Environmental Rules in Aiken County, SC (2026)
4 rules for unincorporated Aiken County, South Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
Stormwater Management
Aiken County bans dumping anything but stormwater into its storm sewer system under Chapter 19.6, the Stormwater Management Program adopted to meet its NPDES small-MS4 permit (SCR030000). The Aiken County Stormwater Division enforces the ban on illicit discharges and connections, with fines up to $200 a day and an appeals board for contested orders.
Aiken County Stormwater Discharge Rules
Some RestrictionsAiken County Code § 19.6-21(1)
(1)Prohibition of illegal discharges. It is unlawful for any person, to throw, drain, run, or otherwise discharge into any component of the county storm sewer system, including streets, highways, rights-of-way, or to cause, permit or suffer to be thrown, drain, run, or allow to seep or otherwise discharge into such system, any organic or inorganic matter that shall cause or tend to cause pollut...
Erosion Control
Aiken County requires a grading permit and an approved erosion and sediment control plan before land can be disturbed. Chapter 19.5, dating to 1974, bars grading without conservation-district and planning-commission plan approval, exempts single-family lots and farms, and makes unpermitted grading a misdemeanor enforced by the county building official.
Aiken County Sediment and Erosion Control
Some RestrictionsAiken County Code § 19.5-21
Unless otherwise provided in this chapter, the surface of land in the county shall not be disturbed or changed for any purposes whatsoever, but not including those exemptions outlined in section 19.5-22, except in accordance with a plan for control of erosion and sedimentation approved by the conservation district and the planning commission and a grading permit issued by the county building of...
Flood Zones
Aiken County regulates all development within FEMA-mapped floodplains, shallow-flooding areas, and floodways through its Flood Hazard Overlay (FHO) District under Code Section 24-2.10. Before issuing a building or development permit in the district, the county requires proof that a structure cannot be located outside the flood hazard area, and violations carry criminal penalties up to $500 and thirty days in jail per offense.
Aiken County Flood Hazard Overlay District Rules
Significant RestrictionsAiken County Code §§ 24-2.10, 24-2.10.7
The flood hazard overlay district includes (1) floodplains, (2) areas of shallow flooding, (3) areas of special flood hazard, and (4) floodways. The development of these areas, where shown on flood insurance rate maps issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for Aiken County, may not occur where alternative locations exist, because of the inherent hazards and risks involved. Bef...
Flood Elevation Requirements
Aiken County requires one foot of freeboard above the base flood elevation for any new or substantially improved structure in a mapped flood hazard area. Section 24-2.10.19 sets that standard for both residential and nonresidential construction, and residential structures with solid foundation walls must include flood openings that let floodwaters pass through unimpeded.
Aiken County Base Flood Elevation Standards
Significant RestrictionsAiken County Code § 24-2.10.19(1)-(2)
(1)Residential construction. New construction and substantial improvement of any residential structure (including manufactured homes) shall have the lowest floor, including basement, elevated no lower than one (1) foot above the base flood elevation (100-year flood elevation). Should solid foundation perimeter walls be used to elevate a structure, flood openings sufficient to facilitate the uni...
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