The Georgetown County Building Division permits the unincorporated county — with a final inspection that cannot be scheduled until a flood-zone elevation certificate is approved, and, on commercial work, until fire, zoning and stormwater have all signed off.
This Georgetown County building permit guide covers what requires a permit, the finished-construction elevation certificate that gates the final inspection, the roster card and 9-1-1 address, the three divisional approvals final depends on, and the beachfront jurisdictional lines.
Scope: unincorporated Georgetown County. The City of Georgetown and Town of Andrews permit their own; Pawleys Island uses a private provider.
Georgetown is a beachfront coastal county. A building permit is not a coastal permit — activities wholly or partially within the state's critical areas need separate SCDES authorisation, and along the Waccamaw Neck the baseline and setback lines govern what can be built where. Check the position before design.
What requires a permit in Georgetown County?
The Building Division of the Georgetown County Department of Planning and Development permits and inspects projects in the unincorporated areas of the county, checking compliance with all adopted building codes, regulations, ordinances and National Flood Insurance requirements. It works from 129 Screven Street, Room 249, Georgetown, SC 29440 on 843-545-3116, with an inspection request line on 843-545-3261.
The Town of Pawleys Island was formerly handled by the Georgetown County Building Department and has now partnered with SAFEbuilt, a private third-party provider, which issues permits and schedules inspections for the town (inspections on 843-729-2452; Town Hall at 323 Myrtle Avenue, 843-237-1698). The town also maintains its own Community Rating System participation under the National Flood Insurance Program.
Where a municipality has outsourced, neither the county nor the town office is the right call for inspections. The City of Georgetown and the Town of Andrews run their own departments directly.
Permit required
- New construction, additions, alterations, and demolition
- Electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and gas work
- Work in a mapped flood zone, which adds elevation certificate requirements
- Work in a coastal critical area, which needs SCDES authorisation as well
- Change of use or occupancy
- Accessory structures above the local threshold
- Manufactured home placement
Typically exempt
- Painting, flooring, and cosmetic finishes
- Routine maintenance not altering structure or a regulated system
- Work inside the City of Georgetown or the Town of Andrews
- Work in the Town of Pawleys Island, which is handled by its private provider
South Carolina enforces the South Carolina Building Codes adopted by the Building Codes Council under S.C. Code Ann. § 6-9-50; the 2021 codes are in force, and the 2024 codes take effect for every county and municipality on 1 January 2027 (the energy code stays the 2009 IECC). The South Carolina Building Codes
Georgetown County building department: who handles permitting
The final inspection here is a checklist, not a walkthrough. The county names what it looks at: proper posting of the 9-1-1 address, hose bib frost and backflow protection, electrical circuit testing, handrails, guardrails, attic blown-in insulation, and a working telephone in all elevators. Your completed Roster Card is due at the same time.
The elevation certificate rule is the one that catches programmes. In a flood zone the finished-construction certificate is not something you hand over on the day — an original must be submitted to the office for review and approval before the final inspection can be scheduled. Surveyor turnaround therefore sits on the critical path, not alongside it.
Georgetown is one of the eight coastal counties and it has genuine oceanfront along the Waccamaw Neck, from Pawleys Island through DeBordieu. That brings the state's beachfront jurisdictional lines into play on top of everything the county requires.
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Get a free quote →| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Authority | Georgetown County Building Division, Planning and Development |
| Address | 129 Screven Street, Room 249, Georgetown, SC 29440 (inspection requests 843-545-3261) |
| Phone | 843-545-3116 |
| Covers | Unincorporated Georgetown County |
| Cities running their own | Georgetown, Andrews |
| Pawleys Island | SAFEbuilt, for the town (inspections 843-729-2452) |
| Final inspection prerequisites | Commercial: Fire, Zoning and Stormwater approvals in place |
| Flood zone | Original finished-construction elevation certificate approved first |
🌊|Georgetown is a beachfront coastal county. A building permit is not a coastal permit. SCDES authorisation is required for all proposed activities located wholly or partially within the state's critical areas, and that authorisation is separate from — and additional to — the county or municipal building permit. Neither one substitutes for the other, and a local permit issued in ignorance of a critical area does not cure the omission.
