Building Safety in Horry County, SC (2026)
4 rules for unincorporated Horry County, South Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
Building Permits
Horry County charges building permit fees by square footage: 35 cents per square foot for new residential and commercial construction, 15 cents for residential plan review, and 10 cents for open sheds. Agricultural buildings and government traffic-control installations get separate, reduced fee treatment.
Horry County Building Permit Fees by Square Foot
Some RestrictionsHorry County Code § 6-26(a)
(a)All new construction and additions of residential buildings shall have a permit fee of thirty-five cents ($0.35) per square foot of heated or unheated area. The plan review for residential buildings shall be fifteen cents ($0.15) per square foot. Any revisions to approved plans will require an additional twenty-five-dollar ($25.00) fee for plan review. Open sheds or shelters shall have a per...
Electrical Permits
Horry County charges a minimum $100 permit fee for any power service application, new service or change of service, including water pumps and electric fences. Reinspections after two visits cost at least $25 each, rising to $100 when work isn't ready or was faulty.
Horry County Electrical Service Permit Fee
Some RestrictionsHorry County Code § 6-32
(a)The minimum permit fee for power service applications, new or change of service for any purpose, to include water pumps and electric fences, shall be one hundred dollars ($100.00).(b)The minimum reinspect fee shall not be less than twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per visit after two (2) inspection visits. The minimum reinspect fee shall not be less than one hundred dollars ($100.00) for work no...
Plumbing Permits
Horry County enforces plumbing work in the unincorporated area under the latest International Plumbing Code, plus its Appendices E and F, adopted wholesale by county ordinance. The building inspection department administers the code, and violations without a specific remedy fall under the county's general penalty section.
Horry County Adopts the International Plumbing Code
Some RestrictionsHorry County Code § 6-2
(a)In order to facilitate proper inspection activities by the county relating to construction and maintenance of buildings within the boundaries of said county and relating to the public safety, health and general welfare, the latest edition of the following codes are hereby adopted by the State of South Carolina reference as though they were copied herein fully: International Building Code... ...
Building Inspections
Horry County requires a post-foundation survey within ten working days of installing, backfilling and rough-grading a foundation. A South Carolina-licensed land surveyor must certify lot dimensions, setbacks, buffers, easements and floodplain boundaries before the code enforcement department authorizes any further construction.
Horry County: Post-Foundation Survey Halts Work
Some RestrictionsHorry County Code § 6-95
Within ten (10) working days from the date a foundation is installed, backfilled and rough graded, and prior to any additional work being performed, a post foundation survey prepared by a registered land surveyor licensed by the State of South Carolina shall be submitted to the code enforcement department. The department shall not authorize any additional construction work to be performed until...
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