Charleston County, SC Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Code section
- Charleston County Sec. 10-4
- Who decides
- County code enforcement officer
- Applies to
- Unincorporated county lots
- Nuisance basis
- Weeds, vegetation, or solid waste
- Cost recovery
- Lien on the property
Summary
In unincorporated Charleston County, weeds, rank vegetation, or accumulated solid waste left on a lot may be declared a public nuisance by a county code enforcement officer, who can then order abatement at the owner's cost.
Weeds and other rank vegetation or solid waste allowed to accumulate and remain on lots as described above may be deemed and declared to be a public nuisance in the judgment of any duly appointed county code enforcement officer. In the event such weeds and rank vegetation or solid waste, as described herein, have not been deemed and declared to be a public health hazard by the county health department, any county code enforcement officer may nevertheless deem and declare the same to be detrimental to the health and welfare of the community.
(Ord. No. 1227, § 1, 8-13-02)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 21).
Full Breakdown
Charleston County Code Sec. 10-4 lets any duly appointed county code enforcement officer deem accumulated weeds, rank vegetation, or solid waste on a residential or commercial lot to be a public nuisance detrimental to community health and welfare, even without a health-department hazard finding. Sec. 10-2 makes it unlawful for an owner to permit such growth or accumulation, and a lot once improved may not be allowed to revert to unimproved status. Owners inside Charleston city, North Charleston, or Mount Pleasant follow their own city blight codes; this county rule governs only the unincorporated Lowcountry and sea islands.
Violations & Fines
A nuisance can be abated by the county with the cost becoming a lien on the property; failure to comply after notice is a misdemeanor, up to $500 fine or 30 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this apply inside Charleston city?
Can the county clean up a blighted lot itself?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Charleston County
Compare Charleston County to another location·View the South Carolina property maintenance overview
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