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

Sec. 7-1(2), revision 2.2.2, rewrites Section 103.5 (Fees) of the adopted 2018 International Property Maintenance Code for Georgetown County's own enforcement schedule. Beyond the initial inspection, which carries no charge, the schedule sets a $500 fee if the county utilizes a citation to magistrate's court for an overgrown lot, and a separate $500 fee for a citation for an unsafe structure. If the county itself arranges cleanup, a private contractor for yard cleaning is billed to the owner at the contractor's low bid plus $200, and the code specifically notes the county may use contractors previously approved for lawn or park maintenance.

If county staff and equipment perform the yard maintenance directly, the owner is billed at cost plus $300, and structure removal by a private contractor or by county staff and equipment is billed at low bid plus $300, or cost plus $300, respectively. These fees apply on top of, not instead of, the twenty-inch weed height standard in revision 2.2.3, giving the county both a numeric standard to cite a vacant lot's owner for and a cost-recovery schedule if the owner does not clear it. Enforcement runs through the building department's code enforcement function under the director of planning and code enforcement.