Dumpster permits in Summerville

On your Summerville driveway, a dumpster usually needs no permit. On a Town street, ask the Town of Summerville first. We have not found a Town rule that names a dumpster permit. Sec. 24-1 bars placing any obstruction in Town streets or rights-of-way.⁠¹ Sec. 30-182(c) requires an encroachment permit from the Town Engineering Department for any activity or improvement in a right-of-way that affects it.⁠²

Whether a dumpster on a Town street needs that permit is the Town’s call. Ask before delivery. When a permit is required, you get it. We do not apply for permits on your behalf.

Skip the permit

Keep it on your driveway, and mind the apron. Sec. 30-182(a) counts driveway aprons as right-of-way, along with streets, sidewalks, curbs and gutters.⁠² Keep the dumpster behind the apron, or ask the Town.

In an HOA or POA community, read its rules before delivery. Leave the truck a clear path in and out. The dumpster in your driveway guide covers the setup.

Who issues a dumpster permit in Summerville

Who maintains the road decides who you ask. To find out whether a road is state-maintained, SCDOT points people to its free Street Finder at ris.scdot.org, or to 1-855-GO-SCDOT, Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 5:00pm.⁠³

• Town street. Town of Summerville Engineering Department, under Sec. 30-182(c).⁠² Ask whether a dumpster counts.
• State road inside Town limits. Both. Sec. 30-188 requires a Town encroachment permit in addition to the SCDOT permit for work on SCDOT-maintained roads.⁠⁴ SCDOT secondary road numbers combine the county number and a road number, and SCDOT lists Dorchester as 18, Berkeley as 8 and Charleston as 10.⁠⁵ S-18 followed by a road number is a Dorchester County state secondary road. SCDOT’s county offices are on the SCDOT state road dumpster permit page.
• Dorchester County road. Dorchester County Public Works takes encroachment permit applications online, or on a PDF form by mail, email, fax or hand delivery.⁠⁶ Ask whether a dumpster needs one. See the Dorchester County dumpster permit page.

How to apply

1. Call the Town first at its listed number, 843-871-6000.⁠⁷ Ask whether a dumpster on your street needs an encroachment permit and how long approval takes.
2. Apply online. The Encroachment Permits link on the Town’s Permitting page opens its CitizenServe portal.⁠⁷
3. State road: SCDOT too. SCDOT strongly encourages a preliminary meeting with County or District staff before you apply online through EPPS Next.⁠⁸ EPPS Classic logins do not carry over. Register a new EPPS Next account.⁠⁹ Give the Town engineering office a copy of the approved SCDOT permit before work begins.⁠⁴
4. Book delivery after the answer. Not before.

If any office wants insurance, a signature, or anything else from the dumpster owner, call or text (843) 284-3707 before you apply.

What it costs

• Town of Summerville: $25. The Engineering Fee Schedule, revised July 1, 2026, sets a $25 encroachment permit fee for encroachment within a Town-maintained road right-of-way or drainage easement.⁠¹⁰ The line does not name dumpsters. Confirm it applies when you call.
• SCDOT: no fee. SCDOT charges no fee for its encroachment permit or its online permit system.⁠¹¹
• Dorchester County: ask Public Works. We have not verified a fee.

Our side: $499 flat for a 15-yard roll-off. Delivery, 7 days, up to 2 tons of disposal, and pickup. Over 2 tons, $85 per ton, billed off the certified landfill scale ticket.

Rules once it is on the street

Follow every condition on your permit. Beyond that:

• Peak hours on arterials. Sec. 30-185 bars work in arterial-street rights-of-way from 7:00 to 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except emergency work. The Town engineer may require a traffic control plan before approving an encroachment permit.⁠¹² Ask whether a drop or pickup counts as work. Our weekday hours, 6am to 5pm, overlap both windows. If your permit limits hours, tell us when you book.
• The shoulder counts. SC Code § 57-7-210 makes it unlawful to willfully place obstructions on any highway, and defines highway to include the whole right-of-way, including shoulders and parking areas. Fine up to $100 per day, up to 30 days in jail, or both. The statute does not mention dumpsters or permits.⁠¹³
• Call for pickup when the job is done. Extra days run $10 per day.
• Load to the top rail, no higher. Heavy materials may require reduced fill levels.
• Nothing prohibited. Hazardous waste, liquids, liquid paints, tires, batteries, appliances with refrigerants and the rest of the prohibited materials list stay out. Prohibited material can get a load refused, and you pay cleanup and special disposal.

What the Town will not haul

Summerville Code Sec. 12-99 says the Town does not pick up construction debris, and contractors must dispose of wall-to-wall carpet they remove.⁠¹⁴ The Town will not pick up yard debris piles with boards, lumber, tile, bricks or plastic mixed in.⁠¹⁵

That debris goes in the dumpster. How much fits inside the 4,000 lbs included:

• Mixed C&D debris. EPA’s April 2016 conversion factors list it at 417 lb per cubic yard.⁠¹⁶ 4,000 divided by 417 is about 9.6 cubic yards.
• Drywall. The same table lists gypsum board at 467 lb per cubic yard.⁠¹⁷ 4,000 divided by 467 is about 8.6 cubic yards.
• Whole brick. SC DHEC’s conversion sheet lists 3,024 lb per cubic yard.⁠¹⁸ 4,000 divided by 3,024 is about 1.3 cubic yards.

The box holds 15 cubic yards, 405 cubic feet. At 417 lb per cubic yard, a full box of mixed debris runs past 2 tons. Over that, it is $85 per ton under the disposal weight allowance policy. Text a photo of the pile to (843) 284-3707.

Who to call

• Town of Summerville (listed contact): 843-871-6000, 200 South Main Street, Summerville, SC 29483.⁠⁷
• SCDOT Dorchester maintenance office (state roads): (843) 563-3451, 5225 East Jim Bilton Boulevard, St. George, SC 29477.⁠¹⁹
• SCDOT EPPS help: 855-GO-SCDOT (855-467-2368) or 803-737-1200.⁠⁸
• Dorchester County Public Works (Dorchester County roads): (843) 832-0070, 2120 East Main Street, Dorchester, SC 29437, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday.⁠⁶

Next step

Call or text (843) 284-3707 with the address, what you are tossing, and the day you need it. Say driveway or street. Or request a quote online.

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