Public Invited to Information Session about Proposed Changes to Coastal Dock Regulations

CHARLESTON, S.C. — The S.C. Department of Environmental Services’s (SCDES) Bureau of Coastal Management (BCM) invites the public to attend an information session about proposed changes to coastal dock regulations.  

As South Carolina's population grows, the state’s coastal communities have seen a significant increase in private docks. This high volume of docks has contributed to challenges with navigation, shoreline access and impacts to the Tidelands and Coastal Water critical areas. 

In the agency's efforts to update and modernize regulations, SCDES reviewed current dock regulations and identified potential opportunities for regulatory changes, which are available at des.sc.gov/dockregs. SCDES staff will host an upcoming information session that will begin with a presentation about the proposed changes, include an overview of the public comments previously received, and reserve time for a question-and-answer session. 

The information session will be: 

Tuesday Oct. 13, 2026 
5:30-7:30p.m. 
City of North Charleston City Hall 
2500 City Hall Lane, North Charleston, S.C. 

The informational session can be watched virtually using the link provided at des.sc.gov/dockregs. 

Key takeaways include that the proposed changes: 

• are only effective within the Tidelands and Coastal Waters critical areas of the coastal zone (which are within the state’s eight coastal counties) 

• continue to allow docks damaged during a storm event to be reconstructed or repaired to their previously permitted or grandfathered size, configuration and location 

• continue to allow property owners to keep and maintain existing, previously permitted or grandfathered structures 

• continue to permit new dock construction  

• community and commercial dock structures or marinas are not impacted 

• streamline and clarify the submission process for a 401 Water Quality Certification 

Two weeks after the information session, a formal public hearing on the proposed amendments will take place at 10 a.m. Oct. 27, 2026, at the South Carolina Administrative Law Court in Columbia, during which the public can provide official comments of record about the proposed amendments.  

SCDES BCM will review all official public comments received and consider any recommendations from the Administrative Law Court as the Notice of Final Regulation is developed. These regulatory changes will require General Assembly approval. 

Visit des.sc.gov/dockregs for additional information.