Horry County Code Enforcement permits the unincorporated county and also administers National Flood Insurance Program enforcement and commercial fire inspections — three jobs in one department, on the fastest-growing large county in South Carolina.
This Horry County building permit guide covers what requires a permit, the twenty-day commercial review window, the digital plan submission with COMchecks and a Special Inspection packet, the beachfront jurisdictional lines, and the 200 square foot accessory exemption.
Scope: unincorporated Horry County. Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Conway, Surfside Beach, Aynor, Loris, Atlantic Beach and Briarcliffe Acres permit their own work.
Horry is one of South Carolina's eight coastal counties. A building permit is not a coastal permit — activities wholly or partially within the state's critical areas need separate authorisation from SCDES's Bureau of Coastal Management, and on the oceanfront the baseline and setback lines govern what can be built where. Check the position before design, not at review.
What requires a permit in Horry County?
Horry County Code Enforcement issues building permits and inspects new construction and improvements to all buildings in the unincorporated area of the county. The department's remit is wider than permitting alone: its building inspection branch also manages enforcement of the National Flood Insurance Program and performs fire inspections on commercial buildings in the unincorporated areas.
The permit trigger follows the code text — any owner or authorised agent intending to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change the occupancy of a building, or to erect, install, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any regulated electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system, must first apply to the building official. Fees are set by county council.
Horry is the fastest-growing large county in South Carolina and the whole Grand Strand sits inside its boundary. Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Conway, Surfside Beach, Aynor, Loris, Atlantic Beach and Briarcliffe Acres each permit their own work. Horry is also one of the eight coastal counties, with oceanfront subject to the state's beachfront jurisdictional lines.
The enforced code is the South Carolina Building Codes — the International Codes as adopted with South Carolina modifications by the South Carolina Building Codes Council under S.C. Code Ann. § 6-9-50, then administered and enforced locally. South Carolina is mid-changeover. The codes in force today are the 2021 South Carolina Building Codes, effective 1 January 2023. On 26 August 2025 the Building Codes Council adopted the next cycle — the 2024 editions of the International Building, Residential, Fire, Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes, together with the 2023 National Electrical Code — and set the implementation date for every municipality and county as 1 January 2027. Design to the 2021 codes for a permit pulled now; design to the 2024 codes for anything that will be applied for after the turn.
Permit required
- New construction, additions, alterations, and demolition
- Change of occupancy or use
- Electrical, gas, mechanical, and plumbing systems
- Replacement of a defective concealed trap, drain, water, soil, waste, or vent pipe
- Commercial buildings, which also receive fire inspections from the same department
- Work in a mapped 100-year floodplain, with additional information required
- Work in a coastal critical area, which needs SCDES authorisation as well
Typically exempt
- Free-standing accessory residential buildings of 200 square feet or less, excluding commercial
- Stopping leaks in drains, water, soil, waste, or vent pipe
- Clearing stoppages, and repairing leaks in pipes, valves, or fixtures
- Removing and reinstalling water closets, where no valves, pipes, or fixtures are replaced or rearranged
Horry County building department: who handles permitting
Commercial work runs on a documented twenty-day clock. For new commercial buildings or additions, the submission goes digitally to cplans@horrycountysc.gov regardless of size, and the county asks you to allow twenty days for review. That is a firm number to plan against rather than an estimate.
The commercial package is specific. It needs the completed application; a notarised letter of authorisation from the property owner of record authorising the contractor to obtain the permit; a complete set of PDFs covering architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing plans together with civil and site plans showing the fire hydrant location, all drawn to scale; a completed Special Inspection packet for all new builds and additions; and COMchecks verifying compliance of the building envelope, mechanical and electrical for all new builds.