In 2025, building permits issued in unincorporated Georgetown County authorized 319 new privately owned housing units, all of them single-family homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey.
Georgetown County permits: record types and what each covers
Georgetown County issues the following records, with several other divisions' approvals feeding into the same final inspection:
Residential permit types
| Permit type | What triggers it | Review path | Fee basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| New construction | New dwellings, additions, and accessory structures above the local size threshold | Full plan review against the adopted South Carolina Residential Code, plus zoning | Valuation-based |
| Renovation / alteration | Structural changes, layout changes, or added plumbing, mechanical, or electrical | Plan review scaled to scope; the property maintenance and existing-building provisions apply only where locally adopted by ordinance | Valuation-based |
| Reroof | Roof covering replacement, recover, and structural deck repair | Dry-in and deck inspection; plan review rarely required | Valuation or squares |
| Solar photovoltaic | Rooftop or ground-mount arrays, with or without battery storage | Electrical review led, with structural review of the attachment | Flat or system-size based |
| Battery energy storage | Wall or floor-mounted storage added to a dwelling | Electrical review plus fire separation and location check | Flat or per-permit minimum |
| Electrical | Service changes, panel upgrades, new circuits, EV chargers, and rewiring | Trade review; filed by a licensed residential electrician or a mechanical contractor with the Electrical subclassification | Per-permit minimum or per-device |
| Plumbing | New piping, repipes, fixtures, gas piping, and water heater replacement | Trade review; filed by a licensed residential plumber or a mechanical contractor with Plumbing | Per-permit minimum or per-fixture |
| Mechanical / HVAC | Changeouts, new ductwork, and refrigeration | Trade review; filed by a licensed residential HVAC installer or a mechanical contractor with Air Conditioning or Packaged Equipment | Per-permit minimum or per-unit |
| Deck and porch | New decks, screened porches, and structural rebuilds | Structural review of footings, ledger attachment, and guards | Valuation or flat |
| Swimming pool | In-ground and above-ground pools, including residential pools | Barrier, bonding, and electrical review; residential pool work over $10,000 requires a Swimming Pools subclassification or a Residential Builder licence | Valuation or flat |
| Manufactured home set-up | Placing or re-siting a manufactured home | Zoning, floodplain, and anchoring review; filed by an LLR-licensed contractor | Flat or per-unit |
| Demolition | Full or partial demolition of a dwelling or accessory structure | Utility disconnect confirmation and site restoration check | Flat |
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Get a free quote →Commercial permit types
| Permit type | What triggers it | Review path | Fee basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| New commercial construction | Ground-up commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings | Concurrent review against the adopted South Carolina Building Code, fire, and zoning | Valuation-based |
| Tenant improvement / upfit | Interior fit-out of an existing tenant space | Building, trade, and life-safety review; accessibility attaches on change of use | Valuation-based |
| Change of occupancy | Converting a building or space to a different use group | Occupancy classification, egress, and accessibility review | Valuation or flat |
| Commercial electrical | Service, distribution, and branch circuit work | Trade review under a mechanical contractor holding Electrical | Per-permit or valuation |
| Commercial plumbing | Process piping, fixtures, backflow, and grease waste | Trade review; backflow and grease interceptor sign-off where applicable | Per-fixture or valuation |
| Commercial mechanical | Rooftop units, kitchen exhaust and hood systems, and refrigeration | Trade review; kitchen exhaust and hood systems sit under Packaged Equipment | Per-unit or valuation |
| Commercial reroof | Roof covering replacement on a commercial structure | Deck, dry-in, and attachment inspection | Valuation or squares |
| Signage | Wall, ground, and illuminated signs | Zoning review for size and placement, plus electrical where illuminated | Flat or per-sign |
| Land disturbance | Clearing, grading, and stormwater-triggering site work | Erosion and sediment control review, separate from the building permit | Acreage-based |
