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

Sec. 6-82 of the Oconee County Code sets the county's general permit requirement for construction work in the unincorporated area. Any owner, authorized agent, contractor, or other party who wants to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, improve, or otherwise change a building or structure, as that term is defined by the codes adopted in Article II of Chapter 6 (the 2021 International Building, Residential, Fire, Plumbing, Mechanical, and Fuel Gas Codes, the 2020 National Electrical Code, and the permissive Existing Building, Performance, Property Maintenance, and Swimming Pool and Spa Codes), must first apply to the county building official and obtain the appropriate permit before work begins.

The same rule reaches anyone who wants to erect, install, enlarge, alter, remove, or convert an electrical, gas, mechanical, or plumbing system regulated by those codes. The only exception is for emergency repairs, defined by the referenced codes, which may start immediately as long as a permit is obtained afterward. Once issued, the permit must be kept at the job site and made available to the building official or another authorized Codes Department employee on demand. The county council sets the permit fee schedule by resolution under Sec.

6-83, and any change to the adopted codes or fee schedule must run for two consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation before taking effect ten days after the last publication. Chapter 6 applies throughout the entire unincorporated area of the county under Sec. 6-5; incorporated Walhalla, Seneca, Westminster, West Union, and Salem issue their own permits.