Cherokee County, SC Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)

Stormwater in unincorporated Cherokee County is handled through Chapter 13, the land development regulations, which apply to all land development projects in the unincorporated areas (§ 13-2). Section 13-83, titled Drainage and storm water, has two parts.

Subsection (a) is the flood safety rule. Citing S.C. Code § 6-29-1130.A, it bars approval of any land development plan, including subdivision plats, unless all land intended for use as building sites can be used safely for building purposes without danger from a flood or other inundation.

Subsection (b) is the state permit route. The requirements are deemed met for any land development project with an approved stormwater management and sediment control plan from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control under Title 48, Chapter 14 of the state code and the agency's regulation section 72-305. For a project that requires a state stormwater management permit, submitting a copy of the permit qualifies as compliance. For a project that requires only a stormwater management plan to be submitted to the state agency, submitting a copy of that plan qualifies.

Road drainage has its own design standards in § 13-82(e). All roadway ditches and channels must be designed to contain, at minimum, a peak flow from a fifty (50) year frequency storm, and the velocity from that storm cannot exceed the permissible velocity for the lining used. Swales are stabilized against erosion by grassing for year-round growth, installed at a maximum depth of three (3) feet, and designed so adjoining property owners can mow them. The developer maintains slopes and seeds them to prevent soil erosion until the county adopts the right-of-way, and § 13-82(5) requires a one-year warranty on the storm drainage system and outfall channels after acceptance, backed by a construction defects bond.