S.C. Title 55 Chapter 13 — Airport Zoning / Airport Safety Zones (SC)

Tracked preemption from the South Carolina overlay bundle.

Overview

Effective
1962-03-21
Sunset
Authority
state
Scope
state:SC

Trigger predicate

When this evaluates true for a parcel, the law's preempted fields take precedence over base zoning.

OR
  • city.airport_safety_zone_present == True
  • city.airport_influence_zones attribute is present
  • parcel.in_airport_approach_or_safety_zone == True

Preempted fields

3 fields on the base district schema are rewritten when the trigger fires.

FieldOpValueNote
base_districts[*].max_height_ftcap_atfaa_part77_imaginary_surface§55-13-10: locality may restrict structure heights within reasonable distances from airports; heights graduated with distance. State statute pairs with federal FAR Part 77 (14 CFR Part 77) imaginary surfaces and FAA Form 7460-1 obstruction-evaluation process.
base_districts[*].airport_safety_zone_residential_useremoveresidential_or_commercial_in_safety_zone§55-13-10 authorizes localities to restrict residential or commercial development inside airport safety zones and to prevent uses creating glare, smoke, RF interference, or bird hazards.
zoning_decision_procedure.airport_map_coordination_requiredoverrideTrue§55-13-5: SC Aeronautics Division produces airport maps (runway approach/departure zones, airport safety zones, airport land use zones) and provides them to local planning bodies for development-review coordination.

Citation

Authority source
S.C. Code Ann. §§55-13-5 through 55-13-40 (Airport Zoning); 14 CFR Part 77 (FAA imaginary surfaces); SC Aeronautics Commission
§ §§55-13-5, 55-13-10, 55-13-20, 55-13-30
https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t55c013.php

Research notes

Enabling-act preemption — authorizes (does not mandate) local airport zoning. Federal preemption layered: FAA controls navigable airspace exclusively (49 U.S.C. §40103). SC's commercial airports (CHS/Charleston, CAE/Columbia, GSP/Greenville-Spartanburg, MYR/Myrtle Beach, HXD/Hilton Head) plus general-aviation fields each may have an Airport Influence Area / Airport Hazard Area ordinance. Joint Base Charleston, Shaw AFB, and MCAS Beaufort are separately addressed under the military AICUZ overlay below — their Part 77 surfaces and AICUZ zones overlay civilian zoning.