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

Section 14-89(a) bars anyone from developing land, running an industrial or landfill operation, disposing of hazardous or toxic substances, or letting sediment and other pollutants cross a property line into the stormwater system without first complying with the Kershaw County Stormwater Management Program (SWMP) and its permits and plans. Subsection (b) carves out four exemptions: a single-family home or accessory building built separately, not as part of a subdivision, that disturbs less than 5,000 square feet; agricultural land disturbances under one acre; larger agricultural disturbances that create no new impervious surface; and forestry land-disturbing work conducted under South Carolina Forestry Commission best management practices.

For everything else, the Stormwater Manager's Best Management Practices (BMP) Handbook, adopted under § 14-92, sets the minimum specifications for preparing erosion and sediment control plans, selecting environmentally sound practices, and calculating post-development performance standards, and it is developed by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC). The county's stated purpose for the article, in § 14-22(b)(1), specifically includes controlling erosion and sediment during construction and land disturbance activity. A performance bond is required before a building or land disturbance permit issues for any development needing a stormwater management facility, under § 14-103, and that bond secures compliance with the land disturbance permit and the SWPPP.