South Carolina / Greenville County
Bathroom Remodel Permit in Greenville County, South Carolina
It depends
Sometimes, depending on the project
Before moving or adding plumbing fixtures, adding circuits or changing walls in a bathroom; not for tiling, cabinets, countertops or similar finish work.
Issued byGreenville County Building Safety (Planning and Code Compliance)
By Mario Bailey, verified against official sources
Quick answer
Greenville County publishes no bathroom-specific rule, so the trade and exemption rules decide it. South Carolina law exempts from building permit application requirements "painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets, counter tops and similar finish work" and plumbing repairs that do not replace or rearrange valves, pipes or fixtures (S.C. Code 40-59-265). Anything beyond that needs a permit: the county requires a permit for any alteration of an existing residential structure and plumbing permits for new or relocated fixtures.
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When a permit is usually needed
Before moving or adding plumbing fixtures, adding circuits or changing walls in a bathroom; not for tiling, cabinets, countertops or similar finish work.
What a bathroom remodel permit costs in Greenville County
How to apply in Greenville County
In Greenville County, a bathroom remodel that creates a new bathroom or touches its plumbing, wiring, or walls needs a building permit application, typically filed as separate building, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing permits submitted together and backed by a floor plan showing the fixture layout. A simple like-for-like fixture swap with no other work is often exempt.
What most bathroom remodel permit applications include:
- Creating a new bathroom or toilet room, or altering, moving, or replacing a plumbing, electrical, gas, or mechanical system as part of the remodel, is regulated work that requires a permit before work starts, usually filed as separate building, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing permit applications submitted together (IRC R105.1).
- For Greenville County, the permit application itself must identify and describe the work, describe the site, state the intended use, be accompanied by construction documents, state the valuation of the work, and be signed by the applicant or their agent (IRC R105.3).
- Those construction documents have to show the location, nature, and extent of the proposed work, which in practice means a scaled existing and proposed floor plan showing every fixture, outlet, switch, and vent fan, including the code-mandated clearances around fixtures such as the water closet (IRC R106.1.1; R307.1 fixture clearances).
- For Greenville County, a bathroom needs ventilation: mechanical exhaust ducted to the outside where the required openable window is absent, sized in the range of 50 cubic feet per minute intermittent (IRC R303.3; M1505).
- New or relocated bathroom receptacles must be ground-fault circuit-interrupter protected (IRC E3902.1 / NEC 210.8(A)(1)).
- Tub and shower walls have to be finished with a nonabsorbent, waterproof surface extending to a minimum height above the floor (IRC R307.2).
- Routine maintenance items such as towel bars, mirrors, paint, or floor coverings done alone are commonly permit-exempt, but that exemption ends once the work relocates fixtures or opens up wiring, piping, or walls, so a like-for-like fixture swap should be checked against the local exemption list rather than assumed (IRC R105.2).
General submittal guidance from International Residential Code (IRC), 2021 edition, Sections R105, R106, R303.3, R307, and E3902. Source. Greenville County Building Safety (Planning and Code Compliance) sets the exact checklist for Greenville County.
Where to apply in Greenville County:
Greenville County Building Safety (Planning and Code Compliance)
- 301 University Ridge, Greenville County Square, Suite S-3100, Greenville, SC 29601
- Phone: 864-467-7060
- Email: permits@greenvillecounty.org
Inspections and closing out your permit
In Greenville County, once the permit is issued, the work stays subject to inspection at each stage, and the plumbing, mechanical, and electrical rough-in must be inspected and approved before the walls are closed up. A final inspection, made after everything required by the permit is done, closes out the job.
- In Greenville County: any construction or work covered by the permit stays subject to inspection and must remain accessible and exposed until the building official approves it (IRC R109.1).
- In Greenville County: the plumbing, mechanical, and electrical rough-in has to be inspected and approved before it is covered or concealed, before fixtures or appliances are installed, and before the framing inspection, so the trade work behind the walls is signed off before drywall closes them up (IRC R109.1.2, R109.1.4).
- In Greenville County: work cannot proceed past the point covered by the last approved inspection without the building official's sign-off (IRC R109.4).
- Scheduling is on the permit holder in Greenville County: it is their duty to notify the building official when work is ready and to provide access for each inspection (IRC R109.3).
