Dorchester County, SC Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)

Chapter 6 of the Dorchester County Code of Ordinances governs building inspections. Section 6-21 adopts the International Building Code, International Residential Code, and the related International Energy, Electrical, Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, Fire Prevention, Existing Building, and Property Maintenance Codes, applying whichever edition is current with the State Building Code Council as of January 1 each year under Section 6-22. Under Section 6-1(i), the several inspections required by the adopted codes, specifically foundation, rough-in, final, and similar checkpoints, are treated as first inspections rather than costlier reinspections as long as the results are satisfactory.

If work isn't ready when the inspector arrives, if the permit card isn't posted, if the structure has no address or the wrong address, or if the work fails to meet code, Section 6-1(g) requires a reinspection fee equal to the minimum inspection fee for every reinspection after the first, payable before the reinspection is performed. Section 6-1(l) bars any inspection from being conducted without a permit already issued unless the building official specifically authorizes it, and requires every project to be tracked under its own unique permit number. Section 6-1(j) doubles all permit fees when work starts before a permit is obtained, on top of other penalties. County code enforcement officers, appointed under S.C. Code § 6-8-10, and the building official, working under the Director of Planning and Codes Enforcement, administer this inspection program under Section 6-24.