One of the common questions raised by buyer and seller alike in Beaufort is the definition of deep water? With more than 90 inhabited islands, this is a pertinent question. Beaufort County is a waterborne community, with hundreds of waterfront properties.

If you were to call up our friends at Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, the folks who issue permits in South Carolina, they might tell you they have no real working definition of “deep water.”  The OCRM evaluates whether there is a suitable tidal creek off the property, worthy of a dock. 

The OCRM will determine if the creek qualifies for a floating dock, or just a crabbing dock.

    At the Beaufort Board of Realtors, however, we classify anything with at least 3 feet of water at LOW TIDE as deep water.

   And there are caveats. Your property may have the requisite 3-foot minimum at low tide, but what about the sandbar which sits up the creek, and makes parts of your creek impassable for an hour or two a day?

    The Beaufort Multiple Listing Service calls that Deep Water with "limited access.”

    Like a lot of real estate terms,  great liberties have been known to be taken with the classification of water-front property. Tidal creek can mean an outstanding water-front property, which might be navigable 24 hours a day, but I've also seen the term tidal creek utilized to describe a tiny rivulet which might occasionally accommodate nothing more than a kayak .

This is one of the myriad reasons you want to consult a Realtor before purchasing or listing any property. Have a great day.