| Commercial demolition | Full or partial demolition of a commercial structure | Utility disconnect, asbestos notification, and site restoration | Flat or valuation |
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- Single-discipline review in most cases
- Trade records filed separately, under a residential electrician, plumber or HVAC licence from the Residential Builders Commission (or a Chapter 11 mechanical licence)
- Residential builder licence required above the statutory threshold; residential specialty above a much lower one
- Septic properties need SCDES approval before the county can issue
Commercial — multi-discipline
- Concurrent review across building, trades, fire, and zoning
- Signed and sealed plans across every affected discipline
- Licence group caps the value of a single bid or job, separately from the permit
- Accessibility and life-safety review attach to any change of occupancy
Records you will actually see in Georgetown County
| Record | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Residential building permit | New construction, additions, and alterations |
| Commercial building permit | With its own published inspection sequence |
| Trade permits | Electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and gas |
| Stormwater approval | From the Stormwater Division, required before a commercial final |
| Zoning approval | From the Zoning Division, required before a commercial final |
| Fire Department approval | Required before a commercial final can be scheduled |
| Demolition permit | Full or partial demolition |
Solar permits in Georgetown County
Solar in unincorporated Georgetown County is filed as electrical work, and on an oceanfront parcel the beachfront jurisdictional position should be established before the array is designed. In a flood zone, remember that the elevation certificate gates the final inspection for the whole project. Confirm which licences your installer actually holds before the application is filed: on commercial work a rooftop array can need the Miscellaneous Metals, Roofing or Building and Electrical subclassifications, while on homes the Residential Builders Commission registers solar installers and a residential electrician does the wiring.
Roofing permits in Georgetown County
A reroof in unincorporated Georgetown County is permitted and inspected under its own record. Wind uplift detailing gets close attention on this coast, and flood-zone properties carry the elevation certificate requirement on the wider project. Roofing is its own general contractor subclassification in South Carolina, and it absorbed the former General Roofing and Specialty Roofing classifications, so an older pocket card can read differently from the current licence record — check the LLR verification lookup rather than the card alone.
Solar and roofing work follow statewide licensing rules, and utilities run interconnection on their own timeline. Solar and roofing rules in South Carolina
Georgetown County permit cost
Georgetown County permit fees follow the county schedule and scale with the type and valuation of the work, with trade permits charged as their own records. Applications and fee questions go to the Building Division on 843-545-3116.
Budget the surveyor as a permit cost rather than a construction cost on any flood-zone project. Because the finished-construction elevation certificate must be reviewed and approved before final can be scheduled, a slow certificate delays occupancy directly. Confirm current fee amounts before budgeting.
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Get a free quote →| Fee component | How it works |
|---|---|
| Building permit | Per county fee schedule, by type and valuation |
| Trade permits | Electrical, plumbing, mechanical, gas charged separately |
| Elevation certificate | A surveyor cost that gates the final inspection |
| Stormwater | Commercial: separate divisional approval required before final |
| Coastal critical area | SCDES authorisation is separate and additional |
| Septic properties | SCDES approval required before the county can issue |
Want a precise number for a specific Georgetown County project? Send us the scope and we will price the permit path before you file.
Georgetown County trade permits
Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas work each need their own permit and a South Carolina licensed contractor. Four Georgetown County specifics:
Post the 9-1-1 address
Proper posting of the 9-1-1 address is one of the items checked at final inspection. It is trivially cheap to do and a genuinely common cause of a returned final.
Get the elevation certificate in early
In a flood zone, an original finished-construction elevation certificate must be submitted to the office for review and approval before the final inspection can be scheduled.
