Lexington County Building Inspection runs an online permits portal that handles applications, inspection requests and document uploads to existing projects — and publishes training documentation for it.
This Lexington County building permit guide covers what requires a permit, the online permits portal and its published training documentation, uploading documents to an existing project, the SCDES septic approval, and the municipalities running their own systems.
Scope: unincorporated Lexington County. Lexington, Cayce, West Columbia, Chapin, Irmo and others permit their own work.
Read the county's portal training first. Lexington publishes training documentation for its Online Building Permits Portal, covering applications, inspection requests and uploading documents to an existing project. That upload route is what turns a corrections round into a same-week fix.
What requires a permit in Lexington County?
Building Inspection sits within Community Development and permits unincorporated Lexington County. The county runs an Online Building Permits Portal that handles three things in one place: applying for a permit, requesting an inspection, and uploading documents to an existing project. General permit questions go to 803-785-8130.
Lexington County publishes training documentation for its own portal, which is a genuinely useful thing and rarer than it should be. Where most counties expect applicants to work the interface out, Lexington has written it down. On a first application it is worth twenty minutes.
The county sits immediately west of Columbia across the Congaree, and the municipal map is busy — the Town of Lexington, Cayce, West Columbia, Batesburg-Leesville, Chapin, Irmo, Springdale, Gaston, Pelion and Swansea among them. West Columbia runs a fully online EnerGov Customer Self Service system and requires every developer and subcontractor to hold their own portal account, so the systems differ within a few miles.
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
- Structural changes to an existing building
- Electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and gas work
- Change of use or occupancy
- Accessory structures above the local threshold
- Manufactured home placement
- Projects needing additional documents uploaded to an existing file
Typically exempt
- Painting, flooring, and cosmetic finishes
- Routine maintenance not altering structure or a regulated system
- Work inside Lexington, Cayce, West Columbia, Chapin, Irmo, or the county's other municipalities
- Like-for-like replacements not modifying a regulated system
Lexington County building department: who handles permitting
The portal's document-upload function is worth using properly. Documents can be uploaded to an existing project rather than only at application, which means a corrections round can be closed out without a new submission. Where a county offers this, using it correctly is usually the difference between a one-week and a three-week corrections cycle.
Septic is a state approval. Onsite wastewater is permitted by SCDES under Regulation 61-56, and the state approval is needed before the county can issue on a property not served by sewer. One naming point that trips up older paperwork: the combined state health and environment agency no longer exists. On 1 July 2024 it was split into the Department of Environmental Services (SCDES), which took the environmental programmes including onsite wastewater and coastal management, and the Department of Public Health (DPH). Permits issued by the predecessor agency before that date remain valid and are updated at renewal or modification, but anything issued from 1 July 2024 onward comes from SCDES. Forms, county handouts and third-party sites still naming the old agency are stale.
For work inside a municipality, check that jurisdiction's own requirements carefully. West Columbia, for example, requires the zoning application for a building permit, publishes an owner acceptance form and an owner disclosure statement, and routes zoning shortfalls to its Zoning Board of Appeals — with the caveat that a zoning approval there does not relieve any building requirement.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Authority | Lexington County Building Inspection, within Community Development |
| Portal | Online Building Permits Portal |
| Portal handles | Applications, inspection requests, and document uploads |
| Training | Published training documentation for the portal |
| Phone | 803-785-8130 for general permit questions |
| Covers | Unincorporated Lexington County |
| Municipalities running their own | Lexington, Cayce, West Columbia, Chapin, Irmo and others |
| Septic | SCDES approval under Regulation 61-56 |
💻|Read the county's portal training before your first application. Lexington publishes training documentation for its Online Building Permits Portal covering how to apply, request inspections and upload documents to an existing project. The upload route in particular is what turns a corrections round into a same-week fix.
Lexington County permits: record types and what each covers
Lexington County issues the following records through its online portal, with documents addable to an existing project after submission:
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 Lexington County
| Record | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Residential building permit | New homes, additions, and alterations |
| Commercial building permit | Commercial construction and tenant work |
| Trade permits | Electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and gas |
| Change of occupancy | Converting a building to a different use |
| Manufactured home permit | Placement and set-up |
| Demolition permit | Full or partial demolition |
| Document upload | Added to an existing project rather than a new submission |
Solar permits in Lexington 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 Lexington County is filed through the Online Building Permits Portal, where revised documents can be uploaded to the existing project rather than resubmitted if review returns comments. 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 Lexington 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 Lexington County is filed through the county's online permits portal, which also handles the inspection request and any document upload to the 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.
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.
Lexington County permit cost
Lexington 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, inspection requests and document uploads all run through the online portal.
Where the property is not served by sewer, budget the SCDES onsite wastewater application separately — it has its own fee and its own timeline, and the county cannot issue without it. Confirm current county amounts before budgeting.
| Fee component | How it works |
|---|---|
| Building permit | Per county fee schedule, by type and valuation |
| Trade permits | Electrical, mechanical, plumbing, gas charged separately |
| Portal | Applications, inspection requests, and document uploads |
| Septic | SCDES permit with its own fee and timeline |
| Municipal work | Lexington, Cayce, West Columbia and others charge their own |
| Questions | 803-785-8130 for general permit enquiries |
Want a precise number for a specific Lexington County project? Send us the scope and we will price the permit path before you file.
Lexington County trade permits
Electrical, mechanical, plumbing and gas work each need their own permit and a South Carolina licensed contractor. Four Lexington County specifics:
Use the portal's upload route
Documents can be uploaded to an existing project through the portal rather than requiring a new submission, which is what keeps a corrections round short.
Read the published training
The county publishes training documentation for the permits portal covering applications, inspection requests and uploads.
Septic comes from the state
Onsite wastewater is permitted by SCDES under Regulation 61-56, and the state approval gates county issuance on any property not served by sewer.
Check municipal account rules separately
West Columbia's EnerGov portal requires all developers and subcontractors to hold their own accounts. County registration does not carry across municipal lines.
Lexington County permit application: how to apply step by step
Here is how to get a building permit in Lexington County, from confirming the requirement through to close-out. Each step below corresponds to a real decision point where projects commonly stall.
The Town of Lexington, Cayce, West Columbia, Chapin, Irmo and others permit their own work. Building Inspection covers the unincorporated county.
The county publishes training material for the Online Building Permits Portal. Working through it before the first application saves a cycle.
On a property not on sewer, the SCDES onsite wastewater permit under Regulation 61-56 is required before the county can issue.
The portal handles the application, inspection requests and document uploads for the project in one place.
Where review returns comments, upload the revised documents to the existing project rather than starting a new submission.
Keep the permit and approved plans on site through to Certificate of Occupancy. General questions go to 803-785-8130.
Inspections in Lexington County
Inspections are requested through the county's Online Building Permits Portal, which also handles applications and document uploads. Typical checkpoints follow the adopted code sequence through footing and foundation, trade rough-ins, framing, insulation and final.
Septic sign-off is a state gate. Where there is no public or community sewer, the septic approval gates the building permit outright — SCDES states plainly that without its permits your county will not be able to issue a building permit. Onsite wastewater systems are permitted under Regulation 61-56, installers are licensed by SCDES in three tiers, and a final inspection (or a licensed installer's self-inspection filed within two business days) is required before the system is covered and an Approval to Operate is issued.
The adopted codes change on 1 January 2027, when the 2024 editions and the 2023 National Electrical Code take effect statewide. Work does not get re-reviewed against a code that arrived mid-project. Where a completed building permit application was approved before the implementation date, the work may be completed and inspected under the code in effect when the original permit was issued. The date that matters is the approval of a complete application — an incomplete one sitting in the queue on 31 December 2026 does not hold the old code.
Keep the permit and approved plans on site throughout, and use the portal's upload-to-project route rather than resubmitting.
Lexington County permit search and official resources
Lexington County publishes its permits portal and training documentation through Community Development, with the municipalities publishing separately.
- Lexington County building permits
- City of West Columbia building permits
- City of Columbia Planning and Development
- SCDES septic and onsite wastewater
- SC LLR licence verification
- SC Building Codes Council
Frequently asked questions
Who issues building permits in unincorporated Lexington County, SC?
Lexington County Building Inspection, within Community Development. Applications, inspection requests and document uploads all run through the county's Online Building Permits Portal. General questions go to 803-785-8130.
Can I upload documents after applying?
Yes. The portal allows documents to be uploaded to an existing project, so a corrections round can be closed without starting a new submission.
Is there guidance on using the portal?
Yes. Lexington County publishes training documentation for the Online Building Permits Portal, covering applications, inspection requests and uploads.
Which municipalities permit their own work?
The Town of Lexington, Cayce, West Columbia, Batesburg-Leesville, Chapin, Irmo, Springdale, Gaston, Pelion and Swansea among others. The county covers the unincorporated areas.
Does my county portal account work in West Columbia?
No. West Columbia runs a separate EnerGov Customer Self Service portal, and requires all developers and subcontractors to have their own accounts to represent themselves or their company.
Who approves septic in Lexington County?
The SC Department of Environmental Services, under Regulation 61-56. SCDES states that without its permits your county will not be able to issue a building permit.
My forms name the old health and environment agency — is that still right?
No. The combined health and environment agency was split on 1 July 2024. Its environmental programmes, including onsite wastewater, moved to SCDES, and public health moved to DPH. Permits issued before that date remain valid and are updated at renewal.
What is the contractor licensing threshold in South Carolina?
Greater than ten thousand dollars in total cost of construction for general and mechanical contracting, under S.C. Code Ann. section 40-11-30 — raised from five thousand dollars in 2023. Residential building is five thousand and residential specialty five hundred.
Does the licence have to be in place before bidding?
Yes. An awarding authority, owner, contractor or agent may not consider a bid, sign a contract, or let work begin unless the contractor already holds the required licence, and a bid submitted without one may not be reconsidered later.
Which building code does Lexington County enforce?
The South Carolina Building Codes as adopted with state modifications by the SC Building Codes Council. The 2021 editions are in force now.
When do the 2024 codes take effect?
1 January 2027, statewide. The Council adopted the 2024 editions and the 2023 National Electrical Code in August 2025.
What happens to a permit issued before the change?
Where a completed building permit application was approved before the implementation date, the work may be completed and inspected under the code in effect when the original permit was issued.
Simplify Lexington County permitting with Alliance Permitting
Lexington gives you the tools and documents them. The value is in using the upload-to-project route properly and not assuming one portal account covers the Midlands.
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Contractors and builders choose Alliance for Lexington County because the work is done by people who have stood at the counter:
- Right authority — unincorporated county or one of the municipalities, resolved from the parcel.
- Short corrections cycles — revised documents uploaded to the existing project rather than resubmitted.
- Right accounts — separate portal registrations held where a municipality runs its own system with its own rules.
- Complete oversight — every Lexington 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 Lexington County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.