Lexington, South Carolina Building Permit Guide

Inside the Town of Lexington, building and trade permits come from the Town’s Planning & Building department at 111 Maiden Lane, not from Lexington County. Applications and plans are emailed to permits@lexsc.gov or handed in at Town Hall, and a new house also owes a $2,548 development impact fee before the permit is released.

What requires a permit in Lexington?

The Town’s 2026 New Development Guide says a building permit is needed to build, enlarge, alter, repair, move or demolish a building or structure, to install electrical, gas, HVAC or plumbing equipment, to install infrastructure, and to grade or pave.

Pool owners should note the warning printed on the application: backwashing or draining a pool into a storm drain without a dechlorination or desalinization filter can bring a fine of up to $500 plus court costs.

Lexington building department: who handles permitting

Planning & Building handles zoning, permits and building inspections for property inside town limits; land outside town limits is permitted by Lexington County. The Development Guide says the Town reviews projects inside or immediately next to its limits, and annexation into the town takes about 60 days. Jessica Lybrand is Director of Planning & Building and Brent Hawkins is the Building Official.

Lexington permit forms and how they are filed

The Town does not take permit applications online. Email the form and plans to permits@lexsc.gov, mail them, or bring them to Planning & Building at 111 Maiden Lane. Every form asks whether a recorded covenant on the parcel conflicts with the work.

• Building Permit Application: one form for commercial buildings, upfits, additions, accessory buildings, repairs, mechanical trades, demolition and grading. Commercial structures and commercial upfits need 3 sets of plans with the scope of work; additions and accessory buildings need a site plan with building setbacks.
• Single-Family Dwellings & Manufactured Homes: asks for heated and unheated square footage, whether the lot is in the floodplain, the construction valuation and contract price, and includes the Sub-Contractor Verification Form and Contractor Affidavit.
• Contractor Affidavit and Sub-Contractor Verification Form: the licensed general contractor lists every subcontractor and confirms each is licensed or registered with the state and insured.
• Owner-Builder Form: for an owner without a state licence working on the home they own and live in. The owner must live there for two years after the work is finished, and paid subcontractors still need state licences and Town business licences.
• Non-Occupying Owner-Builder Form: for a rental home you own. Below 5,000 sq ft you may do everything except structural and mechanical work; above 5,000 sq ft a licensed contractor must do all of it, and the property cannot be sold until two years after completion.
• Construction Plan Review Submittal Form: sent with commercial plan sets. You initial that impact fees will be worked out per job, and plan review does not begin until they are assessed.

Any business working in town, including a general contractor with no office there, needs a Town business licence; for outside contractors it is issued per job, starting at $60 for the first $2,000 of contract value plus $2.20 per additional $1,000 up to $1 million.

Lexington permit cost

The 2026 New Development Guide sets building permit fees by construction cost. Plan review and permit fees are paid when the permit is issued.

For a house with a $300,000 construction cost, the permit fee is $1,762.65 ($772.65 plus 200 × $4.95), and residential plan review adds $30.16.

Impact fees and other Town charges

Development impact fees have applied to new development and redevelopment since February 1, 2020, and no permit is issued until they are paid. Under the schedule adopted with Ordinance 2025-03, a single-family detached house pays $2,548 ($1,349 parks and recreation, $371 municipal facilities and $828 transportation), a mobile home $2,247, and apartments $1,721 per unit in buildings of 1–2 stories or $1,556 in buildings of 3–10 stories. Commercial uses are charged per 1,000 sq ft by land-use category.

• Zoning, landscaping and architectural reviews: $74.80 each where required, paid with the building permit.
• Utility plan review: $155 minimum and $6,800 maximum.
• In-town water and sewer capital contributions: $1,250 for water and $2,700 for sewer at a projected 300 gallons a day.
• Commercial fire permit fee: based on square footage and quoted by the Fire Marshal.
• Business Location Review Permit before a business opens: $37.39.

Lexington trade permits

Electrical, HVAC, plumbing, gas, solar and irrigation work is permitted by the Town on the same Building Permit Application, under its Mechanical section, and priced on the same construction-cost table. When the trades are part of a larger job, the application asks whether subcontractors are included in the construction cost and, if they are, for a full subcontractor list. An owner-builder may take out one permit to cover all of the subcontractors’ work.

Fire protection systems are listed on the application as other work to declare. Commercial fire inspections and fire fees go through the Fire Marshal at 803-785-8145.

Before the permit: approvals and plans

For commercial projects, the Town will not issue a building permit until zoning, landscaping and engineering approvals are complete and their fees, the plan review fee and the permit fee have been paid. Submit three sets of building plans to the Building Official. Stormwater, soil erosion and utility plans go to the Town’s utilities plan review engineer.

• Pre-development meeting: recommended before applying; email the request form to the Director of Planning & Building.
• Zoning review: individual commercial projects and 1–2 lot subdivisions are approved by staff in about two business weeks; other projects go to the Planning Commission, usually within 30 days.
• Landscaping: two paper sets of landscape plans; review typically takes two weeks, and tree removal needs the Landscape Reviewer’s approval.
• Architectural review: commercial projects in the Commercial Corridor must meet the Architectural and Appearance Design Manual.
• Demolition and grading: an asbestos survey or state letter for demolition, and a state land disturbance letter or form for grading and paving.

Lexington permit application: how to apply step by step

Inspections in Lexington

Inspections are requested by voicemail on 803-358-7267: leave the permit number, address and inspection type. Calls are scheduled for the next business day, and you can ask for a morning or afternoon visit; otherwise the inspector comes at some point that day. Do not call inspectors directly to book. Contractors can also register under Pay Online, Building Projects to request inspections online once the Town approves the registration, which can take up to a business week.

The permit placard must be visible on site and an approved set of plans available. The Town’s inspection sheet lists rough under, footing, slab, foundation, framing, rough-in, insulation, electrical and gas, and final inspections, plus a driveway and walkway check on homes and parking lot and curb checks on commercial sites. A commercial building needs the Fire Marshal’s inspection before a certificate of occupancy is granted.

Re-inspection fees can be paid at the customer service windows on the first floor of Town Hall or by phone with Finance at 803-951-4630 (Visa, MasterCard, cash or check).

Local Lexington rules on site

• Commercial construction may run 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. at weekends.
• Builders must put water and sewer service in their own name during construction and transfer it after the certificate of occupancy.
• The Town supplies backflow preventers for residential water lines up to 1 inch, but not for irrigation systems; pressure reducing valves are needed when water pressure is above 80 psi.
• Residential driveways need 4-foot setbacks and cannot sit lower than the curb in the right-of-way.
• Broken or non-compliant sidewalks must be fixed before a certificate of occupancy is issued.
• Sewer tap and utility inspections are booked on 803-359-2434 and landscaping inspections on 803-359-1027.

South Carolina building code

Every South Carolina county and municipality enforces the 2021 South Carolina Building Codes, in force since 1 January 2023; the 2024 editions take effect statewide on 1 January 2027, and the energy code stays the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code. South Carolina building codes

Lexington permit forms and official resources

• Lexington applications and permits
• Town of Lexington Planning & Building
• Building Permit Application
• Single-Family Dwellings & Manufactured Homes application
• New Development Guide 2026 (fees and approvals)
• Inspection Sheet
• Impact Fees
• Impact fee schedule (Ordinance Exhibit A)
• Owner-Builder Form
• Non-Occupying Owner-Builder Form
• Fence permit application

Lexington building permit FAQs

Does the Town of Lexington issue its own building permits?

Yes. Planning & Building at 111 Maiden Lane issues building and trade permits inside town limits; Lexington County handles land outside them.

How much is a building permit in Lexington?

It depends on construction cost. A $300,000 house pays $1,762.65 plus $30.16 residential plan review, and a $2,548 impact fee for a new single-family home.

Can I apply online?

No. The Town takes applications by email to permits@lexsc.gov, by mail or in person; online registration is used only for inspection requests.

Do I need a permit for a fence in Lexington?

Yes. File the Town’s fence application with a site plan showing the fence and all easements.

Can a homeowner pull a permit?

Yes, with the Owner-Builder Form if you own and live in the home and stay for two years after the work; a separate form covers rental homes you own.

How fast are inspections?

Requests left on 803-358-7267 are scheduled for the next business day.

Do outside contractors need a Lexington business licence?

Yes. Contractors without an office in town buy a per-job licence, starting at $60 for the first $2,000 of the job.

Simplify Lexington permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in South Carolina. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Lexington permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.