List of counties in South Carolina


The U.S. state of South Carolina is made up of 46 counties, the maximum allowable by state law. They range in size from 392 square miles in the case of Calhoun County to 1,358 square miles in the case of Charleston County. The least populous county is Allendale County, with only 7,551 residents, while the most populous county is Greenville County, with a population of 570,745, despite the state's most populous city, Charleston, being located in Charleston County.

History

In the colonial period, the land around the coast was divided into parishes corresponding to the parishes of the Church of England. There were also several counties that had judicial and electoral functions. As people settled the backcountry, judicial districts and additional counties were formed. This structure continued and grew after the Revolutionary War. In 1800, all counties were renamed as districts. In 1868, the districts were converted back to counties. The South Carolina Department of Archives and History has maps that show the boundaries of counties, districts, and parishes starting in 1682.
Historically, county government in South Carolina has been fairly weak. The 1895 Constitution made no provision for local government, effectively reducing counties to creatures of the state. Each county's delegation to the General Assembly, comprising one senator and at least one representative, also doubled as its county council. Under this system, the state senator from each county wielded the most power. From the eighteenth century to 1973, counties in South Carolina performed limited functions such as the provision of law enforcement and the construction of transportation infrastructure.
In 1964, the United States Supreme Court case Reynolds v. Sims required reapportionment according to the principle of "one man, one vote", which resulted in legislative districts crossing county lines. However, it was not until 1973 that the constitution was amended to provide for limited home rule at the county level. This was finally enacted in 1975 with the Home Rule Act, which provided for elected councils in each county. Further, in 1989, all counties were given the authority to exercise broad police powers. Thus, they may enact regulations and ordinances related to the provision or preservation of security, health, peace, and order, so long as the regulation is not inconsistent with state law. Nonetheless, all counties and municipalities in South Carolina lack “fiscal home rule,” meaning they may only enact taxes authorized by the General Assembly.
County ordinances become applicable within municipal boundaries when the municipality and the county make a formal agreement, and the municipality formally adopts the ordinance. Unincorporated areas are governed by the county's land use plans.

Defunct parishes, counties and districts

Parishes

Until the late 19th century, the South Carolina Lowcountry was divided into parishes which in turn were subdivided several "districts"; these civil parishes were based on and generally coincident with Anglican ecclesiastical parishes.
  • St. Helena's Parish
  • St. Luke's Parish, created on May 23, 1767; located on Hilton Head Island and the adjacent mainland
  • St. Peter's Parish
  • Prince William Parish
  • St. Andrew's Parish
  • St. Bartholomew's Parish
  • St. John's Colleton Parish
  • St. George's Dorchester Parish
  • St. Philip's & St. Michael's Parish
  • Christchurch Parish
  • St. James' Goose Creek Parish
  • St. Thomas' & St. Denis' Parish
  • St. John's Berkeley Parish
  • St. Stephen's Parish
  • St. James' Santee Parish
  • St. Paul's Parish
  • All Saints' Parish
  • Prince George, Winyah, Parish
  • Prince Frederick Parish
  • St. David's Parish
  • St. Mark's Parish
  • St. Matthew's Parish

Counties

Districts

Proposed counties

Works cited

  • Landrum, John Belton O'Neall Colonial and revolutionary history of upper South Carolina: embracing for the most part the primitive and colonial history of the territory comprising the original county of Spartanburg with a general review of the entire military operations in the upper portion of South Carolina and portions of North Carolina Shannon and Company, Greenville, South Carolina,