Oconee County, SC Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

Section 26-7(e) requires anyone who wants to excavate within, encroach upon, or alter a county-maintained road or right-of-way to notify the county engineer and submit an application to the county road department, along with the required fees and security set periodically by county council; work cannot start until the county engineer has approved and issued the permit, and the applicant must give 48 hours' notice before initiating work. In deciding whether to grant a permit, the engineer weighs the applicant's needs against the county's, including sound engineering practice, keeping rights-of-way open, traffic convenience, and the applicant's compliance history with earlier permits, and may restrict, suspend or revoke any permit issued under this section.

County council separately adopts the encroachment permit policy, application form and fee schedule, and can update fees through the annual budget ordinance. After the permitted work is done, the applicant must restore the road or right-of-way to its original condition to SCDOT specifications; the posted security is returned 18 months after satisfactory completion once the county engineer approves the final inspection, or kept and spent on repairs if the engineer finds the work unacceptable. Someone denied a permit, or facing an engineer-imposed restriction, can appeal by requesting a variance under section 26-8, which is decided by the board of zoning appeals after a hearing.