Rock Hill regulates stormwater under Code of Ordinances Chapter 29 (Utilities), Article V (Stormwater Management Utility), most recently substantially amended by Ordinance No. 2019-49. The ordinance implements South Carolina's Stormwater Management and Sediment Reduction Act, S.C. Code Ann. Β§ 48-14-10 et seq., and the City's NPDES MS4 obligations under SCDES (formerly DHEC) general permit SCR030000. Rock Hill sits in the Catawba River basin - runoff drains to the Catawba River, Fishing Creek, and Crowders Creek tributaries. Section 29-305 imposes ongoing maintenance responsibilities for stormwater and erosion-control facilities after development.
Article V is Rock Hill's local stormwater ordinance. South Carolina's Stormwater Management and Sediment Reduction Act (S.C. Code Β§ 48-14-10 et seq., enacted 1991) requires DHEC/SCDES to promulgate stormwater and sediment-control regulations and authorizes delegation of program implementation to local governments. SCDES Regulation 72-300 through 72-316 sets the state floor; municipalities like Rock Hill act as the local Implementing Agency for land-disturbing activities. Rock Hill is also covered under South Carolina's NPDES General Permit for Storm Water Discharges from Regulated Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (SCR030000), administered by SCDES, which obligates the City to implement the Six Minimum Control Measures: (1) public education and outreach, (2) public involvement / participation, (3) illicit discharge detection and elimination, (4) construction-site stormwater runoff control, (5) post-construction stormwater management for new and redevelopment, and (6) pollution prevention / good housekeeping for municipal operations. Section 29-305 specifically addresses maintenance responsibilities after development: once temporary or permanent erosion, sedimentation, and stormwater facilities have been installed and passed final inspection, the property owner (or person in control) must maintain in good condition and promptly repair grade surfaces, walls, drains, dams, structures, vegetation, erosion / sediment control measures, and other protective devices. The City of Rock Hill's Stormwater Management and Erosion Control Design Manual (administered by Public Works) sets the engineering criteria for compliance. The City also operates a Stormwater Utility funded by a stormwater fee billed on the utility bill (Chapter 29 Article V); the fee underwrites MS4 compliance, drainage maintenance, and capital flood-mitigation projects (such as the City's federally funded Lige Green Street flooding project).
Article V authorizes the City to issue stop-work orders, require corrective action, and pursue civil penalties for non-compliance. Discharges of pollutants to the MS4 - sediment-laden runoff, chlorinated pool water, paint, oil, soapy car-wash water - are illicit discharges enforceable under both Rock Hill's local ordinance and SCDES under the NPDES program. The Stormwater Management Act (Β§ 48-14-150) and SCDES regulations authorize state-level civil penalties up to $1,000 per day per violation, and federal Clean Water Act penalties can apply to MS4-permit violations.
Rock Hill, SC
Pool barrier fences in Rock Hill are governed by the 2021 South Carolina Residential Code (IRC) Appendix G / Chapter 42 and the International Swimming Pool a...
Rock Hill, SC
Rock Hill's Zoning Code (Chapter 31) governs fence-material standards as part of general development standards; specific materials may be restricted in histo...
Rock Hill, SC
Rock Hill's Zoning Code (Chapter 31) does not require neighbor consent for a boundary fence, and South Carolina has no statewide partition-fence statute requ...
Rock Hill, SC
Rock Hill requires a fence / retaining-wall permit through the Planning and Development Department for fence installations subject to Chapter 31 zoning compl...
Rock Hill, SC
Rock Hill regulates fence height through the Zoning Ordinance (Code of Ordinances Chapter 31). South Carolina has no statewide fence-height statute, so the c...
Rock Hill, SC
Backyard composting in Rock Hill is permitted and encouraged. The City's Public Works Department operates a YardCart curbside yard-waste program for year-rou...
See how Rock Hill's stormwater management rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.