Burning Land Clearing Debris in Lancaster County, SC
Burning land clearing debris in Lancaster County is allowed in the right place and season, with the right call made first. Outside town limits, the Forestry Commission has to be notified before burning near woods, brush, or grass, SC DES sets distances, hours, and pile limits for land-clearing fires, and the county bans land-clearing burns from May through September except on certain rural parcels. Inside the City of Lancaster, burning takes a city permit. Here's each rule, who to call, and what to do with the brush when burning won't work. Checked October 2026.
First, what kind of burn is it?
| Burn | What applies |
|---|---|
| Leaves, limbs, and yard trimmings at your home, outside town | Notify the Forestry Commission online or at 1-800-705-8610. County ordinance: at least 35 feet from any structure and 50 feet from the property line. |
| Brush, trees, and stumps from clearing land, outside town | Phone notice to 1-800-705-8610, the SC DES land-clearing conditions below, and the county's May-through-September ban unless your parcel is exempt. |
| A prescribed burn or forestry burn | Notice to a Forestry Commission dispatcher at 1-800-777-3473, accepted only on the day of the burn. |
| Anything inside the City of Lancaster | A city fire department permit; no permitted burning May through September. |
| Inside Heath Springs, Kershaw, or Van Wyck | The state notification law doesn't apply in town, but SC DES rules do. Ask town hall first. |
Notifying the Forestry Commission
State law (S.C. Code § 48-35-10) makes it unlawful to start a fire in or near woods, brush, grassland, ditch banks, or hedgerows unless "Proper notification shall be given to the State Forester," you've cleared around the fire and have equipment and help on hand, and someone watches it until it's under control. For land-clearing and construction burns, the Forestry Commission takes notice by phone only, at the county's toll-free number. For Lancaster County that's 1-800-705-8610; listen to the message and leave your name, address, and phone number. Yard debris at a home can also be reported online.
The Commission's dispatchers record notice; they're "not authorized to interpret" the SC DES burning rule. For questions about that rule, the Commission says to call the nearest SC DES office. Lancaster County's resource list gives the DES environmental office in Rock Hill at 803-909-7096.
The SC DES rules for land-clearing fires
SC DES's open burning regulation (R.61-62.2) allows burning for land clearing only "in areas other than predominantly residential," and only when all of these are met:
- At least 1,000 feet from public roads and from homes, businesses, and industrial sites that aren't contiguous with the burn.
- Wind blowing away from smoke-sensitive areas.
- Only plant material, "generated onsite," with dirt on it kept to a minimum. No tires, asphalt, heavy oils, or other non-plant material.
- Fires started only between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., and no fuel added between 3:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m.
- No more than two piles of 30 by 30 feet (or the equivalent) burning within a 6-acre area at once.
- All salvageable timber and pulpwood removed first.
Building a house is a separate case: waste from building a one- or two-family home may not be burned during "the ozone season (April 1 through October 30)," and must be at least 500 feet from any occupied structure. The DES open burning page adds that burning garbage in a barrel is illegal and so is burning any waste from commercial construction sites. On a homesite, those limits often rule burning out; clearing a house site covers the other ways to handle the brush.
The county burning ordinance
In unincorporated Lancaster County, the outdoor burning ordinance (Chapter 14, Article V) adds its own rules:
- Land-clearing burns are banned in May, June, July, August, and September, except on certain rural-zoned parcels. Ask the county Fire Marshal (803-313-8056) whether your parcel is covered before you plan a summer burn.
- Someone competent must attend the fire until it's out, with a garden hose connected to water or other equipment ready.
- Smoke production substantially ended, and no fuel added, between official sunset and sunrise.
- No burning on county roads or drainage rights-of-way.
- No treated wood, paper, construction or demolition debris, household garbage, tires, or plastics.
