9 permits · verified 2026-10-19
What permits do you need to open a retail store in Spartanburg County?
In short
A retail store in Spartanburg County, SC has 2 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 7 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Spartanburg County Planning and Development Department charges $63 per temporary use permit (Exhibit D, effective July 1, 2026) for the temporary use permit (seasonal and intermittent stands). 5 of the 9 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-19 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a retail store in Spartanburg County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temporary Use Permit (seasonal and intermittent stands)only if it applies to you | Spartanburg County Planning and Development Department | $63 per temporary use permit (Exhibit D, effective July 1, 2026) | PZO: seasonal uses up to 120 days, intermittent uses up to 45 days; ULMO: seasonal uses up to 90 days | 2026-10-19 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
Local permits that apply to every type of business in Spartanburg County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Development Permit and Site Plan Review (ULMO) / Zoning Permit (PZO Southwest Planning Area) — Non-Residentialonly if it applies to you | Spartanburg County Planning and Development Department | Varies — formula on the Spartanburg County page | PZO zoning permit: effective two years from approval, with five one-year extensions (PZO §9.1.10) | 2026-10-19 |
| Business Sign Permit (unincorporated Spartanburg County)only if it applies to you | Spartanburg County Planning and Development Department | Varies — formula on the Spartanburg County page | per sign permit | 2026-10-19 |
| Building and Trade Permits, Plan Review and Certificate of Occupancyonly if it applies to you | Spartanburg County Building Codes Department | Varies — formula on the Spartanburg County page | per permit | 2026-10-19 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
SC registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate Annual Report and License Feeonly if it applies to you | South Carolina Department of Revenue | Varies — formula on the SC page | annual — due on the fifteenth day of the fourth month after the tax year ends | 2026-09-03 |
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | South Carolina Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings | $110 one-time filing | perpetual — an LLC files no annual report in South Carolina | 2026-09-03 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | South Carolina Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings | $135 at filing — $110 to the Secretary of State plus the $25 initial license fee | perpetual, but an annual report and license fee are due every year | 2026-09-03 |
| Retail License | South Carolina Department of Revenue | $50 for each permanent location, and it is not refundable | no expiry while the same person trades at the same location | 2026-09-03 |
| Local Business License | South Carolina Department of Revenue | Varies — formula on the SC page | 1 May to 30 April, the same in every South Carolina jurisdiction | 2026-09-03 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
How much does it actually cost to permit a retail store in Spartanburg County?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 9 records listed for a retail store in Spartanburg County, SC, 2 apply to every business of this type and 7 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.
Of the 2 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $50.00. That is a floor, not a total. 5 of the 9 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 0 have no fee published at all.
The other 5 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Spartanburg County permits page and the SC state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Spartanburg County?
Permits for a retail store in Spartanburg County, SC come from 4 separate offices: Spartanburg County Planning and Development Department, Spartanburg County Building Codes Department, South Carolina Department of Revenue, South Carolina Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- Spartanburg County Planning and Development DepartmentIssues 3 permits on this page: Development Permit and Site Plan Review (ULMO) / Zoning Permit (PZO Southwest Planning Area) — Non-Residential, Business Sign Permit (unincorporated Spartanburg County), Temporary Use Permit (seasonal and intermittent stands)(864) 596-3570www.spartanburgcounty.gov/152/Planning-and-Development
- Spartanburg County Building Codes DepartmentIssues 1 permit on this page: Building and Trade Permits, Plan Review and Certificate of Occupancywww.spartanburgcounty.gov/173/Building-Codes
- South Carolina Department of RevenueIssues 3 permits on this page: Corporate Annual Report and License Fee, Retail License, Local Business LicensePO Box 125, Columbia, SC 29214 · (803) 898-3153dor.sc.gov/businesses
- South Carolina Secretary of State, Division of Business FilingsIssues 2 permits on this page: Articles of Organization (LLC), Articles of Incorporation1205 Pendleton Street, Suite 525, Columbia, SC 29201 · (803) 734-2158sos.sc.gov/online-filings/business-entities
What does a retail store need in Spartanburg County that other businesses do not?
1 of the 1 permit particular to a retail store here applies to no other business type we cover in Spartanburg County: Temporary Use Permit (seasonal and intermittent stands).
Temporary Use Permit (seasonal and intermittent stands)
Both land-use ordinances require a temporary use to submit a sketch plan and, on approval, to be issued a temporary permit. In the Southwest Planning Area, PZO §4.8.00(c) allows seasonal uses such as snow cone and produce stands for up to 120 days, and §4.8.00(d) allows intermittent uses such as firework stands and Christmas tree sales lots for up to 45 days; temporary structures must stay out of the road right-of-way and a site may not be reused for another temporary use for six months (seasonal) or three months (intermittent). In the ULMO area, §3.21(3) allows seasonal uses such as snow cone, firework and produce stands and Christmas tree lots for up to 90 days. The fee is $63.00 for "Temporary Use", as published in the Spartanburg County Planning and Development Department fee schedule ("Exhibit D", effective July 1, 2026), the department's current published schedule; the council action adopting it is not posted online, which took effect July 1, 2026 for the fiscal year running to June 30, 2027.
The other 3 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Spartanburg County, SC; what each one involves is set out on the Spartanburg County permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across SC and are covered on the SC state page.
How does a retail store compare with other businesses in Spartanburg County?
The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A retail store also needs Temporary Use Permit (seasonal and intermittent stands). A auto repair shop needs Automotive Repair Shop — South Carolina position, which a retail store does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a retail store | Only a retail store needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auto repair shops | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Childcare centres | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Coffee shops | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Contractors and trades | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Fitness studios | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Food trucks | 4 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Restaurants | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Salons and barbers | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Veterinary clinics | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Sources
Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Spartanburg County permits page and the SC state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Spartanburg County Planning and Development Department Fee Schedule – Effective July 1, 2026 (Exhibit D)Spartanburg County Planning and Development Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-19
- Performance Zoning Ordinance (Ord. O-19-29, amended through June 15, 2026)Spartanburg County Council · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-19
- Unified Land Management Ordinance (Ord. No. O-99-015, as amended)Spartanburg County Council · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-19
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.