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Beaufort County committee revisits waterways ordinance after residents, operators press for Daufuskie carve-outs
Summary
Committee discussed draft amendments to county waterways rules that would limit commercial passengers at county landings and add permitting for barges; residents and operators urged exemptions for Daufuskie supply barges and for boat dealers/repair operations to allow tests and deliveries.
Beaufort County’s Public Facilities Committee spent a large portion of its meeting debating proposed changes to the county’s waterways ordinance that would restrict certain commercial uses at county-owned boat landings.
Deputy County Attorney Dylan Kidd told the panel staff had shortened the commercial-passenger definition and added a provision allowing the county to restrict landings for permitted purposes such as ferry embarkation. The draft ordinance also contains a proposed limit of six commercial passengers from county-maintained launch areas, a number staff said was informed by data showing roughly 159 local charter operators (151 with six-pack licenses, seven with larger licenses and one with a 50-plus license).
Public commenters and several council members said the draft, as written, could unintentionally harm residents and small operators who rely on county landings. Christopher Shoemaker urged the committee to raise the passenger cap to 12, saying his Coast Guard–inspected boats routinely carry that many and operate as drop-off-only services that do not block parking. Chris Butler of Butler Marine asked staff to explicitly exempt boat dealers and repair facilities so they can conduct river tests, sea trials and deliveries without violating landing restrictions.
Several council members emphasized the particular needs of Daufuskie Island, where barges deliver supplies and residents often leave cars at landings for days. Councilmember Lawson (speaker 15) asked for Daufuskie-specific language to avoid limiting cargo and essential passenger movements there. Kidd said the draft already contemplates temporary-use authorizations by the county administrator or designee for barges, but staff could add clearer exemptions and definitions for charter, dealer and repair activities.
Kidd also noted staff had collected charter-license data from the Port Royal Sound Foundation and the state DNR and said the committee could direct staff to analyze specific 'hot spots' of landing congestion to allow more targeted limits instead of countywide caps. Several members asked staff to return with additional data and draft language in January that would: (1) carve out Daufuskie and ferry embarkation locations where appropriate, (2) explicitly exempt dealers and repair operations, and (3) consider a permit/decals system to identify residents for extended parking.
The committee treated the discussion as guidance to staff and did not adopt final ordinance language at the meeting. Committee members asked staff to consider enforcement tools and to coordinate any draft with law enforcement and affected municipalities before returning to committee.
