Building Safety in Anderson County, SC (2026)
3 rules for unincorporated Anderson County, South Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
Building Permits
Anderson County requires a building permit before most new construction or improvements in the unincorporated area, but § 8-116 carves out several exceptions. Owner-performed work under $1,000, re-roofing, siding replacement, and removal of a burned home's remains never need a permit; everything else follows the assessor-driven Article III process.
Anderson County Building Permit Rules
Some RestrictionsAnderson County Code of Ordinances § 8-116
This article shall not apply to any property located within the corporate limits of any municipality unless so requested and duly authorized by the governing authority of the municipality. No building permit shall be required for any construction performed by the owner himself the cost for which is less than $1,000.00. Regardless of cost, no building permit shall be required for re-roofing or r...
Electrical Permits
No public utility or electric cooperative may connect power to a building or mobile home in unincorporated Anderson County until the owner has the required building permit and the codes department issues a release for power, under § 8-114. Utilities that get a hookup request without a permit must report it to the codes director.
Anderson County Electrical Connection Permit
Some RestrictionsAnderson County Code of Ordinances § 8-114
It shall be unlawful for any public utility company or rural electric cooperative to make a new connection of electrical energy to a building or mobile home requiring a permit under this article until such permit is acquired for the construction or improvement of the building, or for the occupancy of the mobile home, and a release for power is granted by the building codes department. Any compa...
Plumbing Permits
Anderson County has no standalone plumbing ordinance; § 8-79(a) simply directs the county to enforce whatever mandatory technical codes the state building codes council adopts, and South Carolina's mandatory list includes the state's own edition of the plumbing code. The county codes department issues the permit and inspects the work.
Anderson County Plumbing Code Enforcement
Some RestrictionsAnderson County Code of Ordinances § 8-79(a)
(a)The county shall enforce the mandatory technical codes adopted by the state building codes council. ... State Law reference— Mandatory adoption of nationally recognized codes, S.C. Code 1976, § 6-9-50.
All Anderson County ordinances
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