Charleston, SC Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Notice required
- Before erection, construction, or alteration begins
- Must be submitted
- Written specifications and plans
- Adopted code
- SC Residential and Building Code (latest ICC edition)
- Before permit issues
- Sworn statement of total construction cost
- Fire-hazard buildings
- Fire official must also sign the permit
Summary
Before any erection, construction, or alteration of a building in Charleston begins, the owner, architect, or builder must notify the chief building official and submit written plans and specifications, and all such work must conform to the adopted South Carolina Residential and Building Code, with cost sworn under oath before a permit issues.
Sec. 7-7. - Notification of chief building official prior to construction; submission of plans and specifications. Before the erection, construction or alteration of any building or part of a building in the city is commenced, the owner, architect or builder shall notify the chief building official, and shall submit to him a statement in writing of the specifications and plans of such erection, construction or alteration or otherwise, and a record of such statement shall be kept in the office of the chief building official. Sec. 7-26. - South Carolina Residential and Building Code-Adopted. (a)The latest edition of the South Carolina Residential Code and Building Code, as adopted by the state and published by the International Code Council, Inc., is hereby adopted so that hereafter all building construction, reconstruction, alteration and repairs; including all building materials, electrical systems, gas systems, mechanical systems, plumbing systems and appliances used in connection with building shall conform thereto.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 114 | Zoning: Supplement 25).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 7-7 requires notice to the chief building official before the erection, construction, or alteration of any building or part of a building in the city is commenced, along with a written statement of the specifications and plans, which the office keeps on record. Sec. 7-26(a) adopts the latest edition of the South Carolina Residential Code and Building Code, as published by the International Code Council, so that all building construction, reconstruction, alteration, and repairs, including building materials, electrical, gas, mechanical, and plumbing systems, must conform to it; Sec.
C. Code § 6-9-60. Sec. 7-171 requires that before a permit is granted, the chief building official must have the applicant state in writing, under oath, the total cost of construction, including materials, supplies, labor, and services, and the official may demand contracts, bills, estimates, plans or specifications to verify that statement. Sec. 7-172 separately withholds any permit for a building especially hazardous from a fire standpoint, such as flammable-liquid storage, until the fire official signs the permit application.
Violations & Fines
Commencing construction without the Sec. 7-7 notification and plan submission, or without the permit required by the adopted building code under Sec. 7-26, exposes the owner or builder to a stop-work order and enforcement by the chief building official under Sec. 7-6, with penalties following the Sec. 1-16 general penalty: a fine up to $500 and/or up to 30 days in jail where the applicable code does not set its own penalty, and each day of continued unpermitted work treated as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to tell the city before I start building in Charleston?
What building code governs construction in Charleston?
Do I have to disclose project cost before getting a permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Charleston
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Building Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Charleston County handle building permits.