Cherokee County, SC Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

Vacant and unimproved lots in unincorporated Cherokee County fall under the litter control article of Chapter 12, enforced by the county's anti-litter officer. The article's wording is about hazard, not appearance. Section 12-62 applies when it appears to the anti-litter officer that any lots or premises within the county limits are in a condition that constitutes a present or potential hazard to the public health. The sections quoted here do not name weeds, grass height or vacancy, so the trigger is the health hazard finding rather than a set height or measurement.

The process runs in three steps. Section 12-61 authorizes and requires the anti-litter officer to cause the inspection of any premises within the limits of the county whenever necessary to enforce the article. Section 12-62 then requires the officer to issue a written notice to the owner requiring the owner to bring the property within the provisions of the article within fifteen (15) days. Under § 12-63, a person who refuses or neglects to abate the condition is subject to Division 4 of the article, and it becomes the officer's duty to have the nuisance removed or abated. All expense of removal is recoverable from the owner of the premises, or from any person causing or maintaining the condition, in the same manner as debts of like amounts are recoverable by law.

Related litter rules reach the same lots. Section 12-33(b) puts responsibility for removing litter from property on the owners, and where litter has traveled onto another person's property through the forces of the elements, the owner of the property of origin is responsible. Section 12-33(a) also bars dumping litter or other solid waste on private property. Owners and operators of establishments such as shopping centers, service stations and commercial parking lots carry an added duty under § 12-40(a): they are responsible for loose materials produced on the establishment's property, though not for litter produced elsewhere. Enforcement belongs to the sheriff's department officers and the Cherokee County Litter Office (§ 12-60).