Spartanburg County, SC Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Spartanburg County Code § 10-162
- Weed height limit
- 18 inches (IPMC § 302.4)
- Violation type
- Civil infraction
- Base fine
- $25.00 to $200.00
- Uncorrected fine
- Up to $2,000.00, per day
- Appeal window
- 20 days to Board of Appeals
Summary
Spartanburg County adopted the International Property Maintenance Code and, in Section 10-162, filled in its blank height standard: exterior weeds and plant growth on any property, vacant or occupied, cannot exceed 18 inches. A violation is a civil infraction carrying a fine between $25.00 and $200.00, rising to as much as $2,000.00 if an owner ignores a written correction notice.
The following sections of the International Property Maintenance Code adopted in section 10-161 are hereby revised: ... Section 109.3. Insert: Civil infraction Section 109.4. Insert. $25.00 dollars or more than $200.00 dollars. A person who after written notice fails to correct a violation or submit a plan for correcting a violation within the time to comply, set forth in the written notice, must be cited and fined, by civil fine, in an amount not to exceed two thousand dollars ($2,000.00). Each day a violation continues is a separate offense. ... Section 302.4. Insert 18 inches.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 29).
Full Breakdown
C. Code § 6-9-60. Section 10-162 then fills in several blanks the model code leaves open. 4, the exterior-property weeds standard, is completed with '18 inches,' setting the maximum height for grass, weeds and other plant growth other than trees and ornamental shrubs on any parcel, improved, unimproved or vacant. 00, with each day a separate offense, if the owner fails to correct the violation or submit a correction plan within the time stated in the written notice. , which the county extended to the property maintenance code: an officer opens a case on a complaint or a patrol observation (Section 10-61), may enter after consent or, if refused, after obtaining a search warrant (Section 10-62), and must serve a notice of violation and order requiring correction, with 20 days to comply or appeal when the underlying code sets no other deadline (Section 10-63).
An owner can appeal to the Board of Appeals and Adjustments within 20 days of the notice (Section 10-66), with a further appeal to the circuit court of common pleas within 30 days of the board's decision (Section 10-67); an uncorrected or unappealed violation proceeds to a uniform summons and magistrate's court trial (Sections 10-68, 10-69).
Violations & Fines
A weeds violation under IPMC Section 302.4, as revised by Section 10-162, is a civil infraction, not a criminal charge, with a fine set between $25.00 and $200.00 for the initial citation. If the owner fails to correct the overgrowth or submit a correction plan within the deadline stated in the written notice, the civil fine can rise to as much as $2,000.00, and each additional day the violation continues is charged as its own separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can weeds get on a vacant lot in unincorporated Spartanburg County before it's a violation?
What's the fine for overgrown weeds?
Can I appeal a weed citation before paying the fine?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Spartanburg County
Compare Spartanburg County to another location·View the South Carolina property maintenance overview
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