Home Rule

The City of Charleston’s Home Rule allows for violations of sanitation, accumulated rubbish, grading and drainage, graffiti and high grass and weeds to be addressed in a more timely fashion than the Property Maintenance Violation letter process.

A courtesy letter is sent allowing a grace period correction time of 5 days.

Within any 12-month period afterward citations will be issued as follows: $100.00 for the first citation, $200.00 for the second, $300.00 for the third, and $500.00 for each citation thereafter. All fines imposed by citations are due within ten days of service of the citation.

If a citation is issued, failure to either make payment or file an appeal with the Charleston Municipal Court within ten days will result in notification to the Department of Motor Vehicles and suspension of your driver’s license. Additionally, if the City corrects the violation(s) as a result of your failure to do so, it may file a lien against your property for the costs incurred.