Florence County, SC Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Storm drain ban
- Yard waste barred from storm drains, ditches, streams
- Leaf duty
- Owners must keep leaf piles out of gutters/inlets
- Green box exclusion
- Yard trash excluded from household containers
- Where it goes
- Landfill collection station or 40-yard roll-off box
- Stormwater enforcer
- Florence County Engineering Division
Summary
Yard waste in unincorporated Florence County can't go into a storm drain or the household green box. Florence County Code Section 9.5-77(c) bars dumping leaves, limbs or grass clippings into any storm drain, stream or ditch, while Section 13-1(5) excludes yard trash from the six-yard household containers, routing it to the landfill instead.
(c)It shall be unlawful to place yard waste into any storm drain, stream, or conveyance where concentrated stormwater flows will wash such wastes into the storm sewer system or county watercourse. ... which shall not include stumps, limbs, white goods, bricks, rocks, cement, bedsprings, appliances, construction debris, furniture, auto parts, yard trash and dead animals.
Full Breakdown
Florence County regulates yard waste through two separate chapters that work together. 5-77(c) makes it unlawful to place yard waste into any storm drain, stream, or conveyance where concentrated stormwater flows will carry it into the storm sewer system or a county watercourse. 5-35 of the same chapter, charged separately for each day the violation continues. Separately, Chapter 13's solid waste article addresses where yard trash may be discarded as garbage: Section 13-1(5) excludes 'yard trash' along with stumps and limbs from the six-yard green boxes used for household domestic garbage, and Section 13-1(6) directs residents to take yard debris instead to the county landfill's collection station or a designated 40-yard roll-off box at a mini-station.
Together the two provisions mean a resident clearing brush or leaves in unincorporated Florence County may neither wash it into a ditch or storm drain nor bag it for the neighborhood green box; it has to be hauled to the landfill or a roll-off site.
Violations & Fines
Sweeping or blowing leaves, limbs or clippings into a storm drain, ditch or catch basin violates Florence County Code Section 9.5-77 and is enforced by the county engineering division under Section 9.5-80, with penalties under Section 9.5-81 assessed per day of violation. Putting yard trash into a household green box separately violates Section 13-1(5).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I rake leaves into the ditch in unincorporated Florence County?
Does the green box take grass clippings and branches?
What happens if yard waste washes into a storm drain from my property?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Florence County
Compare Florence County to another location·View the South Carolina trash & recycling overview
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