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

Florence County Code § 21-2(1) makes it a specific nuisance to permit the premises to become unsanitary or a fire menace by allowing any offensive or unsafe matter to grow, accumulate or otherwise occupy and remain upon such premises. This is the county's primary tool for overgrown weeds, unmowed lots and accumulated debris on vacant or unimproved land in the unincorporated area; the same section separately prohibits letting junk, old lumber, inoperable vehicles and similar objects pile up under § 21-2(2). Neither provision applies to actual farming, since the same subsection (1) exempts the growing of agricultural crops or natural growth areas, so the ban targets neglected, weed-choked or debris-strewn lots rather than working farmland.

Enforcement begins with a written complaint: § 21-3(a) lets an owner or occupant of real property within 1,500 feet of the vacant lot file at the Florence County Planning and Building Inspection Office, and the code official may also act on a sufficiently clear anonymous complaint. If the office confirms the violation, § 21-4 requires written notice describing the condition and a deadline to correct it, plus an offer of an informal conference to reach a signed abatement agreement. An owner who fails to respond, sign, or comply can be summoned to Florence County Magistrate Court; the county may then clean or clear the lot itself through Public Works or a contractor and charge the cost back to the property as a lien under § 21-4(d). 00 for a third or later one, under § 21-5.