Services

The staff of the Sumter City-County Planning Commission provides a variety of services to the public. The major services are:

• Inspections of all building permits at all required times in the construction process,
• Building Permit approval, forms, and consultation on all applicable Building and Mechanical Codes,
• Rezoning and Land Use support, inquires, and guidance including area around Shaw AFB and Poinsett Range,
• Subdivision of Property / Plat approval for all plats in the City of Sumter and the unincorporated area of the county,
• Floodplain Management information, rules, and code compliance,
• Mobile Home Zoning Certification and Mobile Homes Building Permits for all newly sited manufactured / mobile homes,
• Temporary Uses regulations and permits for a variety of uses,
• Sign Permits for all signs except one per parcel based on zoning. Special instructions are provided for size and location of all signs.

Inspections

The Sumter City-County Planning Commission through the Building Official and Building Section provide all required inspections for all phases of residential, commercial, industrial, and farm construction - after all required permits are obtained and fees paid. Inspections include building footing, rough-in, saw pole, final, electrical, gas, plumbing, HVAC, mobile home, swimming pool, and signs.

Inspections are scheduled on a first come first serviced basis and are usually scheduled within 2 days. Inspections are requested by calling the Planning Commission at (803) 774-1634 and giving the permit number, location, type inspection, date and time desired, and contact phone number. Date and time may be confirmed by calling the Planning Commission at 9:30 a.m. on the day requested.

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Building Permits/Codes

The Sumter City-County Planning Commission through its Building Department oversees the application of the International Building and Residential Codes for all construction in the City of Sumter, Town of Mayesville, and the unincorporated sections of Sumter County.

The Building Department under the direction of the Building Official receives all permit applications and fees, processes the applications, reviews plans, issues or denies permits, conducts inspections, and issues either a Letter of Completion or Certificate of Occupancy.

Zoning and Subdivision compliance for all Building Permits are done as the integral part of the permit review process.

Fees are based on a fee schedule (PDF*) and application forms may be obtained from the attached files or from the Planning Commission Office.

See Current Building Codes (PDF*).

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Rezoning/Land Use

All zoning and land use for the City and County of Sumter is governed by the individual Zoning and Development Standards Ordinances for those two government bodies. The Sumter City-County Planning Commission through the Planning Department maintains the original document and the original, approved zoning maps. Each may be reviewed on-line, but final decisions should be made after confirming the on-line material is current / up-to-date from any recent Council actions or possible transcript errors.

Any requests for zoning or ordinance text changes will go through the Planning Department by consultation and the submission of the proper request and appropriate fee. The full range of forms with fee included on the forms are attached.

Additionally, Conditional Use requests and any inquires for Business License issues should be addressed to the Planning Staff.

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Subdivision of Property/Plats

The Planning Department of the Sumter City-County Planning Commission reviews all subdivision of property actions (plats) for the City of Sumter and the unincorporated portions of Sumter County. Plats are reviewed for Compliance with zoning and subdivisions standards as published in the appropriate Sumter Zoning and Development Standards Ordinance.

Major subdivisions and major site plans require Planning Commission approval while the Staff does all minor subdivisions, site plans, and plats for approved major subdivisions.

In accordance with state and local laws, an approved and recorded plat is required before property may be sold or transferred. They are also required for Building Permits. DHEC may require them for septic tank approval.

Variances to subdivision regulations are considered by the Planning Commission and/or Planning Staff.

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Floodplain Management

The Sumter Planning Commission is the Floodplain Manager for the City and County of Sumter for all actions associated with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and Community Rating Service (CRS).

The Planning Department Staff maintains the required FEMA documents and material including Elevation Certificates, FIRM maps, and approximate digital maps to help all citizens determine floodplain boundaries and required actions.

The Sumter Zoning and Development Standards Ordinance contain information for construction in flood zones. The Building Official also is available for proper Building Code compliance and Hazard mitigation actions.

Every step should be taken to determine floodplain status and regulations as Sumter County has over 4,000 parcels and 90,000 acres in designated Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) that require special actions.

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Mobile Home Permits

The Sumter City-County Planning Commission and the Sumter County Assessor's office provide the documents, stickers, certifications, and permits necessary to move and site a mobile / manufactured home in Sumter City and County. (Modular Homes with proper documentation are permitted using the same procedures for site built homes).

The Planning Commission does Mobile Home Certifications and Mobile Home Building Permits.

The Planning Commission has produced a short brochure (attached below) that explains the entire process for Mobile / Manufactured Homes. The key action is to contact the staff to answer all questions and review site plans and parcel zoning.

The current fees for Mobile Homes at the Planning Commission are:
1) Zoning Certification = $10.00
2) Mobile Home Building Permit = $72.00

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Temporary Uses

Temporary Uses for Sumter City and County are controlled by the appropriate Zoning and Development Standards Ordinance and reviewed and permitted by the Planning Staff.

All temporary use rules and guide lines are contained in Section 5.c of the Zoning Ordinances. Fees for the different temporary uses are attached as part of the Planning Fees.

Early contact with the Planning Department Staff will answer all questions and help avoid major conflicts.

See Temporary Uses Brochure (PDF*) and Section 5.c of the City/County - Zoning & Development Standards Ordinances.

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Signs

No other section of the Sumter Zoning and Development Standards Ordinance has created as much discussion and confusion as the Sign Regulations (Section 8.i.).

This section was designed to meet major objectives established in the Comprehensive Plans and gives everyone fair and equal treatment for advertising and free speech. All sign rules and regulations are attached.

Please contact the Planning Staff as soon as possible with all questions relating to signs, permits, and fees.

All signs are controlled by this Ordinance. Most have permits and fees associated with them, while almost all have time, manner, and place rules.

See Sign Brochure (PDF*) and Section 8.i. of the City/County - Zoning & Development Standards Ordinance.

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Click here to download Adobe Acrobat Reader.