Lexington County, SC Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Code § 54-63(a), (b), (d)
- Yard debris placement
- Curbside only, not back-yard
- Container set-out window
- 7 a.m. day before to 6:30 a.m. collection day
- Yard rubbish size limit
- Branches up to 4 inches diameter
- Large-item pickup
- Requires separate paid agreement with collector
- Coverage area
- Unincorporated county (or opted-in municipalities)
Summary
Lexington County requires yard debris to go out at curbside only, unlike household garbage, which residents may set for either curbside or back-yard pickup. Large tree limbs and excessive yard rubbish need a separate paid pickup agreement with the franchised collector under Code § 54-63.
(b)Each customer shall have the option of either curbside or back yard pickup service of household garbage. Fees shall be specified in the contract approved by the county council. Yard debris shall be picked up at curbside only. ... (d)The solid waste collection service provided by the collector shall consist of scheduled pickup of household garbage and yard rubbish deposited in plastic bags, covered cans or other approved containers. A customer shall not be entitled to receive pickup service for discarded household furnishings, appliances, building materials, large tree limbs or other large items, or excessive amount of yard rubbish unless the customer and the collector enter into a separate agreement for the pickup of such items for a fee which shall be in addition to the allowable fee which the collector may charge under terms of the contract. The amount of such additional fees shall be subject to agreement by and between the parties. Solid waste management shall have no authority to set or determine the amount of such additional fees.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 20).
Full Breakdown
Under Lexington County, SC Code of Ordinances § 54-63, the county's franchised residential collectors handle two distinct waste streams differently. Subsection (b) gives customers the option of curbside or back-yard pickup for household garbage but limits yard debris to curbside collection only; fees for the chosen service level are set in the collector's contract approved by county council. the following day, and stored in side or rear yards (never the front yard) between collections. Subsection (d) caps what routine service covers: scheduled pickup applies only to household garbage and yard rubbish bagged, canned, or otherwise properly containerized.
Discarded furnishings, appliances, building materials, large tree limbs, or an excessive amount of yard rubbish are not included in standard service; a customer must arrange and pay the collector separately for that pickup, with the added fee set by agreement between the two parties. The county's solid waste management office has no authority to set or determine that additional fee, per the same subsection. Section 54-31 defines 'yard rubbish' as grass, leaves, small trees and branches not exceeding four inches in diameter, shrubs, vines and similar lawn, shrub, garden and tree maintenance waste from residential properties; anything larger, such as large tree limbs, falls outside routine yard-waste service and into the special-arrangement category under (d).
This article applies within the unincorporated areas of the county, and within any municipality that separately agrees to be covered, per § 54-34. Section 54-63(f) lets a collector withhold service from any customer who fails to pay or fails to comply with the section's requirements, including the curbside-only placement rule.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 54 makes any violation of the chapter a misdemeanor punishable within the penalty jurisdiction of magistrate's court under § 54-39(11). Beyond that criminal exposure, a franchised collector may simply stop service to a noncompliant customer under § 54-63(f), and a customer who wants oversized limbs or excess yard rubbish removed must first strike a separate paid agreement with the collector; there is no free bulk yard-waste option.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Lexington County pick up my yard debris from my back yard?
Will the county collector remove large tree limbs after a storm?
What counts as yard rubbish under Lexington County's ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lexington County
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