Horry County, SC Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)

Section 6-2 of the Horry County Code adopts, by reference, the latest edition of the International Plumbing Code together with Appendices E and F, as though the text were copied into the county code in full. That single ordinance also adopts the International Building Code, International Residential Code, International Mechanical Code, International Fuel Gas Code, International Energy Conservation Code, International Fire Code and National Electrical Code, so plumbing permits and inspections in unincorporated Horry County run on the same administrative framework as every other trade.

Where the adopted plumbing code names a duty for a particular official, Section 6-2(b) designates the corresponding Horry County official, generally staff of the building inspection department created under Section 6-1, as the responsible party for enforcement. If a county ordinance conflicts with the adopted plumbing code, Section 6-2(c) says the county's own ordinance controls, and any part of an older ordinance not touching the adopted codes stays in force. Violations of the plumbing code that don't carry their own penalty are punished under the general penalty in Section 1-8, per Section 6-2(d).

Because this is a wholesale adoption rather than a locally drafted plumbing chapter, homeowners and contractors permitting a water heater swap, repipe, or new bathroom in Socastee, Garden City or any other unincorporated community pull their plumbing permit from the county building inspection department, not a municipal plumbing office.