Charleston building department

The City of Charleston Permit Center issues building, trade, demolition, fire, sign, and Certificate of Occupancy permits inside the City of Charleston, and the Building Inspections Division inspects the work. Charleston County Building Inspection Services handles unincorporated county parcels. West Ashley, James Island, Johns Island, and Cainhoy all mix city and county addresses, so confirm jurisdiction first.

Customer Self Service (CSS) and the Permit Center

Charleston’s permitting system is Customer Self Service (CSS), a Tyler EnerGov portal. You can submit online 24/7 for:

• residential, commercial, and multifamily new construction, additions, and alterations
• pools, fences, roofing, and solar panels
• fuel gas and plumbing
• demolition, fire alarm, and signs
• mobile food vendors and Certificates of Occupancy

Your own account lets you save progress and manage notifications. The Permit Center’s rules for submittals:

• Upload PDF files only (no JPEGs, links, or embedded documents).
• Tell staff at [email protected] when you upload supplemental documents.
• Online submittals are processed ahead of emailed ones.

Once a permit is approved, CSS creates an invoice. The permit changes to “Issued” at midnight after payment, and you can then print the placard. An interactive active-permit map is posted on the city’s GIS site.

Express (over-the-counter) permits

During walk-in hours, staff can approve some permits in person the same visit if the submittal is complete and there are no complications:

• fences, paint, and roofing
• generators and interior demolition
• solar panels, decks, and pools
• sidewalk blocking and construction trailers

The Permit Center also has stations for trade and engineering permits, Board of Architectural Review (BAR) exterior review, zoning, the Fire Marshal, Building Inspections, and business license collections.

Fees

The city’s Building and Trade Permit Fee Schedule (Ordinances 2017-131, 2019-064, and 2019-072) took effect October 1, 2019. Every building and trade permit carries a non-refundable $40 application fee. When valuation exceeds $1,000 and plans must be reviewed, the plan review fee is 50% of the building permit fee. It covers the first review and one follow-up.

Construction valuation	Building permit fee
$1,000 or less	Application fee only
$1,001 to $50,000	$15 for the first $1,000 plus $5 per additional $1,000
$50,001 to $100,000	$260 for the first $50,000 plus $4 per additional $1,000
$100,001 to $500,000	$460 for the first $100,000 plus $3 per additional $1,000
$500,001 and up	$1,660 for the first $500,000 plus $2 per additional $1,000

New homes are valued using the schedule’s per-square-foot table:

• $116.15 per sq ft for finished or heated area
• $45.92 per sq ft for unfinished area, unheated accessory structures, porches, decks, and patios

The schedule’s own example is 1,200 sq ft finished, 250 sq ft unfinished, and 300 sq ft heated accessory space. That comes to $1,117 total, before trade permits.

Alterations, commercial work, pools, and demolition are priced on total contract price. Other published fees:

• Electrical: $0.25 per amp for service work
• Plumbing: $3.50 per fixture
• Fuel gas: $10 for one to four outlets
• Mechanical: $10 for the first $1,000 plus $2 per additional $1,000
• Moving a building: $100
• Manufactured home: $50
• Construction board of appeals: $100
• Re-inspection: $100. It also applies when the inspector can’t get access.

Starting work before getting a permit doubles the fee. Building permit fees are fully waived for new single-family detached homes certified as Affordable Housing under the Zoning Ordinance. See building permit cost.

Adopted codes

Building Inspections enforces:

• the 2021 South Carolina Building, Residential, Fire, Mechanical, Plumbing, and Fuel Gas Codes
• the 2021 International Existing Building Code
• the 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code
• the 2020 National Electrical Code
• the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code
• 2017 ICC A117.1 for accessibility

The division also posts:

• climate and geographic design criteria, plus wind and seismic maps for Charleston and Berkeley counties
• a 2026 truss drawing package procedure
• electrical pre-power and service inspection guidelines
• a third-party inspection program

Inspections

Request inspections in CSS (preferred) or by email to [email protected]. The email must include the contractor’s name and phone number, permit number, address, requested date, and inspection type. Phone requests are not accepted. Requests made before noon are scheduled one business day out, and requests after noon two business days out. Inspections run Monday through Friday, except city holidays. Phone (843) 724-7441 is for questions only.

Sub-trade inspections (electrical, mechanical, plumbing, fuel gas) are scheduled under the building permit. Stand-alone trade permits are scheduled under their own permit. Before an inspection:

• Post the address and permit placard so they’re visible from the street.
• Keep the field-copy plans on site.
• Have a toilet facility within 300 ft.
• Install silt fencing.
• Provide gravel or paved site access.

Certificate of Occupancy

Every business with a physical location in the city needs a CO, along with a business license. The steps:

1. Register a CSS account (allow up to three business days).
2. Apply in CSS with a detailed floor plan. Hand-drawn plans are accepted for non-assembly uses.
3. Complete the Fire Inspection Self Survey.
4. Pass the zoning check, plus building inspections of egress and restroom fixtures.
5. Schedule the fire inspection, which can take up to three business days to book.

The city aims to respond to new applications within two business days and gives reviews a 10-business-day turnaround. Check zoning at (843) 579-6414 before signing a lease. The Fire Marshal is at (843) 724-3429.

Zoning and design review

Zoning (2 George Street, Suite 3100; (843) 724-3765) handles:

• zoning verification letters and sign approvals
• tree removal requests and inspections
• subdivisions and accessory dwelling unit questions

The city zoning ordinance has 48 base districts, 14 overlay districts, and 22 Old City height districts. Exterior work in designated areas also needs BAR approval.

Contact

• Permit Center: 2 George Street, Ground Floor, Charleston, SC 29401
• Walk-in hours: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Closes at 2:45 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of each month.
• Phone and email: (843) 577-5550, [email protected]
• Citizen Services: (843) 724-7311