5 rules for unincorporated Dorchester County, South Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
Backyard fire pits are legal across unincorporated Dorchester County. South Carolina requires no state permit for a recreational fire, but S.C. Code 48-35-10 requires you to notify the Forestry Commission before any fire set in or next to woodlands.
S.C. Code Ann. § 48-35-10
It shall be unlawful for any owner or lessee of land or any employee of such owner or lessee or other person to start, or cause to be started, a fire in any woodlands, brushlands, grasslands, ditchbanks, or hedgerows or in any debris, leaves or other flammable material adjacent thereto, except under the following conditions: (a) Proper notification shall be given to the State Forester, or his d...
Consumer fireworks are legal in Dorchester County. South Carolina permits their sale and use statewide, so unincorporated residents may buy and shoot them. Retailers need a state license, and no fireworks may be sold to anyone under sixteen.
S.C. Code Ann. § 40-56-220(D)
Fireworks may not be sold to anyone under the age of sixteen.
Clearing brush by burning is allowed in unincorporated Dorchester County, but S.C. Code 48-35-10 makes it unlawful to burn woodland, brush, or grass without first notifying the South Carolina Forestry Commission and clearing a firebreak.
S.C. Code Ann. § 48-35-10
It shall be unlawful for any owner or lessee of land or any employee of such owner or lessee or other person to start, or cause to be started, a fire in any woodlands, brushlands, grasslands, ditchbanks, or hedgerows or in any debris, leaves or other flammable material adjacent thereto, except under the following conditions: (a) Proper notification shall be given to the State Forester, or his d...
Outdoor burning is legal in unincorporated Dorchester County under state rules, but S.C. Code 48-35-10 requires Forestry Commission notification before burning near woodlands, and drought burn bans can prohibit all outdoor fires countywide.
S.C. Code Ann. § 48-35-10
It shall be unlawful for any owner or lessee of land or any employee of such owner or lessee or other person to start, or cause to be started, a fire in any woodlands, brushlands, grasslands, ditchbanks, or hedgerows or in any debris, leaves or other flammable material adjacent thereto, except under the following conditions: (a) Proper notification shall be given to the State Forester, or his d...
South Carolina maps no regulatory wildfire hazard zones, and Dorchester County imposes no defensible-space or fire-hardening mandates. Wildfire risk is managed by the Forestry Commission through burn notification and drought bans, not zoning overlays.
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