Pickens County, SC Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

The plan required by Section 38-331 must accompany any land-disturbance permit application for one acre or more of disturbance, and it must be stamped by a licensed professional engineer, landscape architect, or Tier B land surveyor per Section 38-323. It has to describe the potential for erosion and sedimentation and show how the project controls it, including a project description, a topographic map, all existing drainage ways, existing land cover and soil types, stands of trees to be preserved, the approximate limits of clearing, grading, and filling, existing and post-construction stormwater flows leaving the site, the proposed drainage network and drain tile or waterway sizes, the sequence of work, specific remediation measures, and details for rock pads and wash-down pads, all conforming to the Pickens County Stormwater Design Manual.

Section 38-333 extends duties to property that was already developed before the article was adopted: denuded areas must be vegetated or covered on a schedule the county accepts, cut slopes must be covered with vegetation or retaining walls, and drainage ways must be vegetated or lined with riprap or channel lining to stop erosion, with trash and debris cleared from them. Pickens County notifies owners in writing of specific drainage, erosion, or sediment problems and sets a compliance deadline, and can inspect any site, built before or after the article, on a routine, random, or complaint basis to confirm the facilities still function within their design limits.