Off-grid site report

Union County, SC

34.7291, -81.6409 · 659 ft elevation

Read this before you act on anything below. This is my researched starting point for Union County, SC, not legal advice and not a guarantee. Rules change, and the deciding facts on any specific parcel (setbacks, perc results, overlay districts, deed restrictions, road frontage) live at the county or town office, not in any database. Before you buy land or build, confirm the current rules directly with the local zoning and health offices - the sources on this page tell you exactly who to call.

The local rulesUnion County, SC

Zoning & raw-land occupancy

Varies locallyUnincorporated Union County uses a Land Development ordinance rather than a traditional zoning map, and a land development permit is generally required before land development activity, though single-family residences and their accessory uses are exempted from that permit. The incorporated towns (City of Union, Jonesville, Carlisle, Lockhart) have their own separate zoning ordinances, so it matters a lot which jurisdiction your parcel sits in. Whether raw, unpermitted land occupancy is restricted countywide isn't confirmed, so I'd call the Union County Planning/Land Development office before assuming you can just live on bare land. source

Dwellings, tiny homes & RVs

Unclear - verifyI couldn't find an official Union County page that specifically addresses tiny homes, THOWs, or long-term RV occupancy, unlike some neighboring counties. Any inhabited structure will still trigger the state's septic/well permitting requirements, so check with the Union County Department of Building Safety before setting up a nontraditional dwelling. source

Building permits & codes

Generally allowedUnion County runs its own building code enforcement through the Department of Building Safety, which handles permits and inspections for new construction under Chapter 7 of the county code. This applies countywide, so any habitable structure will need to go through this office. source

Septic & composting toilets

RestrictedUnion County has no separate local septic authority; septic approval is entirely a state function run by SCDES (formerly DHEC), and the county won't issue a building permit for a home not on public sewer until you have SCDES septic approval. Composting toilets aren't separately addressed in county ordinances, so treat them as falling under this same state-controlled framework until you confirm otherwise with SCDES. source

Greywater reuse

RestrictedNo Union County ordinance on greywater reuse turned up in my research, so this falls back to South Carolina's state baseline, which treats greywater systems as engineered systems requiring SCDES sign-off. Confirm specifics with SCDES before building a greywater setup. source

Rainwater harvesting

Unclear - verifyI found no Union County ordinance, health department guidance, or building department page addressing rainwater harvesting caps or registration. This is unclear territory, so before tying a rainwater system into a habitable structure, check with the county's Building Safety office.

Private wells & water rights

RestrictedWell approval on Union County land development projects is explicitly deferred to the state, and statewide South Carolina requires a permit before drilling any water well, with SCDES enforcing construction standards. You'll need to go through SCDES's local office for any well permitting. source

Living disconnected from utilities

Varies locallyI found no Union County rule that forces a home to hook up to electric or water utilities. That said, any inhabited structure still has to go through the county's land-development/building-permit process, which in turn depends on getting SCDES septic and/or well approval first, so going off-grid doesn't mean skipping permitting.

Open the full county page with sources →

Sun30-year normals

Peak-sun hours, annual average: 5.3 hrs/day
Worst month (sizes an off-grid array): 3.8 hrs/day
Yearly output per 1 kW of panels: 1,429 kWh

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Weather1991-2020

Precipitation: 44 in/yr
Snowfall: 4 in/yr
Heating degree days: 2,901 (mild)
Frost-free season: Apr 1 to Nov 5

How far help isstraight-line

Hospital Union Medical Center: 1.8 mi
Fire station Bonham Fire Department: 3.3 mi
Hardware store Robinsons Hardware: 7.8 mi
Grocery Walmart Supercenter: 0.2 mi

From OpenStreetMap. Road miles will be longer, often much longer in hill country.

Plan this spot

These open with this location's real numbers already filled in (ZIP 29379).

Size a solar system Heat loss & insulation Firewood per winter Rainwater harvest Garden size Panel tilt

Sources: US Census Bureau geocoder; NLR PVWatts v8 (solar); NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 climate normals (nearest station) or Open-Meteo (ZIP-centroid) for weather; Open-Elevation; OpenStreetMap contributors. Public data retrieved Aug 22, 2026; agencies update their layers on their own schedules. Planning data, not a survey or legal advice.