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

Section 26-3(q) and (r) of the road standards article treat county-maintained and private rights-of-way the same way on sidewalks: before construction, a financially responsible entity, determined by the county in its sole discretion, must agree to perform necessary maintenance and repair and accept all real and potential liability arising from the sidewalk's existence and use. For a sidewalk in a county right-of-way, that entity must sign a written agreement with the county spelling out its maintenance, repair and liability obligations, including a duty to defend and hold the county harmless from claims tied to the sidewalk's construction, maintenance or repair.

Every sidewalk, whether in a county or private right-of-way, must be designed by a South Carolina-licensed professional engineer to current SCDOT minimum standards and standard drawings, built in strict compliance with that approved design, and submitted to county personnel for approval before and during construction. For sidewalks in private rights-of-way, the final recorded plat must carry printed language stating the sidewalk is private, not owned, maintained or overseen by the county, and will never be accepted for county maintenance. Maintenance and repair, wherever the sidewalk sits, must be performed promptly and to the same SCDOT design standards used for construction.