Two more items are required before the commercial permit will issue: verification of sewer service from the state or the appropriate sewer company, and a completed Notice of Intent form where one is required for stormwater review. Separately, if the building sits within a 100-year floodplain as identified by the National Flood Insurance Program, additional information will be required regardless of building type.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Authority | Horry County Code Enforcement |
| Covers | Unincorporated Horry County |
| Cities running their own | Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Conway, Surfside Beach, Aynor, Loris, Atlantic Beach, Briarcliffe Acres |
| Commercial plans | cplans@horrycountysc.gov — digital, any size |
| Commercial review | Allow twenty days |
| Also administers | National Flood Insurance Program enforcement |
| Also performs | Fire inspections on unincorporated commercial buildings |
| Complaints | Through a 311 request only |
🌊|Horry is a coastal county, and the beachfront lines are real constraints. 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.
Horry County permits: record types and what each covers
Horry County issues the following records, with commercial work carrying a heavier documentary load than most South Carolina counties:
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 under a mechanical contractor holding the Electrical subclassification | Per-permit minimum or per-device |
| Plumbing | New piping, repipes, fixtures, gas piping, and water heater replacement | Trade review under a mechanical contractor holding Plumbing | Per-permit minimum or per-fixture |
| Mechanical / HVAC | Changeouts, new ductwork, and refrigeration | Trade review under Air Conditioning, Heating, or Refrigeration subclassifications | 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 now 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 |
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 |
Residential
- Single-discipline review in most cases
- Trade records filed separately under Title 40 Chapter 11 licences regardless of job value
- 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 Horry County
| Record | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Residential building permit | New homes, additions, and alterations |
| Commercial building permit | Submitted digitally to cplans, any size |
| Commercial change of use | Its own application and procedure |
| Trade permits | Electrical, gas, mechanical, and plumbing |
| Demolition permit | Full or partial demolition |
| Floodplain development | Additional information in the mapped 100-year floodplain |
| Manufactured home permit | Placement and set-up |
Solar permits in Horry County
Solar is reviewed on two tracks at once across South Carolina: the electrical side (conductors, overcurrent protection, rapid shutdown, labelling, and the service or supply-side connection, against the adopted National Electrical Code) and the structural side (attachment detail, rail spacing, and whether the existing framing carries the added dead load).
Solar in unincorporated Horry County is filed as electrical work, and on a commercial roof it lands inside the twenty-day plan review along with the COMchecks for the electrical scope. On an oceanfront parcel, check the beachfront jurisdictional position before designing the array, because habitable-structure rules seaward of the baseline shape what can be added. Confirm which classifications your installer actually holds before the application is filed, because a single rooftop array can cross the general contractor Miscellaneous Metals subclassification for the panels, Roofing or Building for the mounting, and a mechanical contractor holding Electrical for the wiring and connections.
The licensing split is the part that catches installers. South Carolina puts solar panel installation under the general contractor Miscellaneous Metals subclassification, but roof mounting may only be performed by a general contractor holding Roofing or Building, and wiring and connections may only be performed by a mechanical contractor holding Electrical. Structural upgrading of the roof to carry the array goes to a general contractor with Building or Structural Framing. One array, potentially three licences.
Utility interconnection runs on its own clock alongside the permit. Dominion Energy South Carolina, Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress, Santee Cooper and the state's electric cooperatives each set their own application, meter, and witness-test sequence. Permission to operate is not something the building department controls, so plan for the two tracks to finish at different times.
Roofing permits in Horry County
A roof covering replacement needs a permit across most of South Carolina. The permit is usually quick, but it is not optional, and the inspection that matters happens before the covering goes on rather than after.
Because South Carolina enforces a statewide adopted code, there is no state product-approval database to search and no approval number to cite on the application. The assembly has to comply with the adopted code and the manufacturer's listed installation instructions, and that pairing is what the inspector checks — which makes the manufacturer's instructions a document worth having on site.
A reroof in unincorporated Horry County is permitted and inspected under its own record. On the coast, wind uplift detailing is the part inspectors look hardest at, and a building in the mapped 100-year floodplain will require additional information regardless of building type. 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.
