What are the rules for keeping chickens in South Carolina?

[Devinlaughlin]

Hello. I will be moving to Sumter, SC in about a month. I am coming from a two acre lot in San Diego, CA, and had about 100 birds on that lot. I would love to know how many chickens I am allowed to have in my flok out there, and what are the rules, if any for selling the eggs, and produce from my garden. Thanks!

 

[PirateGirl]

The rules for selling eggs can be found here, see the link under number 2:

https://agriculture.sc.gov/faq/food-safety/
Also to sell in Sumter you may or may not be required to obtain some sort of business license and/or collect sales tax.

You will need to dig around a bit on the Sumter website to find their ordinances:

https://www.sumtersc.gov/
You will need to look at zoning for your specific property. Also you will need to look at building code to determine if there are any rules applicable to building a coop or accessory structure on your lot, for instance what size structure requires a permit? Is a foundation required? What are the required setbacks?

 

[ErnieBerley]

Whew good luck - Sumter is quite different than San Diego in regards to weather - hope your chickens like it colder ! and wetter !!

 

[Devinlaughlin]

Thanks y'all. Haha. Yes, it will be different, but sure beats constant dry heat and wildfires. And, luckily the property i'm hoping to acquire already has a barn and a shed on 2.55 acres.