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

Georgetown County Code § 11-5 makes it unlawful for anyone to dump, throw, drop, deposit, discard or otherwise dispose of litter or solid waste, as defined by S.C. Code § 44-96-30(46), on any public or private property or waters in the county, whether from a vehicle or otherwise, including highways, parks, beaches, campgrounds, forest land and trailer parks. The only exceptions are disposal at a site the state or county has designated for that waste, or depositing litter into a receptacle in a way that keeps it from blowing or washing away.

Responsibility for removing litter falls on the property owner or, if a receptacle is involved, the owner of the property where the receptacle sits. A deposit under 15 pounds in weight or 27 cubic feet in volume is a misdemeanor carrying a fine of $100 to $200, up to 30 days in jail, and a mandatory minimum of five hours of litter-gathering labor or other public service supervised by the court; depositing litter in an area not intended for public disposal draws a flat $200 fine plus the same five-hour minimum.

A second or subsequent conviction adds a minimum of 20 hours of community service on top of the fine. Courts may substitute additional labor for the monetary fine at a rate of one hour per $5 of fine, and a judge may order a violator to pick up all litter previously deposited at the site. Magistrates courts have jurisdiction over these misdemeanor cases. Anyone who dumps more than 15 pounds or 27 cubic feet is instead charged and sentenced under the state littering statute, S.C. Code § 16-11-700, which carries harsher penalties than the county's own scale.