregistered vehicle may be kept in the rear yard of a property provided it is not visible from the street, is screened from all neighbors by a privacy fence in the rear yard, and is repaired or restored, removed, or placed in a fully enclosed building within six months. Such vehicle shall not be stored in any side yard or any setback or buffer area.

B.

Commercial vehicles and trailers exceeding 18 feet in length shall not be placed or stored in R-1, R-2, R-3, R-1L or RR districts.

1.

For the purposes of this section, commercial vehicles and trailers shall include commercial motor vehicles, as defined in section 34-76 of this Code of Ordinances, tractor trailers, boat trailers, campers, buses, tractors

2.

This prohibition shall not apply to residential parcels of two or more acres of land. Commercial vehicles, tractors, and trailers may be parked or stored, as those terms are defined in section 34-76 of the Code of Ordinances, on a residential parcel of two or more acres of land, however, commercial vehicles must be parked or stored, beyond the front yard building line of the residence. Additionally, only one tractor or commercial vehicle may be parked on stored on a residential lot.

3.

Commercial vehicles and trailers shall not be parked on vacant lots in residential districts, irrespective of the size of the lot.

4.

Notwithstanding any restrictions of this appendix, to the contrary, recreational vehicles and trailers less than 18 feet in length may be parked on residential properties, regardless of lot size, however the trailer or recreational vehicle must be parked or stored beyond the front yard building line of the residence.

5.

The restrictions of this section on the location for storing or parking trailers less than 18 feet and recreational vehicles shall not apply in the R-1L district.

(Ord. of 7-16-24(2), § 4)

A.

It is the intent of this section to permit certain uses in R-1, R-2 and RR districts which involve the keeping of limited numbers of domestic animals or pets where it is recognized that such areas are changing from agricultural to suburban residential in character. This section is further intended to minimize problems which may arise from such animal uses and to provide suitable standards for protection of health, safety, welfare and preservation of residential districts from indiscriminate raising of animals.

1.

Uses permitted:

2.

Permitted use provisions for animals in residential districts are meant to apply only outside of the residence on an individual lot and are not intended to restrict the type or number of animals within a residence.

3.

The keeping of livestock, fowl or domestic pets shall not be allowed to become a nuisance.

4.

Domestic pets such as cats, dogs, rabbits or other generally recognized domestic pets may be kept or bred by persons residing on the property for their use and enjoyment. The keeping of swine is specifically prohibited.

5.

Livestock and fowl kept in any residential district shall be maintained at least 25 feet from any property line.

B.

Conditional uses permitted: The following uses are allowed upon the issuance of a conditional use permit pursuant to articles XXIV and XXVII of this appendix:

1.

Livestock. Horses, cows, ponies, donkeys and other, similar domestic livestock may be kept, raised or bred for home use and enjoyment; provided only one such animal shall be permitted for each two acres, exclusive of the front and side yards of the principal dwelling; and all livestock shall be contained by fence within said minimum area.

2.

Fowl. Ducks, quail, chickens, turkeys, pigeons, pheasants, etc., may be raised for home use provided such fowl are adequately contained within that property.

C.

Uses prohibited: The keeping, breeding or training of any animals or fowl for monetary gain or profit shall be deemed a commercial business and is expressly prohibited in all residential districts except where such operations may qualify as a home occupation or as a nonconforming use as defined in this appendix. The keeping of swine is specifically prohibited.

(Ord. of 7-16-24(2), § 4)

No lot may be used for temporary or permanent residential living quarters unless a permanent dwelling unit has been lawfully erected on the lot, pursuant to the provisions of this appendix and applicable building and safety codes. Indications that a property is being used as temporary or permanent residential living quarters include actions such as spending significant time at the location on more than one day, repeated eating and sleeping at the location, and performing other life activities at the location repeatedly.

Tents, boats, RV campers, shipping containers, storage buildings, and other structures that are not permitted permanent dwelling units cannot be occupied either on a permanent or temporary basis on a residential lot, except that tents may be occupied for no more than three days in any two-month period when erected in the rear yard of a permanent dwelling unit.

(Ord. of 7-16-24(2), § 4)

Any new single -family residential dwelling built or otherwise placed in any residential district in Sumter County shall:

A.

Be required to be 1,500 square feet. placed on a permanent foundation;

B.

Be connected to an approved sewage disposal system, potable water service or well, and electrical service;

C.

Contain a water heater in safe and working condition;

D.

Have all switches, receptacles, fixtures, etc. properly installed, wired and in working condition. Distribution panels shall be in compliance with the approved listing, complete with required breakers, with all unused openings covered with solid covers and listed for that purpose. The home shall be subject to an electrical continuity test to assure that all metallic parts are properly bonded;

E.

Contain at least one bathroom with a sanitary, connected and working toilet and tub and/or shower;

F.

Contain at least one operational window of sufficient size to allow egress in case of an emergency;

G.

Contain at least one operate battery-powered smoke detector in each bedroom and in the kitchen, which must be installed in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations; and

H.

Meet all applicable county building, electrical and plumbing codes, and current ICC codes.

(Ord. of 7-16-24(2), § 4)