Beaufort County, SC Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

Beaufort County Code of Ordinances § 38-32(4), titled 'Unlawful disposal or accumulation,' makes it unlawful for any person to dispose of, or cause to be disposed of, or allow to accumulate, or for any property owner to allow any person to dispose of or accumulate any type of solid waste anywhere in the county except at a solid waste management facility approved by county council or the South Carolina DHEC. The same section requires any owner, lessee, occupant, or agent of a lot where solid waste has accumulated to remove and properly dispose of it as often as necessary to prevent buildup, and lets the county administrator declare an accumulation a nuisance.

Before enforcement, § 38-32(7) requires the county administrator to serve written notice on the owner or occupant, either in person, by mail, or by posting it on the property; if the waste is not removed within ten days of that notice, the responsible person is deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and if 20 days pass with no action, the county can enter the property, remove the waste itself, and place a lien on the property for the cost. 00, confinement for not more than 30 days, or both, with each day a violation continues charged as a separate offense, plus court costs and attorney's fees if the county has to sue.