Beaufort County, SC Landscaping Rules: Rainwater Harvesting (2026)

Beaufort County does not mandate rainwater harvesting on private property, but its Community Development Code recognizes rain barrels and cisterns as qualifying stormwater controls under § 5.12.30.C, Table 5.12.30.C, "Stormwater BMP Type Standards." The table describes rain barrels as devices "connected directly to downspouts to capture and store runoff for future use," explaining that "stormwater discharge is slowed down and water can be reused for irrigation." It sets a concrete design floor: "Fifty gallons of storage is suggested as a minimum," and requires that "barrels must also have a cover to prevent insect and debris collection." Cisterns get the larger-scale version of the same treatment: they "function similar to rain barrels by collected stormwater and storing it for reuse, but on a much larger scale," and "can be stored above ground, buried below ground, or located inside of buildings," serving "irrigation, mechanical uses, toilet flushing, and fire prevention."

These devices sit inside § 5.12.30's broader stormwater mandate, which requires "all development and redevelopment" to control runoff volume, pollution load and peak rate, and to "utilize and integrate Stormwater BMPs which are appropriate to their location and environment, sized to accommodate the expected runoff." Selecting rain barrels or cisterns can help a project meet the 10 percent effective-imperviousness targets for runoff volume and nutrient loads set in Table 5.12.30.A, though the code treats them as one option among many BMPs rather than requiring their use on any specific project.