Horry County, SC Code Violation Reporting: How to Report (2026)
Key Facts
- Who can complain
- Any person
- Inspecting agency
- Horry County Dept. of Environmental Services
- Purpose of entry
- Determine whether a nuisance exists
- Interference
- Separate unlawful offense, Sec. 10-24(c)
Summary
Anyone can trigger a Horry County code inspection: file a complaint or have county personnel notice a nuisance, and appropriate representatives may enter the premises to determine whether a nuisance exists under Code Sec. 10-24(a). Interfering with an inspector carrying out that duty is a separate offense.
Inspection by county personnel. Upon receiving a complaint from any person or upon notice by Horry County personnel of a nuisance, as defined herein, appropriate representatives of Horry County may enter upon the premises in question for the purposes of determining whether the premises in question contains a nuisance.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 88).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 10-24(a) authorizes appropriate Horry County representatives to enter upon a property to determine whether it contains a nuisance, triggered either by a complaint from any person or by county personnel's own notice of a nuisance condition. No specific complaint form or identification requirement is written into the section itself; the inspection follows from the complaint or the county's own observation, whether the property is a residential lot, a platted subdivision, or a commercial premises covered separately under Sec. 10-26. The Horry County Department of Environmental Services administers Chapter 10's nuisance provisions generally and is the agency that fields these complaints, Sec.
10-42(a). Once an inspection confirms a violation, the county moves to the citation process in Sec. 10-24(b), which sets the compliance deadline. Separately, Sec. 10-24(c) makes it unlawful to interfere with, harass, or otherwise impede an officer or inspector carrying out an investigation or enforcement action under this article, with that interference punishable under the applicable provisions of the South Carolina Code of Laws, 1976, as amended.
Violations & Fines
Interfering with, harassing, or impeding a code inspector while carrying out an investigation is unlawful under Sec. 10-24(c) and is punishable under South Carolina state law. A confirmed nuisance found during inspection moves directly to a citation under Sec. 10-24(b), which starts a mandatory minimum ten-day compliance clock before any further enforcement action.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can file a code complaint in unincorporated Horry County?
Does the county need my identity to investigate a complaint?
What happens if I block a code inspector from doing their job?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Horry County
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