South Carolina has two tiers of local government, general-purpose governments and special-purpose governments, governed by the state constitution and statutes. General-purpose governments are comprised of counties and municipalities whereas special-purpose governments include school districts and special-purpose districts.
Generally, local governments regulate the following areas that affect citizens on a daily basis: public health, safety, welfare, fire and police protection, emergency medical services, infrastructure, parks and recreation and public education (where federal mandates are not applicable).
South Carolina is divided into four regions, all separated by their counties.