A 50-foot zoning exception could return—but skip entire split-height lots

A wording change offered at the Oct. 21 Planning Commission hearing in Charleston, South Carolina, would exclude entire split-height properties from a proposed 50-foot zoning exception—not just their height-district boundaries.⁠[1][2][3]

The written draft would let the zoning administrator extend a less restrictive district’s requirements up to 50 feet across a zoning line dividing a lot, if the administrator finds that appropriate and consistent with the zoning ordinance. It excludes height-district boundaries on the city’s 2017 Old City map. The presenter’s replacement sentence instead excludes property with a “split overlay designation”—a parcel spanning more than one height district on that map.⁠[2][3]

That changes what the exclusion attaches to: the property itself, not merely its height boundary. The exact commission recommendation remains unverified in the records reviewed, as does any City Council ratification. This is an account of proposed wording, not an enacted change.⁠[2][3][4][5]

As our earlier report on the proposed 50-foot exception explained, the idea is a revival. A signed ordinance ratified Nov. 12, 2025, removed an older split-lot flexibility provision and made the city’s geographic information system scale the official measurement method for zoning boundaries. Unlike the removed provision, the proposed extension would depend on the administrator’s judgment rather than apply automatically.⁠[2][6]

There is a wrinkle for anyone checking the online code: the compilation, labeled a Nov. 14, 2025 version, still displays the older 50-foot provision. It does not match the signed ordinance on this point; the records reviewed do not explain why.⁠[6][7]

The GIS rule prompted a question from Lisa Jones, who identified herself as being with Historic Charleston Foundation: how would the new approach fit with the 2025 ordinance? The presenter replied that the map and distances would not change; the zoning administrator would measure, maintain and specify the distances.⁠[8][9][10][11]

The draft would require lists of split-zoned lots and split-height parcels. For the latter, recorded boundary distances would have to reflect the intentions of city staff who helped create the map. During zoning review of site improvements, the administrator or a designee would confirm boundary locations. Disputes could go to the Board of Zoning Appeals–Zoning.⁠[2]

The same package addresses circuit-court appeals and pre-litigation mediation. The presenter said those provisions mirror South Carolina state-law amendments from 2003 that the city already follows. Ordinance amendments receive a Planning Commission recommendation before going to City Council for another public hearing.⁠[5][12]