Complete the roster card
The completed roster card is due at the final inspection. Keep it current through the job rather than reconstructing it at the end.
Confirm who handles Pawleys Island
The Town of Pawleys Island was formerly handled by the county and has now partnered with a private third-party provider. Neither the county nor a town office is the right first call there.
South Carolina licenses contractors through two boards in the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation: the Contractor’s Licensing Board (general and mechanical work over $10,000) and the Residential Builders Commission (residential builders over $5,000; residential electricians, plumbers, HVAC and other specialty work over $500). Contractor licensing in South Carolina
Georgetown County permit application: how to apply step by step
Here is how to get a building permit in Georgetown County, from confirming the requirement through to close-out. Each step below corresponds to a real decision point where projects commonly stall.
Unincorporated Georgetown County goes to the Building Division. The City of Georgetown and the Town of Andrews run their own. Pawleys Island is handled by a private provider.
Georgetown has genuine oceanfront along the Waccamaw Neck. Check the SCDES beachfront jurisdictional lines and the flood mapping before design rather than at review.
Applications go to the Building Division at 129 Screven Street, with the permit application published through the county's document centre.
On commercial work, Fire Department, Zoning Division and Stormwater Division approvals all have to be in place before a final inspection can be scheduled. Open them in parallel with construction.
In a flood zone, get the finished-construction certificate to the office for review and approval well before you want the final, since it gates the scheduling.
9-1-1 address posted, hose bib frost and backflow protection, electrical circuits tested, handrails and guardrails in, attic insulation blown, elevator telephones working, roster card complete.
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The county publishes what its final inspection covers, and it is worth running as a checklist before making the call: proper posting of the 9-1-1 address, hose bib frost and backflow protection, electrical circuit testing, handrails, guardrails, attic blown-in insulation, and a working telephone in all elevators. The completed roster card is due at the same visit.
On commercial work, final depends on three other divisions. It will not be scheduled until the Fire Department, Zoning Division and Stormwater Division approvals are all in place: the fire inspector also takes part in electrical, rated wall and final inspections, zoning checks parking, signage and trees, and stormwater checks the approved plan. Treat those as parallel workstreams from the start of construction rather than as closeout tasks.
On the oceanfront, S.C. Code Ann. § 48-39-280 requires SCDES to establish and periodically review two beachfront jurisdictional lines. The baseline is the more seaward of the two; the setback line is the more landward, and it marks the landward extent of the state's direct permitting authority within the Beach/Dune System Critical Area. The beach/dune system itself runs from the mean high-water mark of the Atlantic landward to the setback line, which sits landward of the baseline by forty times the average annual erosion rate, and never less than 20 feet (S.C. Code Ann. § 48-39-280(B)). Being landward of the setback line does not automatically put you outside SCDES jurisdiction. Two other beachfront critical areas — the Beaches Critical Area and the Coastal Waters Critical Area — can extend landward of the setback line, and where they do, activities there still require coordination and authorisation from SCDES. Critical areas are dynamic. The Department asks to be contacted to determine whether critical areas extend landward on a specific parcel rather than having applicants infer it from the line viewer.
The lines move. South Carolina law requires SCDES to establish and review their position every seven to ten years, and a review cycle is running now: SCDES released a tentative schedule on 30 January 2024 for a phased establishment of new beachfront jurisdictional lines between 2024 and 2028. Under Act 173 of 2018, the Beachfront Management Reform Act, a new baseline may not move seaward of its 2008–2012 or 6 October 2017 position. If you are planning oceanfront work across the next two years, check whether your stretch has been through the current cycle before relying on a line position. SCDES publishes a South Carolina Beachfront Jurisdictional Lines Viewer showing the approximate position of the baseline and setback line together with adopted long-term erosion rates. Treat it as approximate: it is a screening tool, not a survey, and the Department's own guidance is to speak to Beachfront Management on 843-953-0200 or find the project manager for your area through its Project Manager Finder before committing a design.
