Cherokee County, SC Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)

Two provisions of the Cherokee County Code govern dumpsters. Section 8-60, in the county utilities chapter, sets a container limit for residences and businesses served by county collection. The county council established a maximum of eight (8) containers for all container sizes, and any residence or business with more than eight (8) containers is required to obtain a dumpster. The section prints no fee and no dumpster size; it works as a threshold that moves a high-volume user from containers to a dumpster.

Section 12-42, in the litter control article of Chapter 12, covers where dumpsters go. Subsection (a) records the Cherokee County Health Department's request that owners of publicly patronized establishments provide and maintain litter receptacles on their premises, and it names fast food outlets, shopping centers, convenience stores, supermarkets, service stations, commercial parking lots, motels, hospitals, schools, colleges and universities. Subsection (b) is the placement rule: large litter receptacles such as dumpsters must be situated at a reasonable distance from public thoroughfares to prevent blockage of view from state or county rights-of-way. The section sets no measured distance, and its stated purpose is keeping the view from the road clear.

Section 12-43 controls what goes into the container. An owner, manager, employee, agent or independent contractor of a retail, commercial or institutional establishment cannot deposit the business's litter in any receptacle other than a litter receptacle maintained on the premises, except after receiving permission from the Cherokee County Litter Officer for disposal or transport to a state or county permitted landfill. For residential containers, § 8-59 requires roadside placement adjacent to or within the right-of-way. Where a container location presents a safety hazard to collection personnel, equipment or vehicular traffic, the superintendent of public works, the pollution officer or a designee meets with the resident to agree on a new safe location.