- Forestry, wildlife, and farm burns authorized by the Forestry Commission fall outside the ordinance. So does burning vegetative or land-clearing debris on site "by a licensed contractor during new construction of a home or other building, except as specified by DHEC Air Quality Regulations" (the ordinance's wording, Sec. 14-107(c)). The ordinance doesn't say which license it means, and South Carolina lists land clearing as work that needs no specific license, so ask the Fire Marshal (803-313-8056) before counting on this exception. SC DES rules apply either way.
County fire officials can vote to ban open burning, and the Fire Marshal and his representatives can write tickets (Fire Marshal's office, 111 Covenant Place, Lancaster).
Inside town limits
- City of Lancaster. Any outdoor burning needs a permit from the city fire department first. Burning that needs a permit is barred May through September, on Ozone Action Days, and during red flag alerts declared by the Forestry Commission, and every fire must be 50 feet from any structure and 50 feet from any property line (City Code § 20-122). City of Lancaster, 803-283-2489.
- Kershaw picks up yard debris on Mondays and Tuesdays: limbs no longer than 5 feet and "no bigger than 6 inches around," up to 10 cubic yards a week (town page). For burning, ask town hall, 803-475-6065.
- Heath Springs contracts with vendors for leaf and brush pickup. For burning, ask town hall, 803-273-2066.
- Van Wyck: ask the town, 803-712-4993.
Bans, fire season, and safety
The State Forester can order that no fires be started when public safety calls for it, and no burning is allowed while the Governor has declared an emergency. The Forestry Commission's mobile app sends alerts about burning bans and red flag fire alerts. Its 2026 "Think Before You Burn" brochure says fire danger runs highest from January through mid-April, that "Nearly 98% of SC wildfires are human-caused," and that escaped debris burns are the top cause. It advises a firebreak around the fire "at least as wide as the burn pile itself." Under § 48-35-60, a first offense can bring a fine of up to $200 or 30 days in jail, and a second within ten years at least $500 or up to 60 days, or both.
When burning won't work
- Mulch it in place. A forestry mulcher leaves nothing to burn and keeps the clay covered.
- Grind it. Piles and stumps can be run through a grinder and the chips spread or hauled.
- Haul it. Practical for small amounts; costly for acres of brush.
- Grind windrows on cutover. Pushed-up windrows often hold a lot of dirt, and SC DES wants dirt on burned material kept to a minimum. Clearing land after logging covers grinding them instead.
- Air curtain burner. R.61-62.2 doesn't mention them. Ask SC DES whether one needs a permit before you plan on it; the nearest DES office on the county's resource list is in Rock Hill, 803-909-7096. NRCS's South Carolina payment schedule does list an air curtain burner scenario under Woody Residue Treatment (practice 384).
Burning questions
Do I need a burn permit in the county?
Outside town limits, state law calls for notification rather than a permit: call 1-800-705-8610 before a land-clearing burn. The SC DES conditions and the county ordinance still apply. Inside the City of Lancaster, you need a city fire department permit. The permits guide puts burning alongside the stormwater, buffer, and septic rules.
Can I burn stumps?
Stumps are plant material, but SC DES says dirt on burned material must be kept to a minimum, and stumps carry a lot of it. Grinding is the alternative. Stump grinding covers that.
Can I burn brush in the summer?
Maybe not. The county bans land-clearing burns May through September except on certain rural-zoned parcels, and the ordinance still uses zoning names from before 2016, so ask the Fire Marshal (803-313-8056) whether your parcel is covered before you plan a summer burn. Inside the City of Lancaster, permitted burning stops May through September.
My house site is close to the road. Can I burn there?
Probably not. SC DES requires land-clearing burns to be 1,000 feet from public roads and outside predominantly residential areas, which rules out many house lots. Mulching or hauling is the usual answer.
How we help
If burning isn't practical for your land, call or send a short request. We pass it to one independent contractor who mulches, grinds, or hauls clearing debris in your part of Lancaster County. They see the job, price it in writing, and you decide. There's no charge for the referral. This page is general information checked in October 2026, not legal advice.
Want a local contractor to walk your land?
Call or send a short request. There's no charge for the referral.