Sequencing is where reroofs go wrong. The deck and dry-in condition has to be visible when the inspector arrives, so covering it first means opening it back up. Where a previous layer has been torn off, expect attention to deck fastening and to any sheathing replaced along the eaves.
Horry County permit cost
Horry County permit fees are set by county council and scale with the type and valuation of the work, with trade permits charged as separate records. The online portal handles invoice payment as well as inspection scheduling for listed permit types, and displays information for permit cases submitted in the office.
The cost that is easiest to underestimate on commercial work is time rather than money: twenty days for plan review, plus whatever the Special Inspection arrangements and the stormwater Notice of Intent add. Confirm current fee amounts against the county schedule before budgeting.
| Fee component | How it works |
|---|---|
| Building permit | Fee set by county council, by type and valuation |
| Commercial review | Allow twenty days from digital submission |
| Trade permits | Electrical, gas, mechanical, plumbing charged separately |
| Payment | Online invoice payment through the county portal |
| Sewer verification | Required before a commercial permit issues |
| Coastal critical area | SCDES authorisation is separate and additional |
Want a precise number for a specific Horry County project? Send us the scope and we will price the permit path before you file.
Horry County trade permits
Electrical, gas, mechanical and plumbing work each need their own permit and a South Carolina licensed contractor. Four Horry County specifics:
Get the owner's notarised authorisation
Commercial submissions need a notarised letter of authorisation from the property owner of record authorising the contractor to obtain the building permit. The county also publishes a Contractor Authorization Form.
COMchecks on every new commercial build
COMchecks verifying compliance of the building envelope, mechanical and electrical are required for all new builds, alongside a completed Special Inspection packet for new builds and additions.
Show the fire hydrant
Civil and site plans must show the fire hydrant location, and every plan must be drawn to scale. It is a small item that returns packages.
Septic has its own form
The county publishes an Existing Septic Form. Onsite wastewater approval comes from SCDES under Regulation 61-56 and is needed before the county can issue on a property not served by sewer.
Horry County permit application: how to apply step by step
Here is how to get a building permit in Horry County, from confirming the requirement through to close-out. Each step below corresponds to a real decision point where projects commonly stall.
Eight municipalities inside Horry County permit their own work, including the whole developed Grand Strand frontage. Settle jurisdiction from the parcel before anything else.
Horry is one of the eight coastal counties. Check the SCDES beachfront jurisdictional lines viewer and the NFIP floodplain mapping before design, because both change the building rather than the paperwork.
Application, notarised owner authorisation, scaled PDFs for architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, civil and site plans showing the fire hydrant, Special Inspection packet, and COMchecks.
New commercial buildings and additions go to cplans@horrycountysc.gov regardless of size. Allow twenty days for review.
Verification of sewer service and a completed Notice of Intent for stormwater review, where required, must be in before the commercial permit issues.
Pay invoices through the online portal, post the permit card visibly before work starts, and schedule inspections through the portal for listed permit types. Do not cover work before it has passed.
Inspections in Horry County
Inspections are scheduled through the Horry County online portal for listed permit types, with the portal also handling invoice payment and displaying information for office-submitted permit cases. Typical checkpoints follow the adopted code sequence, and the permit card should be posted and visible before work starts.
Commercial buildings in unincorporated Horry County also receive fire inspections from the same department, and new commercial builds and additions require a completed Special Inspection packet. Where special inspections apply, arrange the inspector relationships at plan review rather than at framing.
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 forty-year setback line — the figure comes from the state's forty-year retreat policy. 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.
Larger beachfront work needs a Major Beachfront Critical Area Permit — beach renourishment projects, new oceanfront fishing piers, habitable structures seaward of the baseline, ocean outfalls and pilot projects among them. SCDES recommends a pre-application meeting for all major beachfront activities, requested through ePermitting, to coordinate with state and federal resource agencies on timeframes, additional requirements and any cultural or species concerns. 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.
