Laurens County, SC Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- Before any utility location in county road right-of-way
- Issuing office
- Laurens County Public Works
- Preferred location
- Private utility easements outside the right-of-way
- In-ROW placement
- Outermost portion, subject to director's approval
- Penalty
- $500 misdemeanor fine per week after notice
- Governing ordinance
- Ord. No. 901, adopted June 22, 2021
Summary
In unincorporated Laurens County, anyone installing utility lines within a county road right-of-way must obtain an encroachment permit from the Laurens County Public Works office before doing the work. County Code § 32-165 pushes utilities into private easements outside the right-of-way first, and where that is not possible requires placement at the outermost edge of the right-of-way with the public works director's approval.
Sec. 32-165. - Utility locations. (a)Prior to utility location, the requesting party shall obtain an encroachment permit from the office of Laurens County Public Works.(b)Whenever possible utilities should be located in private utility easements outside the road right-of-way.(c)Any utilities placed within the road right-of-way shall be placed at the outermost portion of the right-of-way, and must receive the approval of the director of public works prior to placement.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 32-165 of the Laurens County Code, adopted under Ord. No. 901 on June 22, 2021 as part of the county's Road Standards division, governs private encroachments into county road rights-of-way in the unincorporated area. Before locating a utility line, the requesting party, a utility company, contractor, or property owner, must first obtain an encroachment permit from the office of Laurens County Public Works. The code expresses a clear preference for keeping utilities out of the right-of-way altogether: subsection (b) directs that, whenever possible, utilities should be located in private utility easements outside the road right-of-way rather than within it.
When placement inside the right-of-way cannot be avoided, subsection (c) requires the utility to sit at the outermost portion of the right-of-way, farthest from the traveled roadway, and the director of public works must approve that placement before installation begins. This division applies to all county roads constructed within the county under Sec. 32-163, covering unincorporated Laurens County and any municipality that has designated the county planning commission as its own under S.C. Code § 6-7-330. A related crime-watch-sign encroachment procedure under Secs. 32-19 through 32-26 shows the county also routes right-of-way work on state highways through the SCDOT encroachment process, but for county roads the Public Works office itself is the permitting authority.
Anyone digging, boring, or trenching a utility line under or along a county road should treat the Public Works permit as a prerequisite, since the office reviews placement location and can require relocation to the right-of-way's edge before signing off.
Violations & Fines
Violating the utility-location requirements of Division 5 is a misdemeanor under Sec. 32-166, punishable by a $500 fine for every week the violation continues after the director of public works serves written notice. Notice can be delivered by registered or certified mail to the address the offender gave the county tax assessor or auditor, by personal service, or by publication as a court summons, so an unresolved encroachment keeps accruing weekly fines until it is corrected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to run a utility line along a Laurens County road?
Where does the county want utilities placed instead of the right-of-way?
What happens if a utility skips the encroachment permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Laurens County
Compare Laurens County to another location·View the South Carolina sidewalk & pedestrian rules overview
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