Committee recommends changes to beach-fire permit process to clarify enforcement and safety

A Seabrook Island advisory committee voted to recommend changes to the town's beach ordinance to standardize how beach-fire permits are issued and enforced and to add clear safety requirements.

The committee's recommendation, moved and seconded at the meeting, asks the town to adopt a permit application and ordinance language that would: require a town-issued permit (so code enforcement can take action); authorize the fire marshal to cancel permits for environmental conditions; limit permitted fires to designated areas reviewed at least annually; set operational rules (applicants must be 18 or older; fires may be ignited no earlier than 5:00 p.m. and must be extinguished by 10:00 p.m.; pit fires no larger than 3 feet in diameter); prohibit burning non-wood materials and treated lumber; and require that ash and unburned materials be removed or buried at least 12 inches.

Why it matters: Committee members said the current arrangement leaves an enforcement gap because many permits or authorizations are issued by a private property owner or SAPOA on dry sand above the mean high-tide line. Moving permitting authority to the town (or ensuring the town issues permits or receives copies) would allow St. John's Fire District personnel to be deputized under an intergovernmental agreement to enforce permit conditions when needed.

The draft language discussed at the meeting includes several specific safeguards: minimum separation distances from dune vegetation and turtle nests (committee discussed keeping 50 feet from turtle nests and proposed a 30'50-foot buffer from dune vegetation as a policy choice), explicit bans on burning construction materials, and the ability for the fire marshal or mayor to revoke permits during unsafe conditions such as high winds or drought.

On technical standards, the fire official cited the International Fire Code (IFC) as the basis for separation distances, noting the IFC's standard of about 25 feet from structures or combustible materials as a reference point for local policy. The committee discussed adopting a local minimum greater than that value for dunes and nesting areas.

Operational mechanics discussed included using the existing SAPOA gatehouse process as an initial point of contact (security checks a box when issuing a permit at the guard shack) while ensuring a copy of any permit is sent simultaneously to town staff and the fire department so permit-holder contact information is available and enforcement can be carried out promptly.

Committee members also agreed to keep allowable locations flexible: instead of codifying exact boardwalk numbers in the ordinance, the allowable sites would be maintained in an annually reviewed schedule or appendix that the town, SAPOA and the fire department would jointly update to reflect changing beach conditions and erosion.

The committee asked staff and the fire district to draft proposed ordinance language and an IGA to clarify enforcement roles and notification procedures (for example, how the fire marshal or town staff will notify permittees when a permit is rescinded because of high wind). The draft ordinance was expected to return to the committee in October before being sent to the town council for consideration.

The committee's motion to recommend revising the beach ordinance to incorporate the permit application and safety language passed during the meeting.