Click here for clickable and printable version

Footnote Links:

1 : Applications and Guidelines

2: Charleston Customer Self Service (CSS) 

3: Business License

Click here for clickable and printable version

Footnote links: 

1: Customer Self Service Portal (CSS)

2: Certificate of Construction Completion (CCC)

Click here for clickable and printable version

Footnote Links: 

1: Business License (BL)

2: Customer Self Service Portal (CSS)

3: Certificate of Occupancy (CO)

Permits available for online submittal:

*Please note we are working to get more permit types available for online submittal. Refer to our Applications and Guidelines page for a comprehensive list of permit types, applications, and submittal guidelines. If you do not see your necessary permit type below, the submittal will need to be emailed in to permits@charleston-sc.gov for processing.

• Commercial: New, Alteration, and Addition
• Multi-Family: New, Alteration and Addition
• Residential: New, Alteration and Addition
• Swimming Pool: Commercial and Residential
• Fence: Commercial and Residential
• Roofing: Commercial and Residential
• Solar Panel: Commercial and Residential
• Fuel Gas: Commercial, Residential, and Sub-trade
• Plumbing: Commercial, Residential, and Sub-trade
• Demolition: Complete, Partial, Interior/nonstructural
• Fire Alarm/ Fire Alarm Quick
• Fire Tent
• Painting
• Sign
• Mobile Food Vendor
• Certificate of Occupancy

How to Navigate Customer Self Service Portal (CSS)

Confirm your address is within city limits by searching it using this Interactive GIS map tool.

• Other helpful mapping tools can be found on the city GIS page.

If the address is not populating within the city map, please utilize these GIS services from other jurisdictions:

• Charleston County GIS
• Berkely County GIS

Walk-in Hours:

• Monday through Friday (except City observed holidays)
• 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• If you can't make our walk-in hours, please know you can submit permits or questions 24/7 through CSS or permits@charleston-sc.gov.

Monthly Trainings:

• Close at 2:45 p.m. on the 4th Tuesday each month

2026 City Holiday Schedule:

Permit Center Stations

• 1-4 : Permit Technicians
  • Sub trade submittals
  • Engineering Permits (sidewalk blocking, driveway & sidewalk installation)
• 5 : Board of Architectural Review (BAR)
  • Exterior work in designated areas
  • BAR board questions (submittals, conditions, etc.)
  • Vertical files
  • Survey cards
• 6 : Revenue Collections/Business License
  • Take payments
  • Issue permits
  • Apply or renew Business License
• 7 : Zoning
  • Site plans
  • Short term rental
  • Tree removal
  • Property usage
  • BZA-Z
  • Sidewalk dining
• 8 : Fire Marshal 
  • Questions about code, Late night entertainment, Mobile food vendors
• 9 : Building Inspections (BID)
  • Building code questions
  • Inspections questions
  • Flood zone
  • Substantial Improvement
• 11-13 : Development & Construction Services Coordinators
  • Answer general permitting questions
  • Initiate and revise standalone permits (Residential & Commercial)
  • Initiate Certificate of Occupancy (Applied for online through CSS)
  • Process Certificate of Construction Completion
• Suite 1700 (Back suite in Permit Center)
  • Revenue Collections 
    • Take payments
    • Issue permits
  • Business License
    • Apply or renew Business License
• Suite 2100 (2nd floor suite across the catwalk)
  • Development Services 
    • Encroachment agreements
    •  Plat submittal

These are permits that have the possibility of receiving over-the-counter in-person approval if submitted and walked through the Permit Center from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., however approval is never a guarantee.

Approvals are possible given they are complete submittals, there are no Substantial Improvement Issues, no Historic Charleston Foundation Easements, no Preservation Society of Charleston Easements, or any other issues that might not be readily apparent. Any caveats to these approvals are included under the specific permit type below.

If address under BAR purview, CLICK HERE for specific quick review permits. 

• Fences (Residential & Commercial)
• Paint (Residential & Commercial)
• In-Kind window replacement, minor wood rot repair/siding replacement (Residential & Commercial)
• Roof (Residential & Commercial)
• Generators (Residential)
• Interior/non-structural Demo (Residential)
• Solar Panels (Residential)
• Deck (Residential)
  • No roof
• Pool (Residential)
  • Not in BAR/DRB
  • In-Ground only - no raised pools
  • Not in a flood zone
• Standalone Trades (Residential & Commercial)
  • Repairs and in-kind replacements only for Commercial
• Sidewalk blocking
  • Not in any main corridors downtown
• Construction Trailer 
  • Temporary

• City staff does not receive notifications when new documents get uploaded through CSS, please notify us at permits@charleston-sc.gov to avoid processing delays if you upload supplemental documents through the portal.
• Our City policy dictates that we only accept .pdf format files. Any links, JPEG files, embedded documents, or other file types are not accepted.
• Online permit submittals are processed in priority order before any submittals received via email. 

Development and Construction Services

• permits@charleston-sc.gov
• 843-577-5550 

Physical address

• 2 George Street Ground Floor, Charleston, SC 29401

• Permit payments are made through Customer Self Service (CSS) portal.
• A CSS account is not required to pay for permits. A search of the invoice number will allow for payment.
• Once the permit application is approved, the billing contact associated with the contact in our system will receive an e-mail notification that an invoice has been created. Once the permit is paid, the permit status will automatically update to ‘Issued’ the midnight following payment.
• Once the permit status is ‘Issued’, the contacts can log into their CSS account, print the permit placard for display at the project site, and work can commence.
• Please check under the 'Applications & Guidelines' page for available fee schedules.

• Building Inspections Division for building, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fuel-gas inspections
• Fire Marshals Division for fire-related permit inspections
• Engineering Division for engineering and right-of-way inspections
• DRB/BAR Division-related inspections