Berkeley County, SC Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies to
- Intensive animal production, 30,000+ lb capacity
- Feed storage rule
- Rodentproof containers required
- Spillage rule
- Removed promptly to prevent rodent attraction
- Same rule repeated at
- § 11.3.2(E), § 11.3.3(F)
- Default penalty
- Up to $500 fine / 30 days jail
Summary
Berkeley County requires intensive animal production operations to keep grain and feed in rodentproof containers and clean up spillage promptly, under County Code of Ordinances § 11.3.1(H), to keep flies, rodents and birds from being drawn to the property.
H.Feed storage.1.All grain and feed on the lot shall be stored in rodentproof containers.2.All feed spillages on the lot must be promptly removed so as to prevent attraction of flies, rodents, and birds, and creation of odors.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 37).
Full Breakdown
1(A) as livestock or poultry operations with a capacity of 30,000 pounds or more, or any operation SCDHEC determines needs an agricultural NPDES permit. 3, regardless of scale, is bound by the rodentproof-container standard. 1(F) requires manure piles to be kept in covered containers at least 50 feet from any dwelling and 25 feet from any property line, with waste piles barred outright from FEMA flood zones A or V and from waterways. These conditions apply to conditional-use agricultural operations processed through Berkeley County's zoning permitting system, not to residential household pest complaints generally, which fall to the county's separate nuisance or health department channels. The section was adopted by Ordinance No. 15-01-01 in 2015 and amended by Ordinance No. 23-07-42 in 2023.
Violations & Fines
Article 11.3 attaches no separate fine schedule to feed-storage noncompliance, so a violation is pursued as a conditional use permit violation: the planning and zoning department can refer it to code enforcement, and the county's general penalty at § 1-8 applies, up to a $500.00 fine or 30 days imprisonment, with each day of continued spillage or unsecured feed a separate offense. The board of zoning appeals can also revoke the underlying special exception for a conditional use found out of compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Berkeley County require rodentproof feed storage on farms?
Does the rodentproof feed rule apply to a backyard horse or boarding stable too?
Is this rodent-control rule for general household pest problems?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Berkeley County
Compare Berkeley County to another location·View the South Carolina public health rules overview
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