South Carolina
Buying Land in Florence County, South Carolina
County seat and largest city Florence. As the commercial, medical, and transportation hub of South Carolina's Pee Dee region -- sitting at the I-95/I-20 interchange -- Florence County has a more urbanized core than most of its rural neighbors, even as land outside the city remains largely agricultural. The county runs full countywide zoning under Chapter 30 of its code, separate from the City of Florence's own municipal zoning.
The Pee Dee's urban core, surrounded by agricultural land
Florence County occupies a distinct position among South Carolina's Pee Dee counties: rather than being a purely rural county, it's anchored by the city of Florence, which sits at the junction of Interstates 95 and 20 and functions as the region's principal commercial, medical, and transportation hub. The city hosts major regional hospital systems -- McLeod Health and MUSC Health's Florence Medical Center among them -- and a meaningful base of retail, logistics, and light-industrial development tied to its interstate access. That urbanized core is a real contrast to the rest of the Pee Dee region and to much of Florence County itself, where land outside the city and its immediate corridors remains substantially agricultural, built on row crops, timber, and pasture much like neighboring Darlington, Dillon, and Chesterfield counties.
For a land buyer, that split matters directly: a parcel's realistic use, zoning pressure, and price trajectory will differ substantially depending on its proximity to the city of Florence and its interstate corridors versus the county's more rural outer townships. Don't extrapolate pricing or development pressure from one part of the county to the other -- evaluate each parcel on its specific location.
Two zoning authorities: Florence County and the City of Florence
Florence County has adopted a countywide zoning ordinance, codified as Chapter 30 of its Code of Ordinances, with Article II setting out zoning district regulations -- including specific provisions for flood-hazard-area districts, worth checking closely for any parcel near the Pee Dee River, Lynches River, or other flood-prone drainage in the county. The county's Planning Department administers this ordinance, updates the comprehensive plan, and reviews land-development-ordinance and building-code matters for unincorporated territory.
The City of Florence, separately, maintains its own zoning ordinance under Chapter 21 of its municipal code, administered through its own planning and design-review process -- an entirely distinct set of rules from the county's for any parcel inside city limits. As with any South Carolina county containing a significant incorporated city, confirm which jurisdiction actually governs a specific parcel before assuming either the county's or the city's rules apply; a parcel just outside Florence's city limits but within its growth corridor may still be subject to county rules today, with annexation a real future possibility given the city's ongoing commercial and residential growth.
Septic, flood-hazard districts, and the rest of the due-diligence checklist
Septic permitting for any Florence County parcel not on municipal sewer follows South Carolina's statewide model: SCDES, not a county health department, issues the permit under Regulation 61-56. Conveniently for a Florence County buyer, the regional SCDES office actually sits in the county seat -- the Florence Environmental Affairs Office (145 E. Cheves Street, Florence, SC, (843) 661-4825) -- and also covers Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon, Marion, and Marlboro counties, meaning Florence County parcels are served by a local, rather than distant, regional office.
Beyond zoning and septic, run the standard rural/suburban South Carolina checklist adjusted for Florence's mixed urban-rural character: confirm road frontage and access (a materially different question for a lot inside a platted subdivision near the city than for a rural interior tract), check flood zone status carefully given the county zoning code's specific flood-hazard-area provisions, and pull a title search at the Florence County Register of Deeds to confirm recorded easements and any severed mineral or timber rights before finalizing a purchase.
Who to Call Before Buying Land in Florence County
Confirm current staff, hours, fees, and whether a specific parcel falls under county or City of Florence zoning directly before relying on this page.
Planning & Zoning
Florence County Planning Department
Zoning district lookups under Chapter 30, including flood-hazard-area district requirements, for unincorporated parcels.
Other
City of Florence Planning, Research and Development
Zoning and design-review questions for parcels inside Florence city limits, administered separately under Chapter 21 of the municipal code.
Septic / Onsite Wastewater
SCDES Florence Environmental Affairs Office
Septic (onsite wastewater) site evaluations and permits under Reg. 61-56; also serves Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon, Marion, and Marlboro counties.
Recorder / Clerk / Land Records
Florence County Register of Deeds
Recorded deeds, easements, plats, and title history for a specific parcel.
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Get local guidanceSources
- Florence County SC - Planning — Florence County, SC (accessed 2026-09)
- ARTICLE II. -- ZONING DISTRICT REGULATIONS | Code of Ordinances | Florence County, SC — Municode Library (accessed 2026-09)
- Chapter 21 -- ZONING | Code of Ordinances | Florence, SC — Municode Library (accessed 2026-09)
- Florence County, South Carolina — Wikipedia (accessed 2026-09)
- SCDES Local Offices — South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (accessed 2026-09)
Last reviewed 2026-09