Hurricane season runs June to November, and the Lowcountry gets tropical storms, near misses and every few years the real thing. The morning after, there are limbs in the yard, a fence on the ground, shingles in the beds, and after a flood tide a garage full of ruined furniture and flooring. We haul it. We also take the ordinary yard debris: palmetto fronds, brush from a lot line, dead shrubs, old landscaping timbers.
After a declared storm the county and the city run their own debris pickups; we tell you what they will collect for free and haul the rest.
What a storm and flood debris cleanup job involves
- Photo of the yard; quote by load
- The crew brings saws for whatever is still attached or too long
- On the truck and gone, normally a day or two after the storm passes
- Yard raked clear
What's included
- Crew with saws for limbs and panels that need cutting
- Fence panels, posts, roofing, shed pieces and dock lumber
- Flood-damaged furniture, flooring and drywall
- Vegetation to compost, the rest to disposal
- Yard raked clear when the truck is full
Who to call first
- Trees still standing or leaning (a tree crew takes those down first)
- Anything touching a downed power line
- Mold remediation or drying out a house after a flood
Storm cleanup across Charleston County
The season runs June through November and the metro sees more near misses than direct hits, but a tropical storm passing offshore still drops limbs across every yard from Summerville to Folly Beach, and the king tides in the fall flood the same low streets downtown and in West Ashley without any wind at all. The morning after, the two questions are what the city or county will take and how soon the rest can go, and the Charleston storm debris removal line answers both from one photo.
Inside the city limits the weekly trash day takes limbs cut to four-foot lengths and four inches across, stacked at the curb, and leaves and clippings in brown paper bags. After a declared storm the city and county run separate debris passes for vegetation, and those can take weeks to reach every island road. Fence panels, roofing, dock lumber and flood-soaked furniture and flooring are usually outside those passes, and that is the crew's work.
Vegetation that a crew hauls goes to the county compost facility, where yard waste is charged by the ton, and everything else goes to the landfill or to disposal. On storm mornings the truck is booked by neighborhood so it stays in one part of the metro, which is how a two-person crew gets to more yards in a day.
Storm and Flood Debris Cleanup pricing in Charleston
Storm work is priced by the load like any other pickup: a quarter truck of limbs and panels at $225 to $325, a half truck at $375 to $500, and a full truck of flood-damaged contents at $625 to $800, with the cutting, loading and disposal inside the figure. Same-day requests in the days after a storm carry the same premium as any same-day job.
The cheapest version is to let the city take what it will and hand the crew the rest: cut and stack the limbs that fit the four-foot rule, bag the leaves, and photograph the fence, the roofing and the ruined furniture for one quote.
Full price list and what moves the price →
Related: Bulk Trash Pickup in Charleston: What the City Takes and What It Won't, Junk removal in Mount Pleasant, Junk removal in Summerville. Official page: City of Charleston.
Storm and Flood Debris Cleanup questions, answered
What does storm debris removal cost after a hurricane?
By the load: $225 to $325 for a quarter truck, $375 to $500 for a half and $625 to $800 for a full truck, with cutting and disposal included. Flood-ruined furniture, flooring and drywall are priced the same way. The photo of the yard sets the number, and the crew comes with saws for anything still attached.
Will the city pick up storm limbs for free?
Yes, inside the city limits, on the weekly trash day, as long as the limbs are cut to four-foot lengths and no more than four inches thick and stacked clear of the road. After a declared storm the city and county run separate vegetation passes, which can take weeks. Fencing, roofing and dock pieces are not part of either.
What is the cheapest way to get rid of yard debris in Charleston?
The weekly trash pickup for anything that fits the bundling rules, then the county compost facility, which takes yard waste from residents by the ton with a one-ton limit per load. A crew is the answer for volume, for anything that has to be cut down first, and for the fence panels and roofing the free options refuse.