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

Sec. 11-62, in the permits and inspections division of the building code chapter, requires 'all properties' to comply with the Berkeley County Stormwater Drainage Ordinance and then sets specific minimums for new residential construction: sod on the front and side yards, hydro-seed at minimum on the rear yard, and sod on all swales and graded slopes exceeding 15 percent. The section carves out land not affected by construction that already has natural vegetation established, which is exempt from the sodding and hydro-seeding minimums entirely. It also addresses a common workaround: flowerbeds around the perimeter of the home cannot exceed six feet in width without being sodded, unless the chief building official approves a wider unsodded bed.

The section was adopted by Ord. No. 08-06-30 on June 23, 2008, and sits alongside the addressing rule in Sec. 11-63 and the accompanying-documents rule in Sec. 11-61, all enforced by Berkeley County's permitting, planning and zoning, and building and codes departments as part of the standard residential permitting process, since Sec. 11-64 bars any covered work from starting without a valid permit in the first place. Because Sec. 11-61 already conditions the certificate of occupancy on proof that water, sewer, or DHEC septic requirements and FEMA elevation certificates are satisfied, the erosion-control sodding and seeding standard functions as a final-inspection checkpoint before a new home can be occupied.