South Carolina · Penalties if you skip one

What you can build without a permit in South Carolina

By Mario Bailey Last checked · 13 official sources

Quick answer

Across the 2 South Carolina jurisdictions we have verified, 0 of 19 project rules need no permit at all, 8 turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes, and 11 require a permit regardless. Electrical work is where the answer most often comes with a published condition rather than a flat yes: 2 of the 2 jurisdictions that answer publish one.

How to read this page

"No permit" means the jurisdiction publishes that the work needs no building permit. "Depends" means it publishes a size, height, depth, cost or scope condition that decides the answer, quoted in its own words in the last column; the number beside it is the figure that condition turns on, and which side of the number is exempt is stated by the condition, not by us. Exempt from a building permit is not exempt from zoning, setbacks, height limits, flood rules, an HOA, or a separate electrical, plumbing or mechanical permit, and several of the conditions below say exactly that.

Electrical

All 2 make the electrical answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Charleston Depends Charleston requires an electrical trade permit for residential electrical work, stand-alone or as a sub-permit, and the city works to the 2020 National Electrical Code.
Columbia Depends The City of Columbia issues electrical permits itself under Chapter 5 of the Code of Ordinances, which adopts the 2020 National Electrical Code (NFPA 70) as adopted by the South Carolina Building Codes Council; the state's role is licensing the contractor, not issuing the permit.

HVAC

All 2 make the HVAC answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Charleston Depends Charleston requires a mechanical trade permit for HVAC work, taken out either as a stand-alone permit or as a sub-permit under a building master permit, and the application form's work-type checkboxes reach repairs and mini-splits as well as new systems.
Columbia Depends Columbia issues a Mechanical Permit for HVAC work on the Mechanical Permit Application (rev. 04/2026), which requires the contractor's SC-LLR license number, a list of equipment to be installed, and the executed contract for valuation.

Plumbing

All 2 make the plumbing answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Charleston Depends Charleston requires a plumbing trade permit for residential plumbing work and applies the 2021 South Carolina Plumbing Code.
Columbia Depends Plumbing permits in Columbia come from the city, not from a county health district: Chapter 5, Sec. 5-91 adopts the 2021 International Plumbing Code as adopted by the South Carolina Building Codes Council, and the Development Center issues the permit on the Plumbing Permit Application (rev. 04/2026), which asks for the SC-LLR license number, a list of all fixtures to be connected, and the executed contract for valuation.

Pool

All 2 make the pool answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Charleston Depends 24 inches prefabricated swimming pools.
Columbia Depends pools that are in ground or permanent above ground.

If the work is already built

South Carolina is unusual among local-adoption states because the penalty is in the state code, not left entirely to city and county ordinance. S.C. Code 6-9-80(B) says a person found in violation of a building code adopted under the Building Codes Council Act must be cited and fined by civil fine of not more than $200, and must be given seven calendar days to remedy the violation or submit a correction plan before being charged with a second violation.

South Carolina penalties, the after-the-fact path, and what the statute actually says

1 of the 20 rules we hold for South Carolina are unresolved because the jurisdiction publishes no answer; they are counted nowhere above. The 19 answered rules come from 13 official sources, each linked from the permit page behind every jurisdiction name. See the full picture for the state on the South Carolina permit requirements page, or the national view of which projects need a permit at all on Do you need a building permit?

This page compiles what each South Carolina jurisdiction publishes, with a last checked date. It is not legal advice, and a project that is exempt from a building permit can still need zoning approval or a trade permit. Confirm with the office linked from the jurisdiction's page before you build.