COVID-19 MODIFIED OPERATIONS UPDATE 

MARCH 31, 2020

City officials and staff are taking the following steps to protect public safety in response to the evolving Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Updates will be provided as conditions evolve and under further guidance from Mayor Tecklenburg and City Council.

BOARD MEETINGS CANCELLED THROUGH APRIL 17, 2020: All board meetings with public hearings (BAR-L, BAR-S, BZA-Z, BZA-SD, DRB, and Planning Commission) have been cancelled through April 17, 2020. Applications will be deferred in the order received until the next available meeting agenda. TRC staff reviews will be conducted by telephone or video conferencing.

OTHER MEETINGS RESCHEDULED: Essential meetings will be rescheduled as needed with technology and social distancing practices that protect participants and the public. Department offices are not open to the general public.

SUBMITTALS ACCEPTED DIGITALLY:  Plans for future BAR-L, BAR-S, BZA-Z, BZA-SD, DRB, Planning Commission, and TRC meeting agendas are being accepted digitally; paper submittals will not be accepted. Applications and plans in PDF format should be submitted directly to the appropriate board administrator via email.

Staff-level reviews are still occurring via email digital submittals.

More information on the review boards, submittal requirements/applications, staff contacts, etc. can be found on board webpages. Please note, 50MB is the maximum file size that can be received via email; contact staff directly to discuss larger files.

PERMIT CENTER MODIFIED OPERATIONS: The Permit Center has modified operations to preclude public access as of March 16 and until further notice. However, staff will continue to operate during normal business hours to process electronic permit submittals that would normally be reviewed in the Permit Center. Paper submittals will not be accepted. Applications and plans in PDF format should be submitted digitally to permits@charleston-sc.gov.

OTHER PLANNING ITEMS: For all other department related inquiries, please continue communicating with our staff via email and phone.

The Department of Planning, Preservation & Sustainability will update our operations as conditions change. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work through this challenging time. Please also visit the City of Charleston’s webpage for more information on the City’s response to COVID-19.

==========================================