Lancaster County, SC Ordinances (2026)

Unincorporated Lancaster County has no curbside pickup; residents haul their own trash to county container sites regulated by Code Chapter 12, Division 3. Only normal household garbage…

Unincorporated Lancaster County bans bulky rubbish, furniture, appliances, mattresses, building materials, brush, tires, from county trash containers; Section 12-62 requires it be…

Unincorporated Lancaster County has no routed curbside trash pickup. Residents put normal household garbage in county trash containers and haul rubbish (furniture, appliances, yard…

Lancaster County bars commercial trash haulers from using its container sites. Section 12-67 makes it unlawful for anyone in the business of hauling or collecting trash, garbage or…

Unincorporated Lancaster County imposes a 3 percent local accommodations tax on gross proceeds from renting rooms, cabins, campsites or other lodging to transients. Vendors, including…

In unincorporated Lancaster County, historical markers and monuments are handled by the county's Historical Commission, not by a landmark-designation ordinance. Under Lancaster County…

In unincorporated Lancaster County, every cat over four months old must wear an owner identification tag and a current rabies vaccination tag under Lancaster County Code § 6-6. Cats…

Lancaster County requires spaying or neutering as a condition of getting an impounded pet back or adopting one from the county shelter. Section 6-9(a)(2) makes it a redemption…

In unincorporated Lancaster County, pets must be kept under restraint at all times, and off the owner's own land a pet may not go anywhere except on a leash, per Lancaster County Code…

Lancaster County does not require every pet to be microchipped, but the animal shelter requires it in two situations: an owner redeeming an impounded pet must consent to microchipping…

Lancaster County has no breed ban; instead it declares dogs "dangerous" case by case based on behavior under Lancaster County Code § 6-13. A dog with a probable-cause finding of…

Lancaster County Code § 6-52 bans keeping, maintaining or possessing any exotic animal within unincorporated Lancaster County. Section 6-51 lists the covered species, including big…

Sec. 24-3(3) makes it unlawful to kill, harm or harass any bird, along with mammals, reptiles and amphibians, in a Lancaster County park or recreation area, except under a permit…

Lancaster County closes its public parks and recreation areas from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. every day, including Sundays, under Sec. 24-2(b). Entering or staying past closing is…

Building a pool in unincorporated Lancaster County requires a permit before work starts. Section 7-22 applies the county's building permit ordinance to construction of "every building…

In unincorporated Lancaster County, a permit is required before you build, alter, renovate, relocate, remove or demolish any building, structure or appurtenance, and before you place…

Unincorporated Lancaster County requires an electrical permit under Section 7-25(a)(4) whenever electrical work isn't already covered by a building permit, and adopts the 2020 National…

Unincorporated Lancaster County requires a plumbing permit under Section 7-25(a)(5) for residential or commercial plumbing work done without a building permit, and adopts the…

Every commercial structure built in unincorporated Lancaster County without a certificate of occupancy, plus existing buildings with a monitored fire alarm or stored hazardous…

In unincorporated Lancaster County, a shed or other one-story detached accessory structure valued at $5,000 or less still needs a building permit under Section 7-25(a)(1), and every…

Unincorporated Lancaster County's building official can charge a dwelling as unfit for human habitation under Section 7-100, hold a hearing, and order the owner to repair it or, if…

In unincorporated Lancaster County, Sec. 22-2 bars letting trash, junk, garbage, discarded furniture, building materials or other debris pile up on any premises, including vacant lots…

In unincorporated Lancaster County, grass, weeds and undergrowth become an unlawful nuisance under Sec. 22-2 once they reach 16 to 18 inches and sit within 150 feet of a building…

In unincorporated Lancaster County, an abandoned or derelict motor vehicle cannot sit on a public street or thoroughfare longer than 48 hours, or on private property longer than 7 days…

Lancaster County requires a permit before anyone hosts a protest, rally, fair, festival, parade or other organized event on county-owned public property in the unincorporated area…

Lancaster County parks and recreation facilities run first-come, first-served under Sec. 24-3(18), except that recreation buildings and some shelters require an advance reservation…

Unincorporated Lancaster County has no fixed nighttime curfew hour; instead Sec. 23-21 and Sec. 23-22 ban any excessive noise at any time that disturbs the peace, annoys a reasonable…

Construction, agriculture, tree harvesting, land clearing, and lawn care noise is exempt from Lancaster County's excessive-noise ban only between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. Under Sec…

Airports and aircraft are exempt from Lancaster County's excessive-noise ordinance. Sec. 23-23(2) carves out noise from governmental activities, airports and aircraft, railways…

Most fixed-site businesses are exempt from Lancaster County's excessive-noise ordinance, but Sec. 23-23(1) carves bars and other venues licensed for on-premise alcohol consumption back…

Lancaster County bars peddlers from entering private property posted against soliciting and from remaining once told to leave. Sec. 23-71 covers only the unincorporated county outside…

Sec. 24-3(10) bars anyone using a Lancaster County park or recreation area from possessing or consuming alcoholic beverages of any type. The county administrator can waive the ban for…

Lancaster County's only loitering ordinance is narrow: Section 12-66 bars loitering, or discharging a firearm, at or near a county trash container site. It sits inside the Chapter 12…

Sec. 24-3(9) prohibits drones, along with airplanes, balloons and parachutes, from taking off, landing or operating in any Lancaster County park or recreation area. Operators may fly…

Lancaster County imposes a 3 percent local accommodations tax on rentals furnished to transients in the unincorporated county under Sec. 28-50(a). Vendors remit the tax monthly by the…

Sec. 24-3(6) bars possessing fireworks, explosives, firearms or air guns in any Lancaster County park or recreation area, unless authorized park personnel, law enforcement, or a…

Unincorporated Lancaster County bans open burning outright unless it fits an exception in Code Article V. Section 14-101 makes kindling or maintaining any open fire unlawful except as…

Recreational campfires and fire pits used for warmth or ceremonies are exempt from Lancaster County's sunset-to-sunrise no-burn window under Code § 14-104. Yard-debris and other open…