| South Carolina's Litter Laws |
What are the state penalties for littering in South Carolina?
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The minimum fine is $200 plus court assessments. *
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The Maximum fine is $1,087 plus court assessments. *
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Guilty convictions can lead to jail time between 30 days to one year. The court will also impose community service litter clean-up hours.
* $200 is the minimum fine in South Carolina for littering any amount less than 15 pounds. This penalty can carry a maximum fine of $300*, and a minimum of 15 hours litter-gathering labor.
For any amount of litter over 15 pounds and less than 500 pounds, there is a $200-$500 fine, mandatory community service, and a possible prison sentence not to exceed 90 days.
Penalties for ILLEGAL DUMPING or the deposit of a collection of litter or garbage in an area not intended for that use, there is a fine of $1,000 and a minimum of 15 hours litter-gathering labor.
*In South Carolina, there is a 100% assessment on all state litter tickets, plus court fees. |
Click here for SC Litter Laws, Section 16-11-700.
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Lexington County Sheriff's Department
The Lexington County Sheriff's Department has a long and proud tradition of being an active part of litter reduction in Lexington County.
In the late 1970s, Sheriff James Metts implemented a program in which low-level offenders from the Lexington County Detention Center pick up trash from county roadways. The inmates pick up litter by hand from primary and secondary roads, essentially everything except private property and the interstate highways.
The program is making quite an impact on Lexington County. In 2007, the inmate work crew picked up 368,630 pounds of trash along county roads, a 37 percent increase from 2006.
The Detention Center inmate work crew generally picks up litter five days a week across the county and handles as many as 10 litter projects weekly.
The Sheriff’s Department determines locations using two main criteria:
1) historical data indicating problem areas
2) recommendations of resident deputies
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