Greer straddles the Greenville and Spartanburg county line and permits its own work regardless of which side a parcel falls on — with inspection requests taken until 11:59pm for the next business day.
This Greer building permit guide covers what requires a permit, how a two-county city works, the 11:59pm inspection request cut-off, the licensed insured and bonded verification, and what building without a permit costs.
Scope: inside the City of Greer limits, across the Greenville and Spartanburg county line. Outside them, the relevant county permits.
Requests made by 11:59pm are scheduled for the next business day. A superintendent can book the next day’s inspection after leaving site.
What requires a permit in Greer?
Greer straddles the Greenville and Spartanburg county line: inside the city limits the City of Greer permits, regardless of which county the parcel sits in. A Greer parcel is neither Greenville County’s nor Spartanburg County’s to permit.
The Building Division within Planning and Development handles permitting, plan review and inspections for compliance with local and state building codes and ordinances. City Hall is at 301 East Poinsett Street, Greer, SC 29651 (864-848-2150); office staff work Monday to Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm, inspectors 7:30am to 4:00pm, and construction is allowed 6:00am to 9:00pm. Code enforcement on existing properties (overgrown grass, debris and unsafe conditions under the International Property Maintenance Code) sits with a separate Community Standards Division, and appeals of the building official’s code decisions go to the Construction Board of Adjustments and Appeals.
Greer runs eTRAKiT — the same platform Greenville County uses. That is convenient and also a trap: the interface is familiar but the accounts, the fees and the scheduling rules are entirely separate.
Permit required
- New construction, additions, and structural changes
- Electrical upgrades, plumbing, and HVAC work
- Decks and fences
- Solar panels
- Swimming pools
- Commercial and residential renovation projects
- Work requiring zoning approval even where a building permit is not needed
Typically exempt
- Painting
- Gutters
- Small storage buildings, though zoning approval may still apply
- Work outside the city limits, which belongs to Greenville or Spartanburg County
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
Greer building department: who handles permitting
Greer verifies that contractors are licensed, insured and bonded before issuing permits. If your bond or insurance certificate has lapsed, the permit stops even though the licence is current.
Before issuing a permit the department may consider factors beyond the construction itself: floodplain location, road frontage, or the presence of other structures on the lot. Greenville County’s permit technicians screen for floodplain, road frontage and setbacks in a similar way.
Inspections can be requested through eTRAKiT or by calling 864-968-7029, and requests made by 11:59pm Monday through Friday will be scheduled for the next business day. Check the cut-off in each neighbouring jurisdiction before assuming the same window.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Authority | City of Greer Building Division, Planning and Development, 301 East Poinsett Street, Greer, SC 29651 (864-848-2150) |
| Counties spanned | Greenville and Spartanburg |
| Inside city limits | The city permits, regardless of county |
| Portal | eTRAKiT — the same platform as Greenville County, separate account |
| Inspections | eTRAKiT or 864-968-7029 |
| Request cut-off | 11:59pm Monday to Friday, for the next business day |
| Verified before issuance | Licensed, insured, and bonded |
| Appeals | Construction Board of Adjustments and Appeals |
⏰|Requests made by 11:59pm are scheduled for the next business day. Greer’s window means an inspection can be booked after the crew has left site. Inspectors work 7:30am to 4:00pm, Monday to Friday.
In 2025, building permits issued in Greer authorized 409 new privately owned housing units, all of them single-family homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey.
Greer permits: record types and what each covers
The City of Greer issues different permit types depending on scope and on whether the construction is commercial or residential:
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 |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
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 |
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Residential
- 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 Greer
| Record | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Residential building permit | New construction, additions, structural changes |
| Commercial building permit | Commercial construction and renovation |
| Trade permits | Electrical, plumbing, and HVAC |
| Deck and fence permits | Both require permits in Greer |
| Solar panel permit | Expressly listed as requiring a permit |
| Swimming pool permit | Pool installation requires a permit |
| Zoning approval | May apply even where a building permit does not |
Solar permits in Greer
Solar panels are expressly listed by the City of Greer as requiring a permit. The city verifies that contractors are licensed, insured and bonded before issuing, so an installer with a lapsed bond will stop the application even with a current state licence. 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.
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →Roofing permits in Greer
A reroof in the City of Greer is inspected on request through eTRAKiT or on the city's inspection line, with requests made by 11:59pm scheduled for the next business day. 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
Greer permit cost
City of Greer permit fees follow the city schedule and scale with the type and valuation of the work, with different permit types applying depending on scope and on whether the construction is commercial or residential.
The cost of not having a permit is the number worth quoting to a client. Building without one can result in daily fines, penalties, or orders to demolish the work. Confirm current fee amounts against the city schedule before budgeting.
| Fee component | How it works |
|---|---|
| Building permit | Per city fee schedule, by type and valuation |
| Permit types | Vary by scope and by commercial or residential construction |
| Trade permits | Electrical, plumbing, HVAC charged separately |
| No permit | Daily fines, penalties, or orders to demolish |
| Outside the city | Greenville or Spartanburg County fees apply |
| Verification | Licence, insurance and bond checked before issuance |
Want a precise number for a specific Greer project? Send us the scope and we will price the permit path before you file.
Greer trade permits
Electrical, plumbing and HVAC work each need their own permit and a South Carolina licensed contractor. Four Greer specifics:
Licensed, insured and bonded
The city verifies all three before issuing permits. A current state licence alone is not enough if the insurance or bond has lapsed.
The contractor pulls the permit
Permits are required before any work begins in the City of Greer, and it is expressly the contractor's responsibility to obtain them.
Book inspections up to 11:59pm
Requests through eTRAKiT or on 864-968-7029, made by 11:59pm Monday through Friday, are scheduled for the next business day.
Do not reuse a county eTRAKiT account
Greer and Greenville County both run eTRAKiT, but they are separate systems with separate accounts, fees and rules. City work goes through the city's.
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
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Greer permit application: how to apply step by step
Here is how to get a building permit in Greer, from confirming the requirement through to close-out. Each step below corresponds to a real decision point where projects commonly stall.
Greer spans the Greenville and Spartanburg county line. Inside the city limits the city permits, whichever county the parcel is in. Outside them, the relevant county does.
The city verifies that contractors are licensed, insured and bonded before issuing permits. Confirm all three are current before applying rather than at the counter.
Different permit types apply depending on the scope of the project and whether the construction is commercial or residential. Decks, fences, solar panels and pools all require permits.
Painting, gutters and small storage buildings are exceptions to the permit requirement, but zoning approval may still apply.
The department processes applications, reviews plans and may consider floodplain location, road frontage or other structures on the lot before issuing.
Through eTRAKiT or on 864-968-7029. Requests made by 11:59pm Monday through Friday are scheduled for the next business day.
Inspections in Greer
The Building Division handles plan review before a permit issues and inspects all permitted work for compliance with the adopted building codes.
Requests made by 11:59pm Monday through Friday are scheduled for the next business day, which means a superintendent can book the morning’s inspection after leaving site rather than before arriving.
Existing properties also answer to the Community Standards Division, which enforces the International Property Maintenance Code on issues such as overgrown grass, debris and unsafe conditions. On an older building being brought back into use, expect that scrutiny alongside the construction inspections.
Keep the permit and approved plans on site throughout. Appeals go to the Construction Board of Adjustments and Appeals.
Greer permit search and official resources
Greer publishes its permitting, permit types and inspection guidance through Planning and Development, with the two counties publishing separately.
- City of Greer Building Division
- City of Greer inspections
- City of Greer permit types
- City of Greer code enforcement (Community Standards)
- 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 Greer, SC?
The City of Greer Building Division, within Planning and Development, at 301 East Poinsett Street, Greer, SC 29651 (864-848-2150), for work inside the city limits. Greer straddles the Greenville and Spartanburg county line, and the city permits regardless of which county the parcel is in.
Greer is in two counties — does that change who permits?
Not inside the city limits. A Greer parcel is neither Greenville County's nor Spartanburg County's to permit. The county becomes the authority only outside the city limits.
What time do I have to request an inspection?
Requests made by 11:59pm Monday through Friday will be scheduled for the next business day. Inspections can be requested through eTRAKiT or by calling 864-968-7029.
Does Greer check insurance and bonding?
Yes. The city verifies that contractors are licensed, insured and bonded before issuing permits. A current state licence alone is not sufficient.
What happens if I build without a permit?
Building without a permit can result in daily fines, penalties, or even orders to demolish the work. Permits are required before any work begins, and it is the contractor's responsibility to obtain them.
What needs a permit in Greer?
New construction, additions, structural changes, electrical upgrades, plumbing and HVAC work, plus decks, fences, solar panels and swimming pools among others.
What does not need a permit?
Painting, gutters and small storage buildings are exceptions — though zoning approval may still apply to them.
What might hold up my permit?
Before issuing, the department may consider factors such as floodplain location, road frontage, or the presence of other structures on the lot, alongside the plan review itself.
Greer uses eTRAKiT and so does Greenville County — is it the same account?
No. Both run eTRAKiT but they are separate systems with separate accounts, fees and scheduling rules. City work goes through the city's system.
Where do I appeal a code decision?
To the Construction Board of Adjustments and Appeals, which hears appeals of the building official's decisions on code interpretation and application. It cannot waive code requirements.
Does Greer inspect existing buildings?
Yes, through code enforcement. The Community Standards Division inspects properties for nuisances such as tall grass, trash and unsafe conditions under the International Property Maintenance Code, issues citations and responds to complaints; construction work itself is inspected by the Building Division.
Which building code does Greer 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 Greer permitting with Alliance Permitting
Greer is administratively generous and jurisdictionally confusing. The city makes scheduling easy; establishing that you are in the city at all is the part that costs people time.
Trusted by leading builders, developers, and national contractors — 21+ years of filing in the jurisdictions we write about.
Contractors and builders choose Alliance for Greer because the work is done by people who have stood at the counter:
- City or county, settled first — a Greer parcel is the city's regardless of whether it sits in Greenville or Spartanburg County.
- All three credentials current — licence, insurance and bond verified before the application rather than at issuance.
- Scheduling used properly — the 11:59pm window worked into the site programme rather than treated like a morning cut-off.
- Complete oversight — every Greer permit and inspection tracked across your jobs 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.
Ready to break ground in Greer sooner?
Let Alliance prepare, file, and track your Greer permits while your crew stays on the job.
More South Carolina permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Greer permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.