The City of Charleston’s Permit Center has the following modified operations until further notice in response to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic.

The Permit Center is open Monday through Friday (excluding holidays) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for limited in-person services to the public as follows:

• Drop-off only for paper plans, applications, submittals
• Pick-up only approved plans and permits
• General consultation only – Zoning, BAR, Fire Marshal, or Building Inspections staff will NOT be available to the public
• Same-day permits are NOT available
• Business license renewals are available
• Drop-off only for new business license applications

Please note when visiting the Permit Center:

• Members of the public are required to wear face coverings when entering.  Masks are available.
• Meetings with staff  by appointment only. Customers must call or e-mail the appropriate city staff members directly to schedule meetings
• Applicants are encouraged to have all appropriate applications completed prior to entering the Permit Center.

For All Other Permit Center Services:

• All permit applications, construction documents, and plans must be submitted via permits@charleston-sc.gov.
• We are only accepting .pdf format files. Any links, JPEG files, embedded documents, or other file types are not accepted.
• To successfully receive a permit, applicants must have a CAP account.  Please register through The City’s Customer Access Portal (CAP).
• Paper documents are not accepted; this includes parcel deliveries.
• The information on this page is subject to change at any time, so we encourage our customers to review often.

Digital Permit Submittals

• Please consider delaying submittal until the City resumes normal operations if your permit submittal can wait.
• The City is accepting digital (.pdf files) development and construction related permit applications and construction documents for processing.  Please see below for specific permit guidance. 
• All permit applications, construction documents, and plans must be submitted via permits@charleston-sc.gov.
• The City is only accepting attached .PDF file format documents.  We will not open any links, JPEG files, embedded documents, etc.
• No paper documents are accepted; this includes parcel deliveries.
• If your permit submittal can wait, please consider delaying submittal until the City resumes normal operations.
• All digital permit submittals must be accompanied by the appropriate application.
  • Building Permit Application
  • New Single Family Permit Packet
  • Sub-Permit Application
  • Fire Permit Applications
  • Engineering Permit Applications
  • Planning & Preservation Applications
  • Encroachment  Process & Information 
• Once the permit application is approved, an e-mail notification will be sent to the applicant advising them on payment and printing the permit placards (if applicable).  

Payments

• Permit payments can only be accepted via our Customer Access Portal (CAP).  
• Apply for a CAP account, see “CAP Registration”.
• Once the permit application is approved, the applicant will receive an e-mail notification to log in to their CAP account to pay for the permit. Once the permit is paid, permit status will be updated to ‘Issued’ in 1 – 2 business days.
• Once the permit status is ‘Issued’, the applicant can log into their CAP account, print the permit placard for display at the project site, and work can commence. Click here for instructions for printing permit placards.
• Business and Hospitality License renewal payments options
  • Mail to P.O. BOX 22009, Charleston SC 29413
  • Submit through our Citizen Access Portal

Inspections

• Building, Fire, Zoning, BAR/DRB, and Engineering inspections will continue, when practical, based on guidance from Center for Disease Control (CDC), South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), and City leadership.
• City deemed non-critical inspections and inspections of existing occupied structures may be deferred or delayed.
• The City will not inspect buildings and structures that have 3 or more people congregated in enclosed areas. 
• The City inspector may ask for occupants to vacate in order to conduct the inspection
• The City inspector may ask for the inspection to be rescheduled when the areas/buildings are cleared of occupants
• For more information, visit:
• 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

Business License
Renewal business licenses and hospitality payment options:

• Mail to P.O. BOX 22009, Charleston SC 29413
• Submit through our Citizen Access Portal

New business license applications, please email hamiltoni@charleston-sc.gov

Contