You must have a garden hose connected to a water supply or a fire extinguisher on-site to control or extinguish the fire if needed.
You must have a garden hose connected to a water supply or a fire extinguisher on-site to control or extinguish the fire if needed.
Call the SC Forestry Commission hotline: 1-800-895-7062. You’ll hear a recorded message confirming whether it’s safe to burn that day.
No. Only natural vegetative materials from your property, firewood, or charcoal are allowed. Burning household waste or synthetic materials is strictly prohibited.
Yes. In Bluffton: 9 AM to sunset (midnight for recreational/ceremonial fires). In Beaufort County: 9 AM to 3 PM, with no smoke permitted after sunset.
Your location determines which jurisdiction’s regulations you must follow. If you’re unsure, contact the Bluffton Township Fire District Fire Marshal for assistance.
Yes. In the Town of Bluffton, you must register with the Fire District and receive a registration number. In unincorporated Beaufort County, you must notify the SC Forestry Commission before burning.
Please use this request form or contact the Fire Marshal’s Office at 843-548-4353 to request a fire inspection.
A burning ban legally prohibits outdoor burning. Bans are emergency measures, declared only when outdoor burning is deemed a significant threat to public safety.
There are two kinds of burning bans under SC State Law: a State Forester´s Burning Ban, declared by the director of the Forestry Commission, and a Governor´s Burning Ban, declared by the governor of South Carolina upon recommendation of the State Forester.
The State Forester´s Burning Ban prohibits starting any fire in or adjacent to “woodlands, brushlands, grasslands, ditchbanks, or hedgerows” (SC Code 48-35-50). This is generally interpreted to include all types of outdoor burning.
The Governor´s Burning Ban is less restrictive, making allowances for certain agricultural burning (SC Code 48-31-30).
In announcing a Burning Ban, the issuing authority will specify the area of South Carolina to which the restrictions apply. Neither the State Forester´s Ban nor the Governor´s Ban applies with the corporate limits of any town or city (SC Code 48-35-30 and 48-31-30).
Violation of either a State Forester´s Ban or a Governor´s Ban carries a fine of up to $200 for first offenses and at least $500 for second and subsequent offenses. Any burning to which a Ban applies also requires prior notification to the Forestry Commission, so ignorance of a declared Ban is not generally considered a viable legal defense.
NOTE: The Forestry Commission has issued 20 State Forester’s Burning Bans in the agency’s 90-year history. Please visit the South Carolina Forestry Commission’s website at https://www.scfc.gov/ or call them at 1-800-895-7062 with any questions.