The Department of General Services shall have authority to deny or revoke any business registration under the provisions set forth in this section.
A registration application may be denied, or an issued registration may be suspended or revoked, upon any of the following grounds:
(1) The registrant’s operation of the business constitutes a public nuisance, provided the determination of the public nuisance arises from 1 or more of the following activities on the premises or in the immediate vicinity thereof and the registrant has actual or constructive knowledge of the activities:
a. Frequent arrests of persons for crimes of violence, possession or sale or controlled substances, possession or sale of deadly weapons, the discharge of firearms, excessive noise, disorderly conduct, prostitution, disturbance of the peace, and the illegal acts correspond with or relate to the hours of operation of the business operations of this registrant;
b. Law enforcement agencies make an unusually high number of response calls, regardless of arrests, to the business premises, or to the immediate vicinity, and the high number of response calls corresponds with or relates to the hours of business operations of the registrant;
c. There are ongoing and significant deposits of litter and debris in the immediate vicinity, whether the persons making the deposits can be identified or not, when the litter and debris relate to the business operations of the registrant; and
d. Material violations of property maintenance codes, environmental codes, fire code, and/or building codes where violations are applicable to the business premises.
(2) Failure to provide sufficient security measures to protect people and property located on the premises, and to protect people and property located in the immediate vicinity when the immediate vicinity is affected by the business operations of the registrant;
(3) The provision of materially false and inaccurate statements in the business registration application or to a County official at the time of application;
(4) Failure to pay taxes or fees applicable to the premises or business operations when due, including but not limited to personal and real property taxes, hospitality taxes, accommodation fees and accommodation taxes, property assessments, sewer fees, stormwater fees, and false alarm fees;
(5) Failure of an applicant or registrant to show current compliance with applicable state laws related to the operation of business activities;
(6) Failure to provide full payment to the County within 10 days of notice of a check returned to the County for insufficient funds. Full payment means the full amount due of the original check plus costs and fees assessed to the County by its bank for the return of the check presented, as well as any return check fee otherwise assessed by the County;
(7) Failure to provide substantiation, when asked by the County, that the actual business use of the location for which a business registration has been applied for or granted, complies with what is allowed at the location under the County’s zoning ordinance. Nothing in this provision shall be interpreted to abrogate or limit any variances, special exceptions, or lawful nonconforming uses, previously established under the County’s zoning ordinance. In the case of amortization of signs, structures, and uses, the business owner must demonstrate that the amortization period has not expired. In instances requiring an interpretation of the zoning administrator, such interpretations may be rendered in accordance with the duties assigned to the zoning administrator under the zoning ordinance;
(8) An applicant or registrant whose employer’s license is suspended or revoked for violating the South Carolina Illegal Immigration Reform Act shall have his business registration suspended or revoked by the County. Such suspension or revocation by the County shall run concurrently with the penalty imposed by the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Registration.
(Ord. 4277, § 8, passed 4-21-2009)