Beaufort County, SC Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Beaufort County Code of Ordinances § 62-22(1)
- Eligible collectors
- County-licensed, franchised, or municipal-contracted haulers only
- Solid waste districts
- Nine districts under § 62-21
- Unincorporated areas
- Served by county-administered districts 5-9
- Max penalty
- $500 fine or 30 days under § 62-5
Summary
Beaufort County limits residential trash and recycling pickup to collectors it licenses, franchises, or contracts directly: county-licensed haulers serve unincorporated areas, while the four incorporated towns run their own municipal or contracted service under separate numbered solid waste districts.
(1)Municipal solid waste and recovered materials shall be collected from single-family county residences by rollcart service and/or bin service only by:(a)Collectors who are licensed by the county.(b)Licensed collectors who are franchised by the county for collection in specific areas of the county.(c)Licensed collectors under contract with a municipality to provide curbside service.(d)Municipal collectors in an incorporated solid waste district.(e)County collectors in an unincorporated solid waste district.
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 § 62-22(1) says municipal solid waste and recovered materials shall be collected from single-family county residences by rollcart or bin service only by five categories of provider: collectors licensed by the county, licensed collectors franchised by the county for a specific area, licensed collectors under contract with a municipality for curbside service, municipal collectors inside an incorporated solid waste district, or county collectors inside an unincorporated district. Section 62-21 divides the county into nine numbered solid waste districts tied to tax districts: District 1 is the City of Beaufort, District 2 is the Town of Port Royal, District 3 is the Town of Hilton Head Island plus Jenkins and Pinckney Islands, District 4 is the Town of Bluffton, District 5 is Sheldon Township, Districts 6 through 8 cover unincorporated Port Royal Island, Lady's Island, and St.
Helena Island and the islands east of it, and District 9 is Bluffton Township. Districts 1 through 4 run through intergovernmental agreements between the county and each town or city council, while the county administrator directly administers districts 5 through 9. Daufuskie Island, inside district 9, gets a different minimum service level because of its remoteness, and the county does not collect recovered materials there at all; that district's collection, transportation, and disposal costs come out of the county general fund rather than district fees.
Violations & Fines
Beaufort County Code of Ordinances § 62-5 makes a willful violation of the solid waste chapter a misdemeanor, punishable on conviction by a fine of not more than $500.00, imprisonment for not more than 30 days, or both. A private hauler that collects residential waste in the county without the required collector/hauler license from the county administrator under § 62-32 commits a separate misdemeanor for operating unlicensed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I hire any trash hauler I want in unincorporated Beaufort County?
Does the City of Beaufort or Hilton Head Island use the county's trash collector?
Why doesn't Daufuskie Island get the same trash service as the rest of the county?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Beaufort County
Compare Beaufort County to another location·View the South Carolina trash & recycling overview
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