North Charleston, SC Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)

The city adopts the South Carolina Plumbing Code as one of its standard codes under § 5-75(c)(5), and that code, along with the other state-adopted building codes, applies to construction, alteration, repair and maintenance of every structure in the city. Section 5-33(a) limits who may pull a permit: only a contractor or subcontractor licensed with the city and state may apply for permits to perform plumbing, electrical, gas or mechanical work, unless the applicant fits the narrow exceptions in subsection (b). A homeowner may personally pull a permit to work on his or her own primary residence, but that exception drops away the moment the job touches electrical or gas systems.

Subsection (c) draws a hard line for rental property: whether the unit is commercial or residential, plumbing and other permitted work may only be performed after a licensed contractor or subcontractor has pulled the permit; owner-occupants cannot self-perform on a rental. Employees of public utilities and holders of the annual industrial permits described in § 5-35 may also perform limited work, but their work still must pass city inspection. Once issued, a residential permit expires twelve months after issuance under § 5-311, or sooner if no substantial work occurs for ninety consecutive days, and the building official may grant a single extension of up to 180 days on a timely written request.