What kind of community is Dataw Island?

Dataw Island is a gated island club community in Beaufort & the Sea Islands, in the South Carolina Lowcountry. A gated Sea Island club minutes from downtown Beaufort — two golf courses, a marina, and the tabby ruins of the old Sams plantation.

What amenities does Dataw Island have?

Dataw Island offers Two golf courses — the Tom Fazio Cotton Dike and the Arthur Hills Morgan River; A marina on the Morgan River — boating, fishing, and dockage; A racquet complex, wellness center, and community pools; The preserved tabby ruins of the historic Sams plantation; Minutes from historic downtown Beaufort's dining, galleries, and waterfront.

Who is Dataw Island best suited for?

Dataw Island tends to suit: Golf and boating households who want a gated Sea Island club; Buyers who want island seclusion with historic Beaufort next door; Full-time and second-home owners drawn to a quiet, amenity-rich island.

What are the HOA fees in Dataw Island?

Dataw Island Owners' Association (DIOA) (POA) dues run $4,107 per year. This figure is verified against the official association source (source: Dataw Island — official 2026 Resident Membership schedule (Club-published PDF)). Fees change and vary by property — confirm all figures at contract.

Beaufort & the Sea Islands

Dataw Island

Gated island club community

A gated Sea Island club minutes from downtown Beaufort — two golf courses, a marina, and the tabby ruins of the old Sams plantation.

Setting: Gated · island
Golf: Two courses
Water: Marina · Morgan River
Home styles: Cottages → custom

The character

Dataw Island is a gated club community set on its own Sea Island just off the Sea Island Parkway, a short drive from the antebellum streets and waterfront of downtown Beaufort. It's built around two golf courses — the Tom Fazio-designed Cotton Dike and the Arthur Hills-designed Morgan River — a marina on the Morgan River, and a racquet and wellness program, all wrapped in live oaks, tidal creeks, and salt marsh.

History is part of the ground here: the tabby ruins of the old Sams plantation sit preserved on the island, a reminder that Dataw was worked long before it was a club. Today it reads as a quiet, amenity-rich island community for full-time and second-home owners — the marina and the golf anchor daily life, and Beaufort's restaurants, galleries, and history sit just across the bridge, giving the seclusion of an island without the isolation.

Life here

Two golf courses — the Tom Fazio Cotton Dike and the Arthur Hills Morgan River
A marina on the Morgan River — boating, fishing, and dockage
A racquet complex, wellness center, and community pools
The preserved tabby ruins of the historic Sams plantation
Minutes from historic downtown Beaufort's dining, galleries, and waterfront

Best for

Golf and boating households who want a gated Sea Island club
Buyers who want island seclusion with historic Beaufort next door
Full-time and second-home owners drawn to a quiet, amenity-rich island

Home styles

A range from Lowcountry cottages and patio homes to larger custom single-family homes — coastal and Southern-traditional styles — set on golf, marsh, tidal-creek, and marina-view homesites.

The money layer

Fees & Assessments

What ownership here actually costs — every figure sourced, dated, and carrying its own confidence tag. This is real, maintained data, not a range we made up.

Last reviewed Jul 24, 2026

Association

Dataw Island Owners' Association (DIOA)

POA

Dues

$4,107 / year

Verified Jul 2026 Source: Dataw Island — official 2026 Resident Membership schedule (Club-published PDF)

Dataw Island Owners' Association assessment — $2,053.50 semi-annual ($4,107/year) per Dataw's official 2026 Resident Membership (Club & Owners Association) schedule. This is the POA assessment ONLY; the mandatory Dataw Island Club membership is a separate line (see additional dues).

Additional dues

$6,012 / year

Verified Jul 2026 Source: Dataw Island — official 2026 Resident Membership schedule (Club-published PDF)

Dataw Island Club dues for improved / resident property — $501/month ($6,012/year). Lot owners instead pay $1,650 twice a year ($3,300/year). A separate dining Level Service Fee of $33/month ($396/year) also applies, with no food-and-beverage minimum.

Transfer / at closing

One-time Dataw Island Club initiation — $60,000 for improved property upon closing (home site: $30,000 at closing plus $30,000 on completion/purchase of a home)

Who pays varies Verified Jul 2026 Source: Dataw Island — official 2026 Resident Membership schedule (Club-published PDF)

Per the official 2026 Resident Membership schedule, which states the amount is due 'upon closing' but does NOT state who pays it. Confirm whether the improved-property or home-site basis applies at contract.

What the dues include

Included: Gated security / patrol
Included: Roads & common areas
Not included: Amenity access

The DIOA assessment covers the gate, island security, roads, and common areas. The two golf courses (Cotton Dike and Morgan River), the marina, tennis, wellness, and dining come via the separate Dataw Island Club membership — shown under additional dues — which is mandatory for all property owners per Dataw's official 2026 Resident Membership schedule (dataw.com/membership).

Assessments

None known as of Jul 24, 2026
Reported — confirming Source: Palmetto Key research

Fees change and vary by property. Confirm all figures at contract.

Certified turnkey homes in Dataw Island

Move-in-ready, with the report on file.

As homes in Dataw Island earn their Key, they appear here — pre-inspected, prepped, and fully disclosed. No firehose of every listing; only the certified ones.

No certified homes in Dataw Island are live yet.

Palmetto Key is signing its founding Lowcountry roster ahead of launch. If you're selling here, get the home certified and it's featured on this page the day it earns its Key.

Get a home certified See the standard