The department's other hat matters on this coast. Because Code Enforcement manages National Flood Insurance Program enforcement, floodplain compliance is not a separate agency's problem here — it is the same department that issues your permit, and a building in the mapped 100-year floodplain will need additional information regardless of building type.
Keep the permit and approved plans on site throughout. Complaints to the department go through a 311 request rather than direct contact.
Horry County permit search and official resources
Horry County publishes its permit requirements, forms and portal through Code Enforcement, with the coastal jurisdiction published separately by SCDES.
- Horry County Code Enforcement
- What you need for a building permit
- When to get a building permit
- Code Enforcement forms
- SCDES beachfront jurisdictional lines
- SC LLR licence verification
- SC Building Codes Council
Frequently asked questions
Who issues building permits in Horry County, SC?
Horry County Code Enforcement, for the unincorporated area of the county. Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Conway, Surfside Beach, Aynor, Loris, Atlantic Beach and Briarcliffe Acres each permit their own work.
How long does commercial plan review take in Horry County?
Allow twenty days. New commercial buildings and additions must be submitted digitally to the county's commercial plans address regardless of size, and the county publishes twenty days as the review window.
What goes in a Horry County commercial submission?
A completed application; a notarised letter of authorisation from the property owner of record; scaled PDFs of architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing plans plus civil and site plans showing the fire hydrant location; a completed Special Inspection packet for new builds and additions; and COMchecks for the building envelope, mechanical and electrical.
What is needed before a commercial permit is issued?
Verification of sewer service from the state or the appropriate sewer company, and a completed Notice of Intent form where required for stormwater review.
Do I need a permit for a small shed?
Not for a free-standing accessory residential building of 200 square feet or less, which is excluded under the county ordinance. The exclusion does not apply to commercial structures.
Are plumbing repairs exempt?
Some are. Stopping leaks, clearing stoppages, repairing leaks in pipes, valves or fixtures, and removing and reinstalling water closets are exempt where no valves, pipes or fixtures are replaced or rearranged. But if a concealed trap, drain, water, soil, waste or vent pipe becomes defective and must be replaced with new material, that counts as new work and needs a permit.
Does an exemption mean the work is unregulated?
No. Horry County states that exemptions from permit requirements do not grant authorisation for work to be done in any manner that violates the code or any other law or ordinance.
Does Horry County handle floodplain rules?
Yes. The building inspection branch of Code Enforcement manages enforcement of the National Flood Insurance Program. If a building sits within a mapped 100-year floodplain, additional information is required regardless of building type.
Is a building permit enough for oceanfront work?
No. Horry is one of South Carolina's eight coastal counties. Activities wholly or partially within the state's critical areas need authorisation from SCDES's Bureau of Coastal Management, which is separate from and additional to the county building permit.
Where are the beachfront lines?
SCDES publishes a Beachfront Jurisdictional Lines Viewer showing the approximate position of the baseline and setback line along with adopted long-term erosion rates. Treat it as a screening tool and confirm with Beachfront Management on 843-953-0200.
How do I make a complaint to Code Enforcement?
All complaints must be submitted through a 311 request rather than by contacting the department directly.
Which building code does Horry 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 Horry County permitting with Alliance Permitting
Horry's commercial package is the heaviest in this library so far, and the twenty-day clock only starts when it is complete. Arriving complete is the whole game here.
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Contractors and builders choose Alliance for Horry County because the work is done by people who have stood at the counter:
- Right authority — unincorporated county or one of eight municipalities, resolved from the parcel rather than a Grand Strand address.
- Complete commercial submission — notarised owner authorisation, scaled full plan set with hydrant location, Special Inspection packet and COMchecks in the first upload.
- Coastal position established early — beachfront lines and floodplain mapping checked before design rather than at review.
- Complete oversight — every Horry 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.
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More South Carolina permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Horry County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.