Beachfront Development

South Carolina's beaches are also under OCRM's jurisdiction. Using historic shoreline and present-day profile information, OCRM designates a baseline and setback line along the coast. The baseline is typically placed at the crest of the primary sand dune (that is the dune immediately adjacent to the ocean) while the setback line is demarcated landward of the baseline. The setback line's distance from the baseline varies along the coast. It is determined by the annual erosion rate in that particular area. Stable or accreting beaches have a minimum 20' setback line, while erosion areas have setbacks of as much as 400'. These lines are revised every 10 years as required by the South Carolina Coastal Zone Management Act. The last revisions were made in 1999 and 2000.

All construction seaward of the setback line requires an authorization or permit from OCRM. Many activities are authorized by OCRM with General Permits. Contact OCRM to see what permits will be required for your proposed construction.

Questions? Contact DHEC-OCRM or check the Frequently Asked Questions for Beachfront Issues.

Notification Requirement

The 1990 Beachfront Management Act requires OCRM to be notified of certain activities seaward of the 40 year setback line. Such activities include new construction, additions and renovation of habitable structures as well as construction and replacement of pools landward of baseline and erosion control device.

Use the form below to inform OCRM of any such activity:

The OCRM beachfront baseline and setback line coordinates in the state-plane coordinate system are available for download. Surveyors can import these DWG files into a CAD drawing to show the baseline and setback line positions on a plat. (IMPORTANT NOTE: ON 09/18/2007, AN ERROR IN THE BEACH LINE CAD DRAWING WAS DISCOVERED AND CORRECTED. THIS ERROR WAS CAUSED BY A FAULTY SOFTWARE CONVERSION PROCESS AND CAUSED THE BEACH LINES TO BE APPROXIMATELY ONE FOOT OFFSET FROM THE CORRECT POSITION. THE FILES BELOW ARE NOW ACCURATE.)

Beach Survey Packets

The beachfront baseline and setback line coordinates, long-term erosion rate information, and beach survey benchmark description sheets can be found in the following survey packets.