Greenville County Septic Tank Regulations Haven’t Slowed Development | Greenville News

GREENVILLE — It’s been nine months since Greenville County implemented strict regulations on the use of septic tanks in areas where zoning regulations do not apply.

The new regulations were designed, among other things, to better control the rapid population growth the county is experiencing, especially in rural areas where the infrastructure is not adequately prepared to accommodate the rapid population growth.

Since the adoption of the regulation by the County Council, its effects have been mixed.

The ordinance passed in January, among other things, prohibits high-density housing on sewer systems in unzoned areas, requiring that such projects have at least 1.5 acres of land per home.

At the time of the bill’s passage, local real estate agents and homebuilders opposed it, saying the new rules would impose unjustified restrictions and lead to sprawl, reduced inventory, and higher housing costs. Meanwhile, residents concerned about the pace of growth in less-developed areas praised the initiative.

Data on approved development applications provided by the county shows that while fears that the new rules would lead to rural sprawl are so far unfounded, the ordinance has had little impact on the overall rate of development and septic tank use in the county.

However, the data indicates that the regulation has so far discouraged developers from building in areas where zoning has not been designated.

Between the introduction of the new septic tank regulations and early July, a total of 14 large-scale subdivision applications were approved, totaling nearly 800 units on about 300 acres. That’s an average of just over two per month, up slightly from 2023, although the average size of developments was slightly down year over year.

Of those, three were in the septic tank, just shy of the total for all of 2023. Only one of those was in an undefined area, the only approval in undefined Greenville County during the six-month period.