Horry County, SC Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

Section 6-26 of the Horry County Code sets the building permit fee schedule for all new construction and additions outside the county's municipalities. Residential buildings pay 35 cents per square foot of heated or unheated area, plus a separate residential plan review fee of 15 cents per square foot; revising already-approved plans costs an additional flat $25. Open sheds or shelters carry a lower 10-cent-per-square-foot permit fee. Commercial buildings also pay 35 cents per square foot for the permit, with a 20-cent-per-square-foot plan review fee.

Bona fide agricultural buildings, such as greenhouses, tobacco barns, packhouses and pig parlors, are instead priced off the valuation tables in Appendix B of the 1997 Standard Building Code, with a $50 minimum fee, provided the applicant furnishes a current USDA ASCS number and keeps a photograph of the finished structure on file with the building inspector. New industrial buildings are also valuation-priced with a $50 minimum. Routine fire safety inspections carry their own tiered fee: no charge under 1,000 square feet, $50 for 1,000 to 2,500 square feet, $100 for 2,501 to 50,000 square feet, and $150 above that, with a 45-day re-inspection billed at $100. Government traffic-control device permits are waived outright.