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

Sumter County Code Sec. 8-148 adopts "The International Plumbing Code, 2006 edition, inclusive of chapter 1 and with appendices B, C, E and G," making it, together with the fuel gas, mechanical, and electrical codes, one of "the mechanical codes of the County of Sumter," effective January 1, 2008. Sec. 8-152 requires that "no construction work shall be done without first securing a permit from the Building Director or his assistants authorized to issue such permits," applied for on county forms; the permit expires if no construction activity occurs within six months, and failing to call for an inspection during that period counts as evidence the work has stopped.

Sec. " Sec. 8-161(b) sets the fee rule: "Fees for permits issued under the International Plumbing Code. Fees for permits shall be those specified in of the International Building Code. When a contractor has secured and paid the required fee for a general building permit, the above referenced fees shall not be charged," avoiding a double fee for combined jobs. Sec. 8-155 further requires anyone in the plumbing contracting business in the county to hold a valid trade license, subject to the same limited owner-occupant exception that applies to general building work, and Sec. 8-163 requires plan review for plumbing permits on new construction other than single-family homes.