Beaufort County, SC Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Repair-vs-demolish threshold
- 50% of fair market value
- Repair start deadline in order
- Within 60 days
- County default remedy
- Repair, close or demolish (§ 74-138)
- Cost recovery
- Lien like county taxes (§ 74-141)
- Circuit court appeal window
- 60 days (§ 74-139)
Summary
When repairing a dilapidated dwelling in unincorporated Beaufort County would cost 50 percent or less of its fair market value, § 74-137 of the Code of Ordinances requires the owner to repair it or vacate and close it; above that threshold, the owner must remove or demolish the structure instead, on the deadline set in the county's unfit-dwelling order.
(a)If the repair, alteration or improvement of the dwelling can be made at a reasonable cost in relation to the value of the dwelling ("reasonable cost" being not over 50 percent of the fair market value of the dwelling), the owner shall be required, within the time specified in the order, to repair, alter or improve such dwelling to render it fit for human habitation or to vacate and close the dwelling as a human habitation; or(b)If the repair, alteration or improvement of the dwelling cannot not be made at a reasonable cost in relation to the value of the building ("reasonable cost" being not over 50 percent of fair market value), the owner shall be required, within the time specified in the order, to remove or demolish such dwelling.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 55 Update 1 | Community Development Code: Supplement 16).
Full Breakdown
Section 74-137 sets a fair-market-value test for how the county resolves a dwelling already found unfit for human habitation under § 74-133: if repair, alteration or improvement can be done for 50 percent or less of the dwelling's fair market value, the owner must repair it or vacate and close it within the time set by the order; if the cost would exceed that 50-percent threshold, the owner must instead remove or demolish it. The underlying order, issued after the investigation and hearing process in §§ 74-135 and 74-136, must identify the property, document the unfit findings, and, for repairs, require permits secured and work started within 60 days and carried to completion on a further schedule set by the administrator; for demolition, it requires permits secured and demolition completed within a reasonable time the administrator sets.
Violations & Fines
If an owner fails to comply with a repair or demolition order, § 74-138 lets the county administrator carry out the repair, or vacate and close the dwelling and post a placard declaring it "unfit for human habitation" and unlawful to occupy, or have it removed or demolished. Section 74-141 turns the county's repair or demolition costs into a lien against the property, collectible the same way as county taxes, and § 74-143 requires any salvaged materials to be sold and the proceeds credited against that cost. An owner may petition the circuit court for an injunction within 60 days of the order under § 74-139, with the court giving the case calendar preference and treating the administrator's supported factual findings as conclusive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Beaufort County force demolition of a blighted house?
Who pays if the county demolishes a dangerous building?
Can an owner fight a demolition order in court?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Beaufort County
Compare Beaufort County to another location·View the South Carolina property maintenance overview
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