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In 1988, the South Carolina "Beachfront Management Act" (Coastal Tidelands and Wetlands Act, as amended, §48-39-250 et seq.) established a comprehensive statewide beachfront management program. The Act included several key legislative findings, including (summarized):

  • the importance of the beach and beach/dune system in protecting life and property from storms, providing significant economic revenue through tourism, providing habitat for important plants and animals, and providing a healthy environment for recreation and improved quality of life of all citizens
  • unwise development has been sited too close to and has jeopardized the stability of the beach and beach/dune system
  • the use of armoring in the form of hard erosion control devices such as seawalls, bulkheads, and rip-rap to protect erosion-threatened structures has not proven effective, has given a false sense of security, and in many instances, has increased the vulnerability of beachfront property to damage from wind and waves while contributing to the deterioration and loss of the dry sand beach
  • inlet and harbor management practices, including the construction of jetties which have not been designed to accommodate the longshore transport of sand, may deprive downdrift beaches and beach/dune systems of their natural sand supply
  • it is in the state's best interest to protect and promote increased public access to beaches for visitors and South Carolina residents alike
  • a coordinated state policy for post-storm management of the beach and beach/dune system did not exist and that a comprehensive beach management plan was needed to prevent unwise development and minimize adverse impacts

The Beachfront Management Act then established eight state policies to guide the management of ocean beaches:

  1. Protect, preserve, restore, and enhance the beach/dune system
  2. Create a comprehensive, long-range beach management plan and require local beach management plans for the protection, preservation, restoration, and enhancement of the beach/dune system
  3. Severely restrict the use of hard erosion control devices and encourage the replacement of hard erosion control devices with soft technologies which will provide for the protection of the shoreline without long-term adverse effects
  4. Encourage the use of erosion-inhibiting techniques which do not adversely impact the long-term well-being of the beach/dune system
  5. Promote carefully planned nourishment as a means of beach preservation and restoration where economically feasible
  6. Preserve existing public access and promote the enhancement of public access for all citizens including the handicapped and encourage the purchase of lands adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean to enhance public access
  7. Involve local governments in long-range comprehensive planning and management of the beach/dune system in which they have a vested interest
  8. Establish procedures and guidelines for the emergency management of the beach/dune system following a significant storm event

SCDES BCM is responsible for implementing these policies through a comprehensive management program that includes research and policy development, state and local planning, regulation and enforcement, restoration, and extension and education activities.

The Bureau of Coastal Management’s Beachfront Management Section has direct permitting authority over three Beachfront critical areas of the state pursuant to statutory provisions in S.C. Code Ann. § 48-39-10, et. Seq, and the SCDES's Coastal Division Regulations S.C. Code Reg. §30-1 et. Seq. 

The state has four (4) critical areas defined as:

  • Coastal Waters - the navigable waters of the United States subject to the ebb and flood of the tide and which are saline waters, shoreward to their mean high-water mark.
  • Tidelands - all areas which are at or below mean high tide and coastal wetlands, mudflats, and similar areas that are contiguous or adjacent to coastal waters and are an integral part of the estuarine systems involved. Coastal wetlands include marshes, mudflats, and shallows and means those areas periodically inundated by saline waters whether or not the saline waters reach the area naturally or through artificial water courses and those areas that are normally characterized by the prevalence of saline water vegetation capable of growth and reproduction.
  • Beaches - those lands subject to periodic inundation by tidal and wave action so that no nonlittoral vegetation is established.
  • Beach/Dune System - all land from the mean high-water mark of the Atlantic Ocean landward to the 40 year setback line described in §48–39–280.

Permits and Authorizations 

All activities within these three (3) state beachfront critical areas can be applied for/requested within the ePermitting portal, using the BCM Critical Area Activities application form. Applicants will first be required to set up an account within the ePermitting portal.

Search for a Site within the ePermitting system. Sites with critical area permitting history should exist within the system. Please contact the SCDES BCM Beachfront Management project manager using the BCM Project Manager Finder App for assistance with access to existing Sites or to set up a new Site. 

 

Research and Policy Development

Planning Activities

Regulatory Activities

Restoration Activities

Extension and Education