Cherokee County, SC Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit issuer
- Building codes department (Sec. 7-144)
- Permit term
- Life of the operation, inspected each year
- New site minimums
- 5 acres and 100 feet of road frontage
- Fence and screen
- 6 foot fence with evergreen screen reaching 8 feet
- Towing exemption
- Up to 25 vehicles for no more than 90 days
- Copper purchase records
- Kept for 1 year (Sec. 15-1)
Summary
In unincorporated Cherokee County, South Carolina, every junkyard needs a permit from the building codes department, and the definition covers any establishment that stores, keeps, buys or sells junk. County staff inspect the permit each year, and it is issued only after fencing and screening are complete.
(1)All junkyards are required to obtain a junkyard permit. Such permit shall be valid for the life of the operation, assuming it does not cease operation, from the date of issuance and will have to be inspected by county staff each year to maintain the original permit. A permit shall be issued by the building codes department upon completion of fencing and screening requirements. For junkyards established, opened, or re-opened after enactment of this article, the permit shall only be issued upon approval of a junkyard plan by the building codes department. ... (3)No person shall establish, possess, open, re-open, own, enlarge, or operate a junkyard after the effective date of this article without complying with the provisions set forth herein.(4)Any addition, enlargement or expansion of a junkyard shall require a permit and shall be permitted in accordance with this article as a new junkyard.(5)Providing false or incorrect information on any application form, registration form, permit form or permit renewal form under this article shall constitute a misdemeanor.
Full Breakdown
Section 7-147 defines a junkyard as an establishment used in part or in whole for storing, keeping, buying or selling items defined as junk, and the definition includes scrap processors, who buy scrap iron and metals for remelting. Junk covers metal, rope, rags, batteries, paper, cardboard, plastic, rubber, pallets, appliances, motors, rubbish, debris and wrecked, dismantled or disabled motor vehicles or parts. Section 7-144 makes the permit mandatory. It is valid for the life of the operation, inspected by county staff each year, and issued by the building codes department once fencing and screening are complete. A new or reopened junkyard also needs an approved junkyard plan first, and any addition, enlargement or expansion is permitted as a new junkyard.
The county can accept a letter of credit when seasonal weather blocks planting the evergreen screen. Junkyards that open or reopen after November 5, 2007 need a continuous parcel of at least 5 acres, a front lot line of at least 100 feet, a fence setback of at least 50 feet, and a distance of 1,000 feet from a church, school, daycare center, nursing home, hospital or public building, plus 500 feet from any single residence. The fence stands at least 6 feet high, with an evergreen screen that reaches 8 feet when mature.
Exemptions are narrow. Recycling centers are exempt from the permit and the 5 acre rule but need a two-acre minimum lot. Service stations are exempt from Sections 7-143 and 7-144. Wrecker, towing and impoundment services are exempt from the 5 acre rule and hold no more than 25 currently licensed and registered wrecked vehicles, for no more than 90 days.
Metal buyers face a separate rule. Section 15-1 requires a purchaser of the listed copper items from anyone other than a retail licensee or authorized wholesaler to verify the seller's name and address by valid state driver's license, state identification card or military identification, and to keep a record of each purchase for one year.
Violations & Fines
Providing false or incorrect information on any junkyard application, registration, permit or renewal form is a misdemeanor under Section 7-144. Any permit lacking the current mailing address of the permit holder or the record owner is void. An uncured nuisance or safety hazard brings permit revocation under Section 7-142(g). Section 1-8 sets a general penalty of a fine not exceeding $200 or 30 days imprisonment where none is specified. Copper purchase violations carry a $500 fine plus court costs under Section 15-1.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who needs a junkyard permit in unincorporated Cherokee County?
What siting rules apply to a new junkyard?
Does a towing business need 5 acres?
What records must a copper buyer keep?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cherokee County
Compare Cherokee County to another location·View the South Carolina business licensing & operations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.