- In Greenville County: a final inspection, covering everything required by the permit including items such as GFCI protection, closes out the job once all the permitted work is complete (IRC R109.1.6).
Schedule each inspection in advance and pass the final before you use the work or close the permit. Request inspections through the Greenville County permit portal or by phone at 864-467-7060.
Inspection sequence from International Residential Code (IRC), 2021 edition, Section R109 (Inspections). Source. An open permit left un-inspected can surface later in a title search or home sale.
Your Bathroom Remodel Permit checklist for Greenville County
- Confirm the requirement. Sometimes, depending on the project. Usually needed: Before moving or adding plumbing fixtures, adding circuits or changing walls in a bathroom; not for tiling, cabinets, countertops or similar finish work.
- Budget the fee. Priced as an alteration on the valuation table at actual project cost (the schedule's note reads "*** Renovations, alterations, and swimming pools to be used in the above table will be based on the actual cost of the project."), plus trade fees: plumbing minimum fee per permit $72.00 and Fixtures $6.00 each; electrical minimum fee per permit $72.00. Building work is priced on the Residential Permit Fees schedule by total valuation: "$1,000 and less" is "$36.00 minimum permit fee", and "$1,000 to $50,000" is "$22.50 for the first $1,000 plus $7.50 for each additional thousand or fraction thereof, to and including $50,000". The schedule PDF carries no effective date or resolution number; the department's notice says "Starting July 1, 2025, Residential and Commercial building permit fees will increase by 20 percent.". Official fee schedule.
- Apply. In Greenville County, a bathroom remodel that creates a new bathroom or touches its plumbing, wiring, or walls needs a building permit application, typically filed as separate building, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing permits submitted together and backed by a floor plan showing the fixture layout. A simple like-for-like fixture swap with no other work is often exempt. Start at the Greenville County permit portal.
- Keep the office details handy. Greenville County Building Safety (Planning and Code Compliance). Phone: 864-467-7060. Address: 301 University Ridge, Greenville County Square, Suite S-3100, Greenville, SC 29601.
- Plan for inspections. In Greenville County, once the permit is issued, the work stays subject to inspection at each stage, and the plumbing, mechanical, and electrical rough-in must be inspected and approved before the walls are closed up. A final inspection, made after everything required by the permit is done, closes out the job.
Compiled from the official sources on this page. Last checked .
Permitting activity in Greenville County
In 2025, Greenville County authorized permits for 4,947 new residential housing units (4,222 single-family, 725 in multi-family buildings), valued at $2.0B, down from 5,575 the year before. That works out to about 8.5 permits per 1,000 residents.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2025 annual data · population 583,125.
Frequently asked questions
- Do you need a bathroom remodel permit in Greenville County?
- Greenville County publishes no bathroom-specific rule, so the trade and exemption rules decide it. South Carolina law exempts from building permit application requirements "painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets, counter tops and similar finish work" and plumbing repairs that do not replace or rearrange valves, pipes or fixtures (S.C. Code 40-59-265). Anything beyond that needs a permit: the county requires a permit for any alteration of an existing residential structure and plumbing permits for new or relocated fixtures. Always confirm with the Greenville County Building Safety (Planning and Code Compliance) before starting.
- How much does a bathroom remodel permit cost in Greenville County?
- Priced as an alteration on the valuation table at actual project cost (the schedule's note reads "*** Renovations, alterations, and swimming pools to be used in the above table will be based on the actual cost of the project."), plus trade fees: plumbing minimum fee per permit $72.00 and Fixtures $6.00 each; electrical minimum fee per permit $72.00. Building work is priced on the Residential Permit Fees schedule by total valuation: "$1,000 and less" is "$36.00 minimum permit fee", and "$1,000 to $50,000" is "$22.50 for the first $1,000 plus $7.50 for each additional thousand or fraction thereof, to and including $50,000". The schedule PDF carries no effective date or resolution number; the department's notice says "Starting July 1, 2025, Residential and Commercial building permit fees will increase by 20 percent.". See the official fee schedule for current amounts.
- How long does a bathroom remodel permit take in Greenville County?
- Five-day processing period for permits to be issued, per the Building Safety notice (the Forms and Applications page notice still reads one to two weeks). Times can vary by workload and project scope, so confirm with the office.
- Where do you apply for a bathroom remodel permit in Greenville County?
