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Council introduces code changes to make property and zoning violations civil infractions, schedules hearings after public concern

Dorchester County Council · February 17, 2026
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Dorchester County introduced amendments to align county code with state standards — converting some misdemeanor violations to civil infractions, raising maximum fines to $5,000, and adopting the International Property Maintenance Code; a public commenter urged the council to adopt a tiered approach for financially vulnerable residents.

Dorchester County Council introduced several code amendments intended to update enforcement tools and bring local code into alignment with state standards, and scheduled public hearings for the proposals.

Dr. Webb, the county’s director of planning and zoning, told the council the changes package would amend multiple chapters of the Dorchester County Code — including building, electrical, HVAC, minimum livability, plumbing and stormwater sections — so that select violations become county…

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