Keep the permit and approved plans on site throughout, and get the elevation certificate reviewed and approved before you need the final, not on the day.
Georgetown County permit search and official resources
Georgetown County publishes its permit applications and inspection guidance through Planning and Development, with three municipalities publishing separately.
- Georgetown County Building Department
- Building, Planning and Zoning
- City of Georgetown Planning and Community Development
- Town of Pawleys Island Building Department
- SCDES beachfront jurisdictional lines
- SC LLR licence verification
- SC Building Codes Council
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Frequently asked questions
Who issues building permits in Georgetown County, SC?
The Building Division of the Georgetown County Department of Planning and Development, at 129 Screven Street on 843-545-3116, for the unincorporated areas. The City of Georgetown and the Town of Andrews run their own departments.
Who handles permits for Pawleys Island?
SAFEbuilt, a private third-party provider. The Town of Pawleys Island was formerly handled by the Georgetown County Building Department and has since partnered with SAFEbuilt, which issues permits and schedules inspections for the town (843-729-2452).
What is checked at a Georgetown County final inspection?
Proper posting of the 9-1-1 address, hose bib frost and backflow protection, electrical circuit testing, handrails, guardrails, attic blown-in insulation, and a working telephone in all elevators, among other items. The completed roster card is due at this inspection.
Why can't I schedule my final inspection?
On commercial work, often because another division has not signed off: final will not be scheduled until the Fire Department, Zoning Division and Stormwater Division approvals are all in place. In a flood zone, the original finished-construction elevation certificate must also be reviewed and approved first.
What is the elevation certificate rule?
If your project is in a flood zone, the finished-construction elevation certificate is due at final inspection, and an original must be submitted to the office for review and approval before the final inspection can be scheduled.
What is the roster card?
A record the county requires to be completed and handed in at the final inspection. Keep it current through the job rather than reconstructing it at the end.
Does Georgetown County enforce flood rules?
Yes. The division inspects construction projects for compliance with all adopted building codes, regulations, ordinances and National Flood Insurance requirements.
Is a building permit enough for oceanfront work?
No. Georgetown is one of South Carolina's eight coastal counties with genuine oceanfront. Activities wholly or partially within the state's critical areas need SCDES authorisation, separately from and additionally to the county building permit.
Where do the beachfront lines run?
SCDES publishes a Beachfront Jurisdictional Lines Viewer showing the approximate baseline and setback line positions with adopted long-term erosion rates. It is a screening tool — confirm with the Beachfront Management section on 843-953-0200.
Are the beachfront lines being redrawn?
Yes. South Carolina law requires SCDES to review the lines every seven to ten years, and a phased establishment cycle is running between 2024 and 2028. Check whether your stretch has been through the current cycle before relying on a line position.
Do I need SCDES approval for septic?
On a property not served by sewer, yes. Onsite wastewater permitting is handled by SCDES under Regulation 61-56, and the state approval is needed before the county can issue.
Which building code does Georgetown County enforce?
The South Carolina Building Codes as adopted with state modifications by the SC Building Codes Council. The 2021 editions apply now, with the 2024 editions adopted in August 2025 and implementation set for 1 January 2027.
Simplify Georgetown County permitting with Alliance Permitting
Georgetown’s final inspection has several prerequisites. Sequencing them is where the time is won or lost.
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Contractors and builders choose Alliance for Georgetown County because the work is done by people who have stood at the counter:
- Right authority — county, city, town or private provider, resolved before the first call.
- Prerequisites run in parallel — fire, zoning and stormwater approvals opened during construction rather than at closeout.
- Elevation certificate on the critical path — ordered and approved ahead of the final inspection request.
- Complete oversight — every Georgetown permit, divisional approval and inspection tracked in one place.
Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and expediting service in South Carolina. We are not a law firm and do not provide legal advice, and we are not the permitting authority.
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More South Carolina permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Georgetown County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.