- You can apply through the Greenville County permit portal or contact the Greenville County Building Safety (Planning and Code Compliance) directly. The links are listed on this page.
- Can a homeowner pull a bathroom remodel permit themselves in Greenville County?
- Under South Carolina law (S.C. Code Ann. 40-59-260(A), (B), (C), (E), (F); 40-59-265; 40-59-280; 40-59-20(6), (7); 40-59-30(A)): South Carolina licenses residential builders and residential specialty contractors under S.C. Code Title 40 Chapter 59, and 40-59-260 exempts the owner of record who builds for himself. The exemption applies only if the owner does the work himself, with his own employees, or with licensed contractors or registered entities, if the structure is intended for the owner's sole occupancy or occupancy by the owner's family and is not intended for sale or rent, and if the general public does not have access to it. The owner must personally appear and sign the building permit application, and the local permitting agency must hand over a disclosure statement whose statutory text reads in part: You must supervise the construction yourself. You may build or improve a one-family or two-family residence. The building must be for your own use and occupancy. It may not be built for sale or rent. The sale restriction is two years and is a presumption rather than a flat bar: 40-59-260(B) makes proof of sale or rent, or of offering for sale or rent, within two years after completion or issuance of a certificate of occupancy prima facie evidence that the project was undertaken for sale or rent, which forfeits the exemption and exposes the owner to the chapter's penalties. South Carolina then adds a step no other state in this wave has: 40-59-260(E) requires the owner to promptly record a notice with the register of deeds, indexed under the owner's name in the grantor index, stating that the building was constructed by the owner as an unlicensed builder, and failure to record revokes the statutory exemption. The exemption is from the licensing chapter, not from the permit, and 40-59-280 requires the building official to refuse a permit unless the applicant furnishes evidence of licensure, registration, or exemption. Confirm how Greenville County applies this before you apply.
From the Library
What else needs a permit in Greenville County
Every other permit type we have verified for this jurisdiction, with the rule that applies here.
| Project | Permit needed? | Threshold | Typical fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deck Permit | It depends | deck area, for decks not more than 30 inches above grade at any point | ...work is priced on the Residential Permit Fees schedule by total valuation: "$1,000... |
| Electrical Permit | It depends | Before any electrical work beyond minor repairs, including service upgrades, meter... | Electrical Permit Fees: minimum fee per permit $72.00 |
| EV Charger Permit | It depends | Before installing a hardwired charger or a new 240-volt circuit or receptacle for an... | Electrical Permit Fees: minimum fee per permit $72.00 |
| Fence Permit | It depends | fence height | ...work is priced on the Residential Permit Fees schedule by total valuation: "$1,000... |
| HVAC Permit | It depends | Before installing or changing out heating or cooling equipment, adding ductwork, or... | Mechanical Permit Fees: minimum fee per permit $72.00 |
| Plumbing Permit | It depends | Before adding or relocating plumbing fixtures, replacing concealed pipe, or connecting... | Plumbing Permit Fees: minimum fee per permit $72.00 |
| Pool Permit | It depends | prefabricated swimming pools only | ...work is priced on the Residential Permit Fees schedule by total valuation: "$1,000... |
| Roof Replacement Permit | Permit required | Any size | Flat fee: the Residential Roofing Permit line is $108.00 under Miscellaneous Permit Fees... |
| Shed Permit | It depends | floor area of a one-story detached accessory structure | ...work is priced on the Residential Permit Fees schedule by total valuation: "$1,000... |
| Solar Permit | Permit required | Any size | Electrical schedule line Solar Panel per 5kw at $48.00, with the electrical minimum fee... |
| Water Heater Permit | Permit required | Any size | ...Permit Fees on the Residential Permit Fees schedule: Gas Water Heater $36.00 and... |
Everything above, sourced
Code references
National and state model-code sections the general guidance on this page is drawn from. They are not Greenville County documents; the office above sets the local rules.
How this bathroom remodel permit page for Greenville County was verified. 2 official sources: greenvillecountysc.gov, scstatehouse.gov; fee schedule: official document. Last checked by Mario Bailey, not confirmed with Greenville County Building Safety (Planning and Code Compliance). Rules change; confirm before you build. How we verify.
Last checked: Report an error on this page
Compare Bathroom Remodel Permit requirements across South Carolina localities