Greenville County, SC Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- Land disturbance permit before clearing or grading
- Governing law
- Greenville County Code §§ 8-70, 8-71 (Art. III, Div. 4)
- Sediment removal standard
- 80% TSS removal or 0.5 ml/l settleable solids
- Design storm basis
- 10-year, 24-hour storm event
- Wet basins
- Cannot be used as construction sediment basins
Summary
Clearing, stripping, excavating or grading land anywhere in unincorporated Greenville County requires a land disturbance permit first. The county's stormwater ordinance sets numeric sediment-control standards, including an 80% removal rate for suspended solids on active construction sites.
Except as provided in § 8-57 of this article, a person may not perform clearing, stripping, excavating, or grading of land or create borrow pits, spoil areas, material processing plants or related facilities without first obtaining a land disturbance permit from the County. ... Development shall be fitted to the topography and soils so as to create the least erosion potential. Natural vegetation shall be retained and protected wherever possible. ... Only the smallest practical area shall be exposed and then only for the shortest practical period of time. ... All sediment control BMPs shall be designed and installed to meet a minimum sediment removal efficiency of 80% for total suspended solids (TSS) or greater or a 0.5 ml/l settleable solid effluent concentration using a 10-year, 24-hour design storm event whichever is less.
Full Breakdown
Greenville County's stormwater management article, Chapter 8, Article III, Division 4, bars a person from clearing, stripping, excavating or grading land, or creating borrow pits, spoil areas or material processing plants, without first obtaining a land disturbance permit from the county (Sec. 8-70). Property owners likewise cannot permit that activity on land they own unless the appropriate county and SCDES mining permits are in hand. Every project's Comprehensive Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (C-SWPPP) must include a Best Management Practices section addressing installation, maintenance and inspection of each erosion-control measure, built to SCDES's General Permit for Stormwater Discharges for Construction Activities and the county's Stormwater Management Design Manual (Sec.
8-71). Required design elements include fitting development to existing topography and soils to minimize erosion, retaining natural vegetation wherever possible, using vegetative rather than structural stream-bank stabilization where feasible, and exposing only the smallest practical area for the shortest practical time. 5 ml/l settleable solids standard, under a 10-year, 24-hour design storm, whichever is less strict, and all sediment control best management practices on a site must meet that same removal threshold. Wet retention basins built for permanent stormwater management cannot double as construction-phase sediment basins. Temporary erosion and sediment controls must stay in place and be maintained continuously until the disturbed ground reaches final stabilization.
Violations & Fines
Grading, clearing or excavating without a land disturbance permit, or running a site that fails the sediment-control design standards of Section 8-71, is enforced under the stormwater article's general violations and penalties provisions (Sec. 8-111 et seq.), which authorize criminal penalties, stop-work orders, permit suspension or revocation, and civil penalties layered on top of corrective-action orders from the Stormwater Management Director.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit before grading land in unincorporated Greenville County?
What sediment removal rate must a construction site meet?
Can a permanent stormwater pond double as a construction sediment basin?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Greenville County
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