South Carolina Maps
Digital Data Availability Summary
Click for local parcel information. Map courtesy Digital Map Store
| SOUTH CAROLINA | Spatial | Non-spatial | None |
| GIS Data Portals | x | ||
| Reference and Supporting Data | |||
| Cadastral Reference Grid | x | ||
| Shorelines | x | ||
| Coastal Imagery | x | ||
| Bathymetry | x | ||
| Marine Jurisdictional Boundaries | x | ||
| Submerged Lands Boundaries | x | ||
| Ownership | |||
| Submerged Lands Parcels | x | ||
| General Property and Parcel Data | x | ||
| Public and Conservation Lands | x | ||
| Leases and Other Use Authorizations | |||
| Aquaculture and Shellfish | x | ||
| Other Use Authorizations | x | ||
| Marine Managed Areas | x | ||
| Local Parcel Information | 5 coastal counties | ||
| Deed Records | Availability of local data was not completely assessed. Links to some data sources are identified. | ||
| Assessment Data | |||
| Parcels | |||
Why is marine cadastral data important for conservation and marine spatial planning?
Marine Cadastral Data Management
The Nature Conservancy’s 2010 Nationwide Comparative Assessment of State-level Marine Cadastral Data in South Carolina included a review of relevant Internet sites and an interview with the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management in the Department of Health and Environmental Control about South Carolina’s marine data needs and marine cadastral data management.1 The Office of Coastal Resource Management also completed an inventory (pdf) of state level marine data.
State Data Management: South Carolina’s GIS Coordinating Council (SCGIS) is the central coordinating point for state agency GIS activities. The SCGIS web site serves as the clearinghouse of the state’s GIS resources, providing a data inventory and links to agency data sources. The Department of Health’s Ocean and Coastal Resource Management program (OCRM) publishes and provides links to relevant data through the GIS Data Clearinghouse. State owned land records are managed by individual agencies and no single record source was identified for the data. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is responsible for submerged lands. The University of South Carolina provides a GIS Data Server and Clearinghouse that provides access to many relevant data sources.
Marine Cadastre and Supporting Data
Cadastral Reference System: There is no cadastral reference system in coastal waters. South Carolina’s coastal interests are in conservation, fishing, shellfishing, and public health. The only place-based leasing is for oysters and shellfish. The state is expecting a wind energy proposal in 2011 that will bring forward issues regarding submerged lands management. There has been discussion about developing a multi-purpose leasing framework.
Supporting Reference Data
Shorelines and Bathymetry: State maintained data was not found for shorelines or bathymetry.
Coastal Imagery: Ortho-imagery for the coastal counties is identified in DNR’s GIS Data county map query. The data is organized by county and available for download.
Marine Jurisdictional and Submerged Lands Boundaries: Boundary files of various agencies were found on their websites, but state-maintained sources for county boundaries were not found. The University of South Carolina provides a wide variety of jurisdictional boundaries for download as well as links to other state and federal data sources. No sources were identified that defined state submerged lands in coastal waters.
Ownership: The management of state owned lands is spread across several state agencies. There is no known central repository for ownership data. King’s grants of submerged lands are not mapped. New claims of submerged lands ownership most often arise when there are requests to develop marsh islands.
Leases and Other Authorizations: The Department of Health’s Bureau of Water monitors shellfish harvesting. The Department of Natural Resources has mapped the intertidal oyster resources and provides the data through GIS files and images from their web site.
Marine Managed Areas: DNR provides a county map query using 1:24,000 quadrangles as a reference system. Wildlife Management Areas and Refuges are included in the query, but there are no specific references to marine managed areas or MPAs.
Local Parcel Information: Parcel data is not being compiled at the state level. It will be necessary to contact the individual counties to acquire local government parcel data (see local parcel information, below).
GIS Portals
- Department of Health and Environmental Control. The DHEC site is a good source of data for water quality and monitoring including shellfish monitoring sites. Data is downloadable one day after registration. (Web site)
- Department of Natural Resources Geographic Information System. (Web site)
- GIS Inventory. The GIS Inventory is a good source for county data although not all relevant counties have participated. (Web site)
- South Carolina GIS Council. The Council site is a clearinghouse for State GIS activities and data. The site includes a list of available data as well as links to the agencies with on-line GIS data. (Web site)
- State Mapping Advisory Committee (Web site)
- University of South Carolina GIS Data Server and Clearinghouse. The site provides an extensive list of data downloads and sources for South Carolina including geography, physical and environmental, hydrology, imagery and infrastructure. (Web site)
Reference and Supporting Data
Cadastral Reference Grid
None used.
Shorelines
No state level data found.
Coastal Imagery
| Data | DOQQ |
| Access | Download (web site) |
| Detail | Data search by county map query, county text query or quadrangle text query. Imagery is available for download by 7.5’ Quadrangle section |
| Distributor | SC Department of Natural Resources |
Bathymetry
No state level data found.
Marine Jurisdictional Boundaries
| Data | Geography - State and County and other Jurisdictional Boundaries |
| Access | Download shapefiles (web site) |
| Detail | A variety of state, county and other jurisdictional boundaries |
| Distributor | University of South Carolina GIS Data Server |
The term submerged lands is used here to refer to tidal waters lying between the high water mark and the seaward extent of the state’s jurisdictional limit, which for most states is three nautical miles (i.e., the Submerged Lands Act Boundary). See the Submerged Lands definitions page for specific terminology used in each state.
Submerged Lands Boundaries
No data found.
Ownership
Submerged Lands Parcels
No data found.
General Property and Parcel Data
No data found.
Public and Conservation Lands
| Data | GAP Analysis Land Stewardship Map. |
| Access | Download ARC/Info export file or view online through DNR Dynamic Mapping. (Web site) |
| Detail | Lands enjoying some level of protection. Identifies managers and owners of protected land. 1989-2001. |
| Distributor | South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. |
Leases and Other Use Authorizations
Aquaculture and Shellfish
| Data | Public Shellfish Grounds |
| Access | View PDF maps. (Web site) |
| Detail | Individual public shellfish grounds. |
| Distributor | South Carolina Department of Natural Resources |
| Data | State Shellfish Grounds |
| Access | View PDF maps. (Web site) |
| Detail | Individual state shellfish grounds. |
| Distributor | South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. |
Other Use Authorizations
No data found.
Marine Managed Areas
No state data was found on marine managed areas.
Local Parcel Information
SearchSystems.net lists county Web sites for property records.
Beaufort County
| Deed Records | Input name, can also do advanced search with document type, date range yields same information and cross reference name, book/page, legal description, address, and plat. (Web site) |
| Assessment Data | Input owner, address, parcel identification, key number yields same information, legal description, assessment, sales history with document links, land data and building information; also has link to map via GIS system. (Web site) |
| Parcels | Availability of data not assessed. |
| Other Data | County GIS; choose type of maps: 2002orthophoto, census data, flood data, or zoning data for Southern Beaufort County, Lady’s Island, Port Royal Island, Northern Beaufort County, or St. Helena Island. (Web site) |
Berkeley County
Data availability not assessed.
Colleton County
| Deed Records | Data availability not assessed. |
| Assessment Data | Online Tax Search; input name or map number yields same information, address, tax assessment. (Web site) |
| Parcels | See Assessment Data above. |
Charleston County
| Deed Records | Data availability not assessed. |
| Assessment Data | Click and drag zoom feature to parcel layer, “information” button yields parcel identification, address, subdivision, acreage, ownership, plat map identification, assessment, building features; can also search (at bottom center of page), input address or name. (Web site) |
| Parcels | See Assessment Data above. |
Horry County (Web site)
| Deed Records | Interactive Gateway, portal to online deed records, assessment data, parcels, and more; input parcel number or name; output same information and address, legal description, assessments, and link to GIS parcel map. (Web site) |
| Assessment Data | See Deed Records above. |
| Parcels | Input parcel number of name yields same information and address, legal description, assessments, “map/access info” button routes to GIS parcel map. (Web site) Also, see Deed Records above. |
| Other Data | Click and drag zoom feature with floodplain overlay (coastal zone) and communities with street names but not addresses, uses aerial photography base map, no property identification. (Web site) |
Georgetown County
| Deed Records | Registrar of Deeds; input name, book/page or instrument number yields type of document and identification number, grantor and grantee (for deeds), property address. (Web site) GIS Map Server; click and drag zoom feature, yields addresses, parcel number, using “identify features” button yields legal description, owner, deed book/page, plat, square footage, lot dimensions; other features can be added [click “mapping” button top-right] and include zoning, soils, flood zones and some municipal features. (Web site) |
| Assessment Data | Assessor’s Office. (Web site) |
| Parcels | Data availability not assessed. |
Jasper County (Web site)
| Deed Records | No apparent online information. (Web site) |
| Assessment Data | Availability of data not assessed. |
| Parcels | Availability of data not assessed. |
1 Interview with Braxton Davis and Melissa Rada, Policy and Planning Division, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management.