Richland County, SC Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)

Article IV of Chapter 6 regulates electrical installations countywide. Section 6-96 states the article's purpose is to regulate the installation, alteration, and maintenance of electrical work that is not already covered by the 2021 International Residential Code. Section 6-97 then adopts the operative standard: workmanship, construction, maintenance, or repair of all electrical work must conform to the 2020 edition of the National Electrical Code (NFPA 70) with South Carolina Modifications, as published by the National Fire Prevention Association. That adoption folds NFPA 70's wiring methods, overcurrent protection, grounding, and equipment rules directly into county law for any electrical work outside the residential code's scope.

Section 6-98 backstops the permit-and-inspection system by prohibiting a utility company from permanently connecting a property to electrical service until a final inspection confirms the premises comply with all county ordinances; a temporary release may be issued so work can continue during construction, but the permanent connection waits on that final sign-off. Electrical permits fall under the general permitting requirement in Section 6-43, which requires a separate permit for each electrical installation from the Building Official, and under Section 6-54's roughing-in inspection, which specifically checks that electrical work is roughed in before interior finish goes up.

Reading Sections 6-96 through 6-98 together, a contractor doing electrical work in unincorporated Richland County needs a permit, must build to NFPA 70 with the state modifications, must pass the roughing-in and final inspections, and cannot get the utility to energize the property permanently until that final inspection clears.