SCDHEC Becomes SCDES: What Changes for Stormwater Permits

If you manage a property in South Carolina with stormwater permits, you’ve probably noticed that SCDHEC isn’t SCDHEC anymore. On July 1, 2024, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control officially split into two separate agencies. The environmental side became the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES). The public health side became the Department of Public Health (DPH).

For property owners and managers dealing with stormwater permits, this is a change you need to understand. Not because the rules are different, but because the agency, the website, and the contacts have all changed. Here’s what happened and what it means for you.

What Actually Happened on July 1

The South Carolina General Assembly passed legislation restructuring SCDHEC, one of the state’s largest and most complex agencies, into two focused departments. The split was years in the making. Critics argued that combining environmental regulation and public health under one roof created an agency too large to manage effectively. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified that criticism.

Under the restructuring:

• SCDES (Department of Environmental Services) took over all environmental regulatory functions, including air quality, coastal management, land and waste management, mining, and water services. This is where all stormwater permitting, inspection, and enforcement now lives.
• DPH (Department of Public Health) took over public health functions, including disease prevention, health facilities regulation, and community health services.

The DHEC Board, which had governed the combined agency, was abolished. Both new agencies became cabinet agencies under the Governor. This changed the governance structure from an independent board to direct executive oversight.

One additional move: the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) transferred its hydrology and aquatic nuisance species programs to SCDES. This consolidated water-related regulatory functions under one agency.

No Gaps in Service (In Theory)

The state designed the transition to be continuous. Staff moved to their respective new agencies. Physical office locations stayed the same. Phone numbers were preserved where possible. The goal was to change the organizational chart without disrupting day-to-day operations.

In practice, transitions of this scale always involve some friction. In the early months, some property owners reported confusion about which agency to contact, delays in permit processing, and website links that didn’t work. Most of those issues have since been resolved, but it’s worth double-checking that your submissions are reaching the right place.

What Moved to SCDES

If you deal with stormwater, everything you care about is now under SCDES. Specifically:

Stormwater permits. All NPDES stormwater permits, including construction general permits (CGPs), industrial stormwater permits, and MS4 permits, are administered by SCDES. If you’re applying for coverage, renewing, or modifying a permit, SCDES is your agency. Our SC MS4 permit changes guide covers how those MS4 requirements have been tightening since the handoff.

Inspections and enforcement. SCDES inspectors conduct stormwater compliance inspections. Notices of Violation, consent orders, and penalty assessments come from SCDES. The enforcement authority and penalty structure haven’t changed, just the letterhead.

Water quality standards. SCDES maintains South Carolina’s water quality standards, including the 303(d) list of impaired waters that affects stormwater discharge requirements for properties near listed waterbodies.

Coastal zone management. For properties in the eight coastal counties, SCDES handles critical area permits and coastal zone consistency reviews. This affects stormwater designs in Beaufort County, Charleston, and other Lowcountry locations.

Land disturbance permits. Construction sites disturbing one acre or more still need coverage under the NPDES CGP. That application now goes to SCDES.

The New Website

The old SCDHEC website (scdhec.gov) has been replaced. Environmental content now lives at des.sc.gov. Public health content moved to dph.sc.gov.

This matters more than you might think. If you’ve bookmarked SCDHEC pages for permit applications, BMP manuals, inspection checklists, or compliance guidance, those bookmarks may no longer work. Some pages redirect. Some don’t.

Here’s what to update:

• Permit applications and forms: Now found through des.sc.gov. The ePermitting system for construction stormwater permits has been updated to reflect the SCDES branding, and as of May 2025 it’s the only way to file. Our SCDES digital permitting guide covers the Certifier Agreement you now need before you can submit anything.
• BMP design manuals: South Carolina’s stormwater BMP design manual is now hosted under SCDES. Same content, new URL.
• Contact directories: Staff who handled stormwater under DHEC are now SCDES employees. Their contact information may have changed. Check the SCDES website for current directories.
• Regulatory references: If your stormwater plans, maintenance agreements, or compliance documents reference “SCDHEC,” those references are now technically outdated. You don’t need to reprint every document, but update templates and future submissions to reference SCDES.

What This Means for Your Existing Permits

If you hold an active stormwater permit issued by SCDHEC, that permit remains valid. The restructuring legislation specifically addressed permit continuity. You don’t need to reapply, re-register, or update your coverage. Your permit terms, conditions, and expiration dates are unchanged.

When your permit comes up for renewal, you’ll renew through SCDES using their forms and process. The requirements themselves haven’t changed. SCDES inherited the same regulatory authority, the same rules, and the same standards that SCDHEC administered.

For properties covered under general permits (which is most residential and commercial stormwater situations), the transition is even simpler. Your coverage continues. When the general permit itself is reissued (which happens on a multi-year cycle), it will be issued by SCDES.

What This Means Practically

Let’s be direct. For most property owners, this restructuring changes the name on the envelope and not much else. Your stormwater obligations are the same. The stormwater management requirements haven’t changed. The BMP maintenance standards haven’t changed. The inspection process hasn’t changed. The penalty structure hasn’t changed.

Same rules. Different agency name.

But there are a few practical things to do:

Update your contacts. If you’ve a relationship with a specific stormwater inspector or permit coordinator, verify their current contact information through SCDES. Most staff transferred, but some roles may have shifted.

Update your bookmarks. Replace any saved links to scdhec.gov with the equivalent pages on des.sc.gov. This is especially important for permit application portals and compliance guidance documents.

Update your filing systems. If you organize compliance documents by agency, create a SCDES folder. Going forward, correspondence and permits will come from SCDES.

Inform your team. If you’ve site managers, maintenance supervisors, or compliance staff who interact with the state agency, make sure they know the name has changed. It avoids confusion when they receive correspondence from an unfamiliar sender.

Check your stormwater plans. If you’re submitting new plans for development projects or plan modifications, make sure you’re using current SCDES forms and submitting to the correct office.

Looking Forward

The creation of SCDES as a focused environmental agency could actually benefit property owners in the long run. A dedicated environmental department may be more responsive to permit applications, more consistent in enforcement, and more effective at publishing guidance. When environmental regulation was one of a dozen functions under the DHEC umbrella, it competed for attention and resources.

Whether that potential translates to reality depends on staffing, funding, and leadership. For now, the practical advice is simple. Know the new name. Update your records. Keep doing what you’ve been doing on the compliance side.

The rules haven’t changed. The expectations haven’t changed. Your responsibility to maintain your stormwater systems, document your maintenance, and respond to inspections is exactly the same as it was under DHEC. That includes the enforcement side. Our post on what happens when you ignore a stormwater violation notice covers the escalation path, which carried over unchanged.

AUE Land Can Help

Whether you’re dealing with SCDES permit requirements, preparing for an inspection, or catching up on deferred maintenance, AUE Land can help. We offer site assessments for properties across the South Carolina and Georgia coast. We know the regulations because we work with them every day. Schedule your site assessment and we’ll help you stay on the right side of the new agency.