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South Carolina County
Dillon County, South Carolina
South of the Border - the I-95 roadside institution - from South of the Border (the sprawling roadside attraction and motor hotel on I-95 at the North Carolina-South Carolina border that Pedro the sombrero-wearing mascot has advertised on hundreds of billboards up and down the eastern seaboard since the 1950s - South of the Border's kitschy Mexican-themed complex of hotels, restaurants, shops, and amusements has been a beloved and campy I-95 institution for generations of East Coast travelers) to Dillon County's bright leaf tobacco heritage in the Pee Dee farming region.
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Office: Dillon County Emergency Management – Dillon, SC | Details via dilloncountysc.org
Services: Operates the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) during activations, training, drills, and exercises; provides public disaster-preparedness information; CodeRED alert system available; downed limbs/debris on roadways: call Roads & Bridges at (843) 841-7382
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-95 and US-301/501 serve Dillon County, right at the North Carolina state line
Transit: No dedicated fixed-route county transit identified; confirm current regional options directly with the county
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Dillon County Building Code Enforcement – Hampton St, PO Box 145, Dillon, SC 29536 | (843) 841-3874 | Fax: (843) 841-3875 | Building Official: Johnathan Anthony Price
Services: Building permits (electrical, plumbing, mechanical), plan reviews, and inspections for construction/remodeling in unincorporated Dillon County; also oversees county Planning and Zoning
Notes: City of Dillon maintains its own SEPARATE Building, Zoning and Business License office – (843) 774-0040 ext. 1012 – located at the Dillon City/County Complex, 401 West Main Street. Confirm the correct jurisdiction for your property; permits are the contractor’s responsibility, not the homeowner’s.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Dillon County Veterans Affairs Office – Dillon, SC
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Dillon County Library System – 3 libraries (Dillon, Latta, Lake View) plus a bookmobile
Main Branch: Dillon County Library – 600 E Main St, Dillon, SC 29536 | (843) 774-0330 | Fax: (843) 774-0733 | Director: Yolanda M. McCormick | Hours: Mon–Fri 8:30 AM–6 PM, Sat 8:30 AM–1 PM (closed Sun)
Services: A well-resourced system holding over 133,000 volumes and circulating roughly 142,000 items annually; offers children’s educational kits (Kindergarten, Spanish, Math, Mapping, Music, Phonics, Sensory, Cursive) and community programming
Related: Latta Branch – 101 N Marion St, Latta, SC, (843) 752-5389, Hours: Mon–Fri 9 AM–6 PM (some sources list 8:30 AM), Sat 9 AM–1 PM; Lake View Branch – Hours: Mon–Fri 8:30 AM–1 PM, 2–6 PM.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Dillon County is genuinely home to SOUTH OF THE BORDER, one of America’s most famous roadside attractions, located just off I-95 near Hamer at the North Carolina state line; the complex began in January 1950 when beer distributor Alan Schafer opened a small beer depot to serve customers from neighboring Robeson County, North Carolina, which was “dry” at the time – construction materials for the project were labeled “Schafer project: south of the border,” inspiring the name; the business grew rapidly, adding a 24-hour diner and motel by 1954, and exploded with the construction of I-95 through the area in the 1960s; today the complex sprawls across roughly 300 acres and is famous for its mascot Pedro, a sombrero-topped, mustachioed caricature, and the genuinely enormous 200-foot Sombrero Tower – one of the largest neon signs east of the Mississippi – visible for miles; South of the Border reportedly draws an estimated 8 million visitors annually, a figure that would rank it ahead of many US theme parks by attendance, and remains the largest employer in Dillon County, now run by the third generation of the Schafer family; the attraction is promoted by hundreds of tongue-in-cheek billboards stretching for roughly 500 miles along I-95 in both directions; it should be noted that the Pedro caricature and broader Mexican theming have drawn criticism over the years, including from the Mexican Embassy, as an outdated ethnic stereotype, and the attraction’s billboard messaging has been toned down over time in response
Notes: South of the Border’s genuine, extensively documented status as one of America’s most-visited roadside attractions – with attendance figures rivaling major theme parks – is a distinctive piece of only-in-America highway culture, though its Pedro mascot and theming remain a subject of legitimate criticism as an ethnic caricature.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Dillon County GIS – accessible via dilloncounty.sc.gov
Parcel Search: Dillon County Assessor
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Dillon County Emergency Management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Dillon County Animal Shelter – 1020 Old Latta Hwy, Dillon, SC 29536 | Shelter Phone: (843) 841-8884; Animal Control Phone: (843) 845-1986 | Hours of Operation: Mon–Fri 8:30 AM–5 PM; Shelter open to public: Mon–Fri 10 AM–4 PM
Services: A county-funded shelter and animal control department responding to stray, injured, and neglected domestic animal complaints and monitoring rabies vaccinations; adoption fees around $110 for adult dogs, including spay/neuter, vaccines, dewormer, and microchip; the shelter has reported significant progress reducing its historic euthanasia rate from around 90% to roughly 15% over a two-year period through increased adoption and rescue placement efforts; a Best Friends Animal Society network partner
Notes: Wildlife nuisance concerns are directed to SCDNR at (803) 955-4000; deceased animals on state roads are reported to SCDOT at (803) 327-6186.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: SC DHEC – scdhec.gov
Notes: Contact Dillon County directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Dillon County is genuinely home to South of the Border, one of America’s most-visited roadside attractions, drawing an estimated 8 million visitors annually since its 1950 founding. All contact information above was sourced from official county, city, library, and shelter pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Dillon County
Dillon County is South Carolina’s South of the Border county – Pedro’s sombrero-bedecked billboard campaign along I-95 has made the Dillon-area roadside attraction one of the most recognized travel landmarks on the entire East Coast.
Dillon (the county seat, population ~6,500) is the commercial hub for the county’s farming communities. South of the Border – sitting directly on the NC-SC state line – draws travelers who have been following Pedro’s billboard countdown for hundreds of miles.
All Services
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Dillon County Assessor at 405 W. Main Street, Suite 201, Dillon, SC 29536, phone 843-774-1412. SC owner-occupied assessed at 4% of market value.
Courts & Legal
Dillon County Probate Court at 405 W. Main Street, Suite 100, Dillon, SC 29536, phone 843-774-1425, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
PROBATE COURT
301 West Main St, Dillon, SC 29536
(843) 774-1425
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Dillon County Probate Court, Dillon (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Dillon County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Dillon County Probate Court 401 West Main Street, Room 303, Dillon, SC 29536 (843) 774-1423 Dillon County is in the Pee Dee region of northeastern South Carolina, seated in Dillon.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
South Carolina HAS adopted a version of the Uniform Probate Code, giving it more standardized and generally more streamlined procedures than states with older, common-law-based systems. Probate is handled by a dedicated Probate Court in each of South Carolina’s 46 counties – a separate court of limited jurisdiction, led by an elected Probate Judge (four-year term). The case is filed in the county where the decedent lived.
Small Estate Affidavit / Collection by Affidavit (S.C. Code Ann. § 62-3-1201) – available when the gross value of the entire probate estate, less liens and encumbrances, does not exceed $45,000 (raised from $25,000 for deaths after May 2025). At least 30 days must have passed since death, and no petition for appointment of a personal representative can be pending anywhere. The successor files a Form 420PC “Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property,” which the probate judge approves and countersigns.
Summary Administration (§ 62-3-1203) – a simplified probate procedure available when the value of the estate passing by will (less liens and encumbrances) is under the statutory threshold, or when the surviving spouse is the sole heir or beneficiary.
Informal Probate – the standard path for the majority of estates. No notices or hearings are required unless demanded by an interested party.
Formal Proceedings – reserved for contested matters: objections to a personal representative’s appointment, will contests, a lost or destroyed will, or declaratory judgments on intestacy.
Step 2: filing for administration
The personal representative (or an interested party) files a petition with the Dillon County Probate Court where the decedent resided; if there’s a will, the original is filed with it.
For informal probate, the Probate Judge (or a designated staff member) reviews the application administratively; formal proceedings require notice and a hearing.
The court issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, giving the personal representative authority to act.
The personal representative files an inventory and appraisement within 90 days of qualification, and provides periodic accountings as the court requires.
Creditors are notified; claims not timely presented are barred.
The estate closes with a final settlement – a verified report and proposed distribution served on interested parties and approved by the Probate Court.
What it costs
Filing fees vary; check with Dillon County directly for current fees.
A personal representative’s bond, when required, must equal one and one-half times the value of the estate’s personal property, though bond can often be waived under certain conditions.
South Carolina does NOT impose a state estate tax or a state inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax applies, and only to very large estates.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
PROBATE COURT
301 West Main St, Dillon, SC 29536
(843) 774-1425
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
301 West Main St, Dillon, SC 29536
(843) 774-1442
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
VOTER REGISTRATION AND ELECTIONS
301 West Main St, Dillon, SC 29536
(843) 774-1425
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
DHEC Public Health Office
205 South 12th Ave, Dillon, SC 29536
(843) 774-1301
Department of Social Services
301 East Jackson St, Dillon, SC 29536
(843) 774-1400
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Dillon County Public Health (DHEC) – Dillon, SC
Services: Immunizations, WIC, environmental health, vital records
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Dillon
Population: 30,000
Established: 1910
Tier: 3
Public Records
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