Horry County, SC Fire Regulations: Brush Clearance (2026)
Key Facts
- Mandate
- No brush-clearance requirement in county code
- Burning setback
- 50 ft from structures and lot lines
- Ag/forestry exemption
- State Forestry Commission-approved burns only
- State compliance
- DHEC Reg. 61-62.2/61-62.4 govern smoke
- Enforcement
- County Administrator can halt any burn
Summary
Horry County has no ordinance requiring residents to clear brush for wildfire prevention; the only local rule that reaches brush and yard debris is the outdoor-burning setback in Code § 20-451. If you dispose of vegetative debris by burning it, the pile must sit 50 feet from any structure or property line.
(b)Compliance. Any and all open burning must be conducted in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations including, without limitation, the South Carolina Prescribed Fire Act, S.C. Code § 48-35-10 et seq., and DHEC Open Burning and Air Pollution Control Regulations and Standards, specifically 24A S.C. Code Ann. Regulations R 61-62.2 and R 61-62.4, South Carolina State Forestry Commission guidelines and South Carolina Smoke Management Guidelines. No open burning shall be conducted which results in the creation of nuisance conditions, including undesirable levels of smoke.(d)Exemptions...(1)Vegetative debris burning related to forestry, wildlife, and agricultural burns authorized by the South Carolina Forestry Commission provided no nuisance conditions are created.
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
Horry County's code does not impose a defensible-space or mandatory brush-clearance requirement on unincorporated property owners. The one enforceable local rule that reaches brush and yard-waste disposal is Section 20-451, the outdoor-burning ordinance, which applies whenever that brush is burned rather than hauled off. Any pile kindled to dispose of cut brush, limbs or leaves must stay 50 feet from a structure and 50 feet from a property or parcel line, the same standard the section sets for all open burning. 4, and State Forestry Commission and Smoke Management guidelines, and no burn, brush or otherwise, may create a smoke nuisance.
Subsection (d)(1) carves out an exemption specifically for vegetative debris tied to forestry, wildlife or agricultural work that the State Forestry Commission has authorized, provided it stays nuisance-free, but a routine residential brush pile does not qualify for that carve-out and must meet the 50-foot setback like any other open fire. The County Administrator, on the fire chief's recommendation, can still prohibit any brush burn, exempt or not, when weather or local conditions make it hazardous under subsection (c), and anyone who burns brush illegally bears the fire-suppression costs and civil or criminal liability under subsection (e).
Violations & Fines
There is no separate brush-clearance citation; a brush pile burned inside the 50-foot setback, or one that creates a smoke nuisance, is enforced the same way as any other illegal open burn under Section 20-451(f) and the general penalty in Code § 1-8. The county can extinguish the fire, and the person responsible owes suppression costs plus any resulting damage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Horry County require me to clear brush around my house?
Can I burn a brush pile to clear my lot?
Who can stop me from burning brush on my own property?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Horry County
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