Georgetown County, SC Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

Division 2 of Article VI in Chapter 13.8 governs sidewalks and bicycle paths owned or maintained by the county or the state in unincorporated Georgetown County; Section 13.8-121 expressly excludes private walkways in shopping centers, apartment complexes, and office parks from coverage. That section defines "block" to mean interfering with unobstructed travel by any means, including standing on the part of the walk or path that is fit for travel or placing any object or vehicle on it, so the rule reaches more than deliberate barricades.

Section 13.8-122 then makes it unlawful to block a sidewalk or bicycle path in a way that makes it impossible for a pedestrian or bicyclist to travel along it without leaving the path for adjacent property or the street; the test is whether the obstruction actually forces a detour. Section 13.8-123 preserves a narrow carve-out for stopping to talk or make a speech, so long as the speaker, or two or more people talking together, still leave enough room for someone to pass. Two related sections sit in the same division: 13.8-124 requires property owners to trim vegetation that grows over a sidewalk or path, and 13.8-125 separately bans driving a moped or motor vehicle on a sidewalk or bike path except to cross it on an authorized driveway.

None of these Division 2 sections prints its own fine, so violations fall under Section 1-6, the Code's general penalty: a fine of not more than $200 or up to 30 days in jail where no specific penalty is stated, with each day a violation continues counted as a separate offense. The division derives from Ordinance No. 2000-23, adopted June 14, 2000.