Anderson County, SC Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Anderson County, SC, also called the burn ban, open burning, or fire restriction ordinance, set when you can burn yard waste, debris, or run a recreational fire.
Key Facts
- Who declares the ban
- county forest ranger / forestry commission
- Trigger
- drought or fire-hazard conditions
- Coverage
- unincorporated area of the county
- Excluded
- DHEC-regulated incinerators
- Penalty
- misdemeanor under § 1-7
Summary
Anderson County authorizes the county forest ranger, part of the state forestry commission, to declare a fire state of emergency during drought and impose a countywide ban on open burning in the unincorporated area, publicized through news media and lifted the same way once conditions ease.
Immediately upon the declaration by the county forest ranger (forestry commission), publicly disseminated throughout the county by use of news media, of a fire state of emergency due to drought conditions or other conditions which create fire hazards to the unincorporated area of the county, there shall exist and come into being a prohibition, or ban, on open burning of any substance within the unincorporated area of the county, subject only to any exceptions or rules established by state or federal law.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 2).
Full Breakdown
Section 22-1(a) states the county council adopted open burning restrictions to achieve the greatest public benefit from restricting open burning during drought conditions within the unincorporated area of the county. Subsection (b) defines open burning as the burning of any substance outside of a building enclosed by walls and a roof, expressly excluding incinerators regulated by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control. Subsection (c) gives the county forest ranger, acting through the forestry commission, authority to declare a fire state of emergency due to drought or other fire-hazard conditions, publicized through the news media, which immediately imposes a ban on open burning of any substance within the unincorporated area, subject only to exceptions set by state or federal law; the ban stays in effect until the forest ranger lifts or amends it through the same public news media process. C. Code 1976 § 4-19-10.
Violations & Fines
Anyone who violates the open burning ban is guilty of a misdemeanor, punished under the general penalty provision of section 1-7, which authorizes the maximum penalties allowed for magistrates' courts or a civil penalty up to $500.00 where no specific fine is set (§ 22-1(d)).
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can order a burn ban in Anderson County?
Does the burn ban apply inside the City of Anderson?
What counts as open burning under this section?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Anderson County
How Anderson County compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·Compare Anderson County to another location·View the South Carolina fire regulations overview
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