The South Carolina Coastal Zone Management Program was established under the guidelines of the national Coastal Zone Management Act (1972) as a state-federal partnership to comprehensively manage coastal resources. The Program was authorized in 1977 under the South Carolina Coastal Tidelands and Wetlands Act (CTWA) with the goal of achieving balance between the appropriate use, development, and conservation of coastal resources in the best interest of all citizens of the state.  

SCDES's Bureau of Coastal Management (BCM) is the designated state agency responsible for the implementation the state's Coastal Zone Management Program. SCDES BCM’s authorities are outlined in the CTWA, Coastal Division Regulations, and the South Carolina Coastal Zone Management Program Document.  

As participants of the national Coastal Zone Management Program, administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, states must include the identification of a Coastal Zone boundary subject to management frameworks and provisions of the Coastal Program. SCDES BCM implements the South Carolina Coastal Program within the state’s eight-county Coastal Zone boundary. Implementation includes direct permitting authority for activities within the state's four critical areas. SCDES BCM also has indirect certification authority over federal actions and state permit decisions within the eight coastal counties.