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Board approves one-person pest-control home occupation under strict storage and activity limits
Summary
The board approved a special exception allowing a licensed pest-control operator to run a one-person business from his house, attaching seven conditions including no on-site mixing, sealed manufacturer containers in locked ventilated storage, limits on quantities, one enclosed work vehicle, no routine deliveries, and no exterior signage.
The Board of Zoning Appeals on March 3 approved a special-exception permit for a pest-control home occupation at 3 Creekview Court, subject to conditions intended to reduce environmental and neighborhood risk.
Staff and the applicant described safeguards: no mixing or formulation of pesticides at the residence or accessory structure; all application activities to occur off-site; pesticides stored only in sealed, manufacturer-approved containers; locked, ventilated, fire-safe storage inside a garage or permitted accessory building; stored quantities limited to day-to-day operational needs (no 55‑gallon drums); only one standard work vehicle permitted and parked in the garage; and no routine commercial deliveries of pesticides or supplies to the residence.
Applicant Kevin Whitlatch described his qualifications (roughly ten years' experience and certification through the state's pest-control regulator and Clemson University), and said he plans to be the sole operator, purchase chemicals based on demand, store small quantities, and maintain spill-containment and cleanup kits consistent with safety data sheets. "I will have a spill kit... I will always make sure that it's within the limits of the label," Whitlatch told the board.
Neighbors raised concerns about proximity to a creek, storage in a shed with limited temperature control, and the risk of spills during storm or tree-fall events. The board discussed regulatory oversight: code enforcement would investigate complaints about conditions of approval, while state pesticide regulators carry authority for product handling and enforcement upon request.
After confirming the applicant met the 11 special‑exception criteria, the board unanimously approved the permit with seven conditions as recommended by staff.
