South Carolina Dam Safety Requirements
What the Dams and Reservoirs Safety Act and S.C. Code Regs. 72-1 through 72-9 actually require of a dam owner in South Carolina — which dams are regulated, how they are classified, when approval is needed, and who has to file an emergency action plan. Every requirement tied to the statute or rule that imposes it.
South Carolina regulates dams under S.C. Code Ann. §§ 49-11-110 et seq. (Dams and Reservoirs Safety Act) and S.C. Code Regs. 72-1 through 72-9, administered by the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES). The program moved to SCDES when the Department of Health and Environmental Control was reorganised. Sources written before that still name DHEC.
South Carolina's size exemption reads and where North Carolina's reads or — the same two numbers, 25 feet and 50 acre-feet, with the opposite effect.
South Carolina by the numbers
| Measure | Count |
|---|---|
| Total dams | 2,440 |
| High hazard | 679 |
| — with no EAP recorded | 168 (24.7%) |
| High hazard rated Poor | 145 |
| High hazard rated Unsatisfactory | 17 |
The three things an owner has to get right
1. Is the dam regulated?
The threshold test, the exemptions, and the approvals needed to build, repair, alter or remove. Permits and exemptions →
2. What is its hazard classification?
Classification turns on downstream consequence rather than dam size, and it drives design criteria and filing duties alike. Classification criteria →
3. Does it need an emergency action plan?
Who must file, when, and what the recurring duty is. EAP requirements →
Dams by county
| County | Dams | High hazard | Poor/Unsat. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenville | 143 | 67 | 50 |
| Spartanburg | 143 | 37 | 63 |
| Aiken | 143 | 47 | 77 |
| Orangeburg | 141 | 37 | 89 |
| Lexington | 122 | 50 | 56 |
| Richland | 117 | 65 | 41 |
| Edgefield | 109 | 14 | 57 |
| Calhoun | 104 | 19 | 37 |
| Chesterfield | 94 | 11 | 50 |
| Laurens | 87 | 13 | 42 |
| Oconee | 74 | 46 | 12 |
| York | 71 | 29 | 28 |
Scope. General information about South Carolina dam safety regulation, read from primary sources and current as of 2026-08-28. Not an engineering opinion about any specific structure and not legal advice. Requirements change when the legislature amends the Dams and Reservoirs Safety Act or the rules are revised — confirm against the current text of S.C. Code Ann. §§ 49-11-110 et seq. and S.C. Code Regs. 72-1 through 72-9, and contact the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) for a determination that binds.