South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control

We promote and protect the health of the public and the environment.

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The South Carolina Coastal Zone Management Program

The South Carolina Coastal Management Program was established under the guidelines of the national Coastal Zone Management Act (1972) as a state-federal partnership to comprehensively manage coastal resources. It was authorized in 1977 under SC’s Coastal Tidelands and Wetlands Act (CTWA) with the goal of achieving balance between the appropriate use, development, and conservation of coastal resources in the best interest of all citizens of the state.

DHEC's Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (DHEC-OCRM) is the designated state coastal management agency and is responsible for the implementation of the state’s Coastal Management Program. Implementation includes the direct regulation of impacts to coastal resources within the critical areas of the state including coastal waters, tidelands, beaches and beach dune systems; and indirect certification authority over federal actions and state permit decisions within the eight coastal counties.

The SC Coastal Management Program also includes the direct permitting of stormwater and land disturbances in the coastal zone in coordination with the state-wide stormwater permitting program.

Statutes

• Coastal Tidelands and Wetlands Act (S.C. Code Ann. Section 48-39-10 et seq.)
• Stormwater Management and Sediment Reduction Act (S.C. Code Ann. Section 48-14-10 et seq.)

Regulations

• Critical Area Permitting Regulations (R. 30-1 through R. 30-18)
• South Carolina Beachfront Management Plan (R.30-21)
• DHEC Environmental Protection Fees and Fines Regulations (R.61-30)
• DHEC Standards for Stormwater Management and Sediment Reduction (R.72-300)
• Marina/Commercial Dock Operation and Maintenance Manual Requirements
  

South Carolina Coastal Zone Management Program Document and Final Environmental Impact Statement

The broad authority provided by the CTWA is outlined in the Coastal Zone Management Program Document. The Program Document is required by the Federal Government and was approved by the General Assembly in 1979. The Program document contains essential elements of coastal management consisting of policies and procedures used not only for direct authority decision making, but also for indirect consistency review of other state and federal agency actions.

• Notes and Summary
• Comments
• Part I: Introduction
• Part II: The South Carolina Coastal Program (74 MB)
  • Table of Contents
  • Glossary
    
  • Chapter I: The Coast of South Carolina
  • Chapter II: Coastal Planning Process
  • Chapter III: Management of Coastal Resources
  • Chapter IV: Special Management Areas
  • Chapter V: Management Authorities and Governmental/Public Involvement
• Part III: Environmental Impact Statement
• Coastal Zone Management Program Refinements (1993)
• Policies and Procedures of the South Carolina Coastal Management Program (Excerpt of Coastal Program with Refinements; 1995)

Resources

• Coastal Zone Management Federal Partnership Framework
• Council on Coastal Futures - Program Improvement Recommendations
• Mitigation Procedures (Army Corps of Engineers)
• Administrative Law Court
• South Carolina Law Library
• Freedom of Information Act
• S.C. Privacy Protection Act Notice