Beaufort County, SC Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Code of Ordinances § 38-92
- Scope
- All county-owned/operated facilities, indoor and adjacent outdoor
- Private business option
- May allow smoking if areas are posted (§ 38-94)
- Sign requirement
- "No Smoking" letters at least 4 inches high
- Fine range
- $10.00 to $25.00 per infraction
Summary
Beaufort County bans smoking in and on all county-owned or operated facilities, including outdoor property adjacent to and part of those buildings. Private businesses in the unincorporated county may allow smoking if they post designated smoking areas.
Smoking shall be prohibited in and on all county owned or operated facilities.
Smoking may be prohibited in private sector establishments at the option of owners/operators in unincorporated areas of the county; such establishments shall identify designated smoking areas as set forth in section 38-94.
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
Beaufort County Code of Ordinances § 38-92 flatly prohibits smoking in and on all county owned or operated facilities. Section 38-91 defines a covered facility broadly: any building or facility, including outdoor property adjacent to and part of it, used by people or organizations funded in whole by county council or under the county's managerial control. So the ban reaches outdoor space tied to a county building, not just interiors. Private-sector establishments in unincorporated Beaufort County are treated differently: they may permit smoking at the owner's option, but must designate and post smoking areas under § 38-94. Section 38-93 requires "No Smoking" signs, letters at least four inches high, citing the enabling ordinance, posted in every room and publicly supported place; unposted public areas default to nonsmoking. A separate workplace-smoking article (§§ 38-101 et seq., adopted by Ord. No. 2006/28) additionally protects employees from secondhand smoke in enclosed indoor workplaces countywide, layering onto the facilities ban.
Violations & Fines
Smoking in a properly posted no-smoking place, or removing a posted sign, violates § 38-97. Under § 38-98, a violator can be cited and fined not less than $10.00 nor more than $25.00 for an infraction; a person who owns, manages or controls a covered place and fails to comply faces the same $10.00 to $25.00 fine, plus possible suspension or revocation of an occupancy permit or business license for repeated violations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I smoke outside a county building in Beaufort County?
Can a private restaurant in unincorporated Beaufort County allow smoking?
What is the fine for smoking where it is banned?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Beaufort County
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