**SCDMV Address Update Issues**
We have been made aware that some citizens are having difficulty updating their address through the SCDMV website due to a lag in their third-party vendor's database update process. We are working with the SCDMV and the third-party vendor to find a solution to this issue. If you encounter a problem updating your address at scdmvonline, please allow a few weeks and try to update again. We have been told by the SCDMV that the 10 day requirement noted on their website for updating addresses is directed at customers who have moved and that Saluda County residents whose address is being changed as part of this project will not be penalized for taking longer than 10 days. If you need your information updated more quickly, you can call SCDMV or visit an SCDMV branch for assistance. We apologize for the delays and are working to get the issue resolved.
Saluda County E911 Readdressing Project
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Saluda County, along with counties across the United States, transitioned to the Enhanced E-911 System. This system was created to improve public safety response to incidents by 1) establishing 911 as the universal emergency number for all telephone services and 2) implementing a standardized system for addressing residences and businesses, ensuring that emergency responders would be able to quickly locate individuals in need of assistance in an emergency situation. This addressing system, which was implemented in Saluda County more than twenty years ago, involved the transition from route and box numbers previously used by the United States Postal Service to street numbers, which have been used ever since.
Over the past several years, Saluda County began to identify areas of the county in which issues with the accuracy of these addresses, assigned nearly a quarter of a century ago, were severe enough to cause potential issues with timely emergency response. Inaccuracies have also impaired the ability to accurately assign addresses to additional properties in those areas.
Because E-911 Addressing exists to ensure that emergency responders are able to quickly locate properties in an emergency situation, it is vital that addresses are as accurate as possible. Since 2017, the Saluda County E-911 Addressing Office has been working to review addresses throughout Saluda County for accuracy and correct these inaccuracies as they are identified. Since 2017, more than 350 roads have been reviewed and, where needed, corrections made. Correcting these inaccuracies when they are identified helps to minimize additional issues in the future.
We recognize and apologize for the terrible inconvenience that this places on property owners. Please know that we are diligently reviewing each road and considering the necessity of these corrections as we consider current and potential growth throughout Saluda County. Not all addresses in Saluda County will be affected, but those who are affected will be contacted via mail regarding any changes as their road is reviewed.
Law Enforcement Drive and Public Safety Place - New Route and Road Name in Effect September 1, 2023
Effective September 1, 2023, the section of Law Enforcement Drive that extends from Batesburg Highway to the current driveway for the Saluda County Sheriff's Office will be renamed "Public Safety Place." The new route for "Law Enforcement Drive" will begin at the current driveway for the Saluda County Sheriff's Office and will continue past the current Sheriff's Office facility towards the designated site of the new detention center.
Old Charleston Road - New Road Names in Effect February 1, 2023
We have received a lot of questions regarding the renaming of sections of Old Charleston Road. The following is a brief explanation as to the reasoning for these changes:
As part of the review process, the E911 Office has identified several roads throughout Saluda County that share a common name, although they are not connected. In most cases, these disconnects have occurred over time due to permanent road closures or changes in the layout of a road, resulting in what was once a continuous road being broken into smaller, disconnected sections. In order to eliminate confusion, each road in Saluda County is required to have a unique name, making it easily identifiable to emergency responders.
Old Charleston Road, as it currently exists, is made up of four separate roads, which are not connected to one another. While it is recognized that these roads were connected to one another at some point in history, the current situation creates confusion for emergency responders as they attempt to provide lifesaving care in a timely manner. The four roads are described below:
- Old Charleston Road - Moving from Southeast to Northwest, the first road runs from Neighbors Road in the Ward Community to Johnston Highway, and is approximately 7.58 miles long. As this is the longest of the four roads, it will retain the name Old Charleston Road.
- Plum Branch Road - From Johnston Highway, there is approximately a 2.5 mile gap before the second road bearing the name Old Charleston Road begins at Bonham Road, west of the Town of Saluda. This 2.45 mile long road stretches to Old Chappell’s Ferry Road.
- Red Hawk Drive - The third road picks up approximately 1/4 mile north of the second road, beginning at Old Chappell’s Ferry Road and running for approximately 3.15 miles before ending at Greenwood Highway.
- Pheasant Road - The fourth and final road begins at Fruit Hill Road, near the intersection of Greenwood Highway and behind Good Hope Baptist Church. This road is approximately 3.33 miles in length before it becomes Pheasant Road at the Greenwood County Line in the Ninety-Six Community.
Saluda County Renames Section of Old Chappell’s Ferry Rd - Effective February 1, 2023
In summer 2022, during a review of addresses and road segments throughout Saluda County, it was determined that Old Chappell’s Ferry Rd. was made up of two separate road segments that were not connected to one another. As a road must be contiguous, it was determined that the segment spanning from Fruit Hill Rd to the Edgefield County line would require a new name. Property owners along the segment that needed to be renamed were contacted via mail and asked to provide input into the new road name.
After receiving input from property owners, the Saluda County E-911 office has assigned the following names to the road section spanning from Fruit Hill Road to the Edgefield County line: “Salem Branch Road.”