South Carolina Coastal Atlas

The goal of the South Carolina Coastal Program is to achieve balance between the appropriate use, development, and conservation of coastal resources in the best interest of all citizens of the state.

South Carolina is rich in both variety and abundance of coastal resources. Healthy coastal ecosystems provide opportunities for recreation, support commercial and recreational fisheries, and bolster domestic and international tourism, underpinning major engines of the state's economy. The  SC Coastal Zone Management Program  (Coastal 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 Coastal Program was authorized in 1977 under the  SC Coastal Tidelands and Wetlands Act.  

The  SC Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) Bureau of Coastal Management (BCM)  (also referred to as "the Department" in regulations) is the designated state coastal management agency and is responsible for the implementation of the Coastal Program. SCDES BCM implements the Coastal Program through an integrated framework of planning, direct regulatory permitting within defined Critical Areas, and indirect Coastal Zone Consistency certification of federal and state permits within the eight-county Coastal Zone.

SCDES’s Bureau of Coastal Management (BCM) protects and enhances the state's coastal resources by preserving sensitive and fragile areas while promoting responsible development in the eight coastal counties of South Carolina. Explore the interactive map below to view the SC Coastal Zone and Critical Area Boundaries as well as answer some common questions.

South Carolina's critical areas are valuable natural resources that are vital to the environmental and economic health of the state. The four critical areas in the SC Coastal Zone include: coastal waters, tidelands, beaches, and the beach/dune system, as defined in statute (  S.C. Code of Laws § 48-39-10   et. seq.) and  the South Carolina Coastal Division Regulations  ( S.C. Code Ann. Regs. 30-1  et. seq.).

The video below highlights the ecosystem services and cultural significance of tidelands and coastal waters critical areas, plant and animal species inhabiting these environments, challenges and threats to the salt marsh, and how the state manages these important resources. (Note: SCDHEC OCRM is now SCDES BCM and the new BCM website is    https://des.sc.gov/programs/bureau-coastal-management )

The Coastal Program provides a wide variety of services to the public, from outreach and education to permitting and emergency operations.

The Coastal Program provides many products and tools available to the public, including a variety of web applications. Interact with the embedded web apps below or open content in a new tab via links provided.

SCDES BCM staff are available to answer your questions about the Coastal Program. To find contact information for Project Managers within each geographic region of coastal South Carolina, please visit SCDES BCM's  Project Manager Finder  application. The complete  Staff Listing  is available on the  SCDES BCM website .

The SC Coastal Program has three regional offices along the coast to ensure coverage and services throughout the SC Coastal Zone.

Last updated March 19, 2025