The City of Darlington offers many benefits to residents and businesses located within its boundaries and strives to continually improve each of the services it provides.

1.  Top-Rated Fire Service Means Better Response Times and Cheaper Insurance

Established in 1880, the Darlington Fire Department serves the City of Darlington 24 hours a day, 365 days a year with a combination of full time and paid on-call employees. We provide rescue and medical first responder service to our citizens as well.

During its last ISO inspection in June 2015, the department received a rating of 3, which means lower fire insurance rates to all residences and businesses in our fire coverage area. That rating puts Darlington in the top 3 percent of the 48,000 departments surveyed.

The City has increased the size of water lines serving the core commercial district, implemented a maintenance and replacement schedule for hydrants, added a certified arson investigator, ramped up public education in schools, added new equipment, computerized record keeping, and continues to replenish its firefighter ranks with enthusiastic personnel. The City plans to continue improvements to the water and fire service system to improve its ISO rating in the future.

2.  Better Police Means Lower Crime and Quicker Response

The Darlington Police Department serves 6,327 permanent residents, thousands of workers, students, and people who pass through our jurisdiction on a daily basis. We are responsible for patrolling several square miles and hundreds of businesses of all sizes. We answer approximately 3,600 to 4,000 reported incidents per year while responding to around 6,000 calls for service. During the past 10 years, crime, especially violent crime, has dropped significantly. In addition to this, property crime has also dropped at a steady rate. Part of this is because of continual cooperation between our businesses and the police department.  For more information, call (843) 398-4026. For emergencies, please call 911.

3.  Expanding Water and Sewer Improvements Helps Everything Flow More Smoothly

The City is expanding its footprint to serve the U.S. 52 Bypass with sewer and has made more than $4 million of improvements to its water and sewer system in the last five years. The City handles more than 3,200 accounts. For more information, call (843) 398-4040

4.  We Make Taking Out the Trash Less of a Task

The City has a contract with Allied Waste Services for businesses needing dumpsters for trash. Roll carts for garbage and recycling are also available. For information, call (843) 398-4035

5.  You Can’t Pick Your Neighbors, But City Zoning Helps Keep Up the Neighborhood

Zoning allows a jurisdiction to control what can and cannot locate next to your business. The City’s zoning laws give you confidence only complimentary and appropriate uses will move near your facility. You can find the City of Darlington zoning maps here. Outside the City limits, Darlington County does not have county-wide zoning.

HOW TO HAVE YOUR PROPERTY BECOME PART OF THE CITY

If your property is contiguous (adjacent to) the City limits, you can request that we annex your property to receive full City services.  Contact the Codes Enforcement Office for more information at (843) 398-4000 x106.