4 rules for unincorporated Greenville County, South Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
Greenville County regulates tall grass through Article VI (Environmental Control), Division 3 (Weeds and Rank Vegetation) of the County Code, also known as the County Environmental Ordinance. The definition section (§ 9-106) defines "weeds and rank vegetation" as dense, uncultivated, herbaceous and/or woody growth in or within 200 feet of a developed platted subdivision or a developed zoned residential area that is over 18 inches high, or any growth that serves as a breeding ground for mosquitoes, a refuge for vermin, or that creates a fire or traffic hazard. Enforcement is by the Greenville County Codes Enforcement Division (864.467.7090). After notice, the property owner has 20 days to bring the lot into compliance before the County may abate the nuisance and bill the owner.
Greenville County does not have a general county-wide tree-trimming ordinance covering private property — that is set by individual city codes. Where Greenville County does have direct jurisdiction is within the county road right-of-way: the Greenville County Public Works Division (864.467.7016) trims and removes trees within county-maintained rights-of-way, and any private party that wants to perform work — including tree trimming, removal, or planting — in the county ROW must first obtain an Encroachment Permit under Greenville County Code § 18-65. Trees in the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) right-of-way are handled by SCDOT (864.241.1224), not by the County.
Greenville County, South Carolina addresses overgrown lots and weedy properties through two complementary county ordinances enforced by the Codes Enforcement Division (864.467.7090): the County Environmental Ordinance, which gives property owners 20 days to improve an overgrown lot after notice, and the County Housing Code, which allows up to 60 days for yard cleanup at residential properties. Greenville County has not published a single numeric grass-height threshold in its public AnswerBook description; the standard applied in the field is whether vegetation has become a nuisance or health hazard. Complaints are received by phone, online, or in person at the Code Enforcement office at 301 University Ridge, Suite S-3100, Greenville, SC 29601.
Greenville County, South Carolina has no countywide outdoor watering ordinance. The dominant water provider, Greenville Water, serves more than 750,000 residents across Greenville County and portions of Anderson, Pickens, and Laurens counties from Table Rock Reservoir, North Saluda Reservoir, and Lake Keowee, and states publicly that it has never had to ask for mandatory water restrictions — conservation is treated as a voluntary best practice. The statewide regulatory framework is the South Carolina Drought Response Act, S.C. Code Ann. §§49-23-10 through 49-23-100, which empowers SC DNR's Drought Response Committee to declare incipient, moderate, severe, or extreme drought stages by drought management area, and §49-23-90 requires every water utility (including Greenville Water) to adopt and implement a SC DNR-approved drought response plan. Violations of any restriction declared under that plan are a misdemeanor, with fines from $50 to $1,000 per violation under §49-23-90.
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