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

Lexington County Council adopted the Stormwater Management Ordinance under Sec. 66-311, and its internal numbering runs separately from the general code, sections 1-1 through 9-x. Sec. 3-4, "Land Disturbance Permit Application Process," states: "All land disturbing activities, as outlined in the Land Development Manual, shall require the submittal and approval of a Land Disturbance Permit Application. " The property owner, lessee, or person responsible for the land-disturbing activity has to submit a complete application package meeting the ordinance, the Land Development Manual, and applicable state and federal regulations.

The ordinance, per Sec. 1-3, applies only to unincorporated Lexington County; the towns and cities inside the county run their own stormwater systems. Not every disturbance needs a permit: Sec. 3-2 exempts forestry operations conducted under South Carolina Forestry Commission best-management practices, agricultural land disturbances under one acre, and agricultural disturbances over one acre that don't create new impervious surface. For projects that do need a permit, the Public Works Stormwater Division, acting under the authority in Sec. 3-1(b), can require a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan, impose performance bonds, and set design standards through the Land Development Manual, which Sec.

2-1 treats as having "identical authority" to the ordinance itself. Before a project closes out, Sec. 3-6 requires a finalized operation and maintenance plan, an as-built certification, and a final inspection by the Director of Public Works, and that closure has to happen before any newly built component can be used, before a road is accepted into the county system, before any bond is released, or before a subdivision plat can be recorded.