The Agriculture and Tourist Oriented Directional Signage Programs, commonly referred to as TODS, allows tourism- and agritourism-oriented facilities to have directional signage placed in the highway right of way in rural areas.

The Department of Agriculture and SCPRT are responsible for promoting the programs and screening businesses to make sure they qualify to participate in the programs. Because the backbone of the program revolves around highway signage, SCDOT will oversee the program and maintain all program regulations. The regulations were developed cooperatively by the three agencies and are in compliance with the Federal Highway Administration’s Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Program regulations are available here.

TODS Pre-Approval Application & Deadline

The application process involves two steps:

Step One: Fill out a pre-approval application that will be submitted to either SCPRT or the South Carolina Department of Agriculture, depending on the type of signage requested.

To apply for directional signs, please complete and submit the TODS application by one of the two following annual deadlines –  April 30 or Oct. 31.

Tourism-Oriented Facility Applications should be submitted to SCPRT. Agritourism-Oriented Facility Applications should be mailed to the South Carolina Department of Agriculture. Both addresses can be found on page five of the application. The oversight committee will meet semi-annually, in July for applications submitted in the first half of the year, and in January for applications submitted in the second half of the year.

Step Two: If your business meets the qualification requirements, the applicable department will provide a written certification that will need to be included with your official application to SCDOT. You will then need to fill out the program application available on the SCDOT website, scdot.org.

Getting Final Approval

SCDOT’s authorized agent, South Carolina Logos Inc. will administer the program and fabricate and install all program signs. Businesses will submit final applications to SCDOT after receiving pre-approval from the Department of Agriculture or SCPRT to participate in the program. The final application will be reviewed and approved or rejected by the TODS program oversight committee as required by section 58-25-8 of the South Carolina Code of Laws. SCDOT will serve as chair of the oversight committee and will forward all approved applications to South Carolina Logos Inc. to initiate the program participation process. The application process, as well as program participation fees, is described in more detail in the Frequently Asked Questions.