CONFLICT — the Town's own website states both five years and ten years

Two pages on tompsc.com conflict, both live on 2026-09-04. The Flood Protection page (tompsc.com/465) lists among the 01/29/2021 changes: 'The cumulative period for substantial improvements has been reduced from ten (10) years to five (5) years.' The adopting ordinance text (s.152.04) and the Town's own 'Modification or Repair of Structures Located in Special Flood Hazard Areas' notice (dated April 2021) both say FIVE years. But the Town's 'Build responsibly' page (tompsc.com/583) still says: 'Note that costs are cumulative for ten years. If, for instance, a structure underwent renovation work six years ago that was equal to 30% of its value and then sustains 25% damage in a storm this year, then the 50% threshold for a ten-year period will have been exceeded.' The ordinance text controls; the ten-year language on the Build responsibly page appears to be a stale page not updated after the 2021 amendment. Anyone relying on this should get the determination in writing from the Building Inspection Division at 843-884-5184 rather than from either web page. Separately, Charleston County applies a five-year look-back for the jurisdictions it serves: 'the values of construction work on building permits taken out on a property during the past five (5) years are included in the determination of a Substantial Improvement.'