Orangeburg County, SC Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

Section 18-81 sets the general standards that apply across every special flood hazard area (SFHA) in unincorporated Orangeburg County, before the more specific numeric standards in Section 18-82 even come into play. It starts with a threshold test: development may not occur in the SFHA where an alternative location exists, and before the local floodplain administrator issues a permit, the applicant must demonstrate both that new structures cannot be sited outside the SFHA and that any encroachment into it is minimized. Once that hurdle is cleared, the section lists specific construction duties: new construction and substantial improvements must be anchored to prevent flotation, collapse, and lateral movement; they must use flood-resistant materials and flood-damage-resistant utility equipment; and they must be built using methods that minimize flood damage generally.

The section also reaches existing conditions in the flood zone: subsection (10) bars enlarging, replacing, or rebuilding a nonconforming building or use in the SFHA unless the work conforms to the chapter, though it separately allows repairing, reconstructing, or replacing an existing building located in a floodway if the building's bulk below the base flood elevation is not increased. The local floodplain administrator, appointed under Section 18-51, screens every application for compliance with these general standards, in addition to the elevation-specific rules in Section 18-82, before any development permit under Section 18-53 can issue.