Hangar owners sue Jasper County over Claude Dean Airport control, lease terms

by Aaron Dixon

JASPER COUNTY, S.C. (WTOC) - A group of hangar owners at the Ridgeland–Claude Dean Airport has filed a lawsuit against Jasper County, alleging the county unlawfully moved to take control of the airport and impose lease terms that could allow the government to take privately owned hangars without compensation.

The case was filed on June 30 in Jasper County Court of Common Pleas.

What the lawsuit claims

According to the complaint, the dispute centers on who legally controls the airport and who owns the land beneath the hangars.

The hangar owners argue that the Jasper County Aeronautics Commission (JCAC), created by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1949, is the entity that established, managed, and owned the airport property.

The lawsuit alleges Jasper County tried to shift control to the county through two ordinances, but did not follow state law requiring ordinances to be read at three public meetings.

The plaintiffs claim:

A 2019 ordinance (Ordinance 19-14) asserted county control over airport rules and operations and described Jasper County as the airport owner.
A 2023 ordinance (Ordinance O-2023-02) purported to abolish JCAC, create a county advisory airport commission, and adopt a county aviation leasing policy.
The ordinances are “invalid and void” because the county allegedly did not comply with the public-reading process required by S.C. Code § 4-9-120.

The complaint also challenges a quitclaim deed recorded in December 2023 that purportedly transferred roughly 312 acres from JCAC to Jasper County. The hangar owners allege the deed is invalid because it was signed by the county administrator as an “ex officio” JCAC member — a role they argue does not exist — and was not approved or authorized by JCAC.

Lease terms and “reversion” clause at the center of the dispute

Hangar owners say the fight has played out most sharply in lease negotiations.

For years, some hangar owners paid 15 cents per square foot under multi-year leases.

But hangar manager Casey Porter, who is not a plaintiff in the suit, said the issue isn’t whether rates should rise, it’s whether lease terms are fair and consistent.

“Fair is the number one thing,” Porter said. “We understand that the 15 cents a foot… that doesn’t make any sense. It’s fair here, like 22 cents a foot, 25 cents a foot; even if it were 28 cents a foot, that would be fine. What we don’t want is for it to be $1.60 a foot.”

The lawsuit also targets a “reversionary” policy referenced in the county’s template lease and leasing policy attached to the 2023 ordinance.

Plaintiffs argue the clause would allow the county, at the end of a lease term, to take structures and improvements, including hangars, at no cost and without compensation.

“Given a five-year lease… and saying you have five-years to make your money back and then we get the hangar is not fair,” Porter said.

Allegations of refused rent payments and eviction threats

The lawsuit alleges that after the county began acting under the ordinances, county-selected airport management refused to accept rent payments under some older leases that were entered into with JCAC. The complaint claims hangar owners were later accused of nonpayment and received demand letters threatening eviction.

What the plaintiffs are asking a judge to do

The complaint raises three main legal claims:

Declaratory judgment: asking the court to declare the ordinances invalid, determine whether JCAC still exists and has authority, and rule on who holds title to the airport property.
Quiet title: asking the court to clarify ownership of the airport land.
Inverse condemnation: seeking compensation if the county’s lease and eviction actions amount to a taking of privately owned hangars without just compensation.

The full lawsuit can be found here: