9 rules for unincorporated Spartanburg County, South Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
In unincorporated Spartanburg County, grass and weeds over 18 inches violate the International Property Maintenance Code, enforced by Environmental Enforcement. Inside the City of Spartanburg the limit is lower, 12 inches.
IPMC § 302.4 (Spartanburg County Code § 10-162)
Grass and weeds in excess of 18 inches are in violation of the International Property Maintenance Code Adopted by Spartanburg County.
In the City of Spartanburg, all tree pruning must follow National Arborist Association shade-tree standards, and "topping" any street, park, or public tree is unlawful. The county sets no pruning rule for private yard trees.
City of Spartanburg Code § 38-23(b)
All pruning of trees shall comply with the National Arborists Association, Pruning Standards for Shade Trees.
In the City of Spartanburg, willfully removing or injuring any tree in a street or public place is a misdemeanor, and removal of public trees goes through the city tree board. There is no countywide permit to remove trees on private land.
City of Spartanburg Code § 38-1
Any person who shall willfully break down, destroy, injure or remove any tree already planted or hereafter to be planted, or any of the boxes which shall or may encompass them in any street or public place within the city, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
Overgrown weeds are a code violation both in the county and the city. Unincorporated county properties are held to 18 inches under the property-maintenance code; City of Spartanburg lots to 12 inches of weeds, brush, or undergrowth.
City of Spartanburg Code § 20-29
Any weeds, brush, undergrowth or debris on any real property located within the city that grows to a height of 12 inches or more; ... shall ... remove from such property the following conditions which are declared to be a menace to the public health and a nuisance.
Spartanburg County sets no lawn-watering ordinance. Outdoor watering limits come from your utility, Spartanburg Water, which activates address-based schedules during drought under South Carolina's Drought Response Act.
Collecting rainwater is legal in Spartanburg County. South Carolina places no statewide restriction on residential rainwater harvesting, and the county sets no ordinance limiting rain barrels or cisterns.
Spartanburg County does not mandate native landscaping. The City of Spartanburg publishes an official approved street-tree list, and no species may be planted as a street tree without written permission unless it is on the list.
City of Spartanburg Code § 38-50
The list contained in this section constitutes the official street trees for the city. No species may be planted as street trees without written permission except those included in the list.
Spartanburg County and the City of Spartanburg have no ordinance specifically permitting or banning artificial turf for residential lawns. Installation is generally allowed, subject to stormwater, permit, and HOA rules.
Spartanburg County and the City of Spartanburg have no ordinance banning backyard composting. It is allowed, but a compost pile that produces offensive odors or harbors vermin can be cited as a nuisance.
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