Georgetown County, SC Hurricane Preparedness: Flood Elevation (2026)

Georgetown County's coastline, from the Waccamaw Neck beaches to Winyah Bay, falls partly within FEMA's Coastal High Hazard Area, or VE-Zone, and Article IV, Section F of the county's Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance layers extra hurricane-driven wave-action standards on top of the general flood rules. New construction and substantial improvements must be located landward of the reach of mean high tide and the first line of stable natural vegetation, and must also meet the state Department of Health and Environmental Control's Ocean and Coastal Resource Management setback line.

The elevation standard mirrors the county's one-foot freeboard rule but measures it differently in a VE-Zone: the ordinance requires that the structure be elevated so that the bottom of the lowest supporting horizontal structural member, excluding pilings or columns, of the lowest floor is located no lower than one foot above the base flood elevation. Because storm surge and wave action, not still water, drive damage in these zones, the ordinance requires the building itself to be carried on pilings or columns securely anchored, extending vertically below a grade of sufficient depth and the zone of potential scour, and securely anchored to the subsoil strata, rather than on solid foundation walls.

Breakaway walls, where used below the elevated floor, must collapse under storm loads without damaging the elevated structure, and fill cannot be used for structural support. A registered professional engineer or architect must certify that the pilings, anchoring, and breakaway-wall design meet these standards before the county issues a permit, and the certification is kept with the Building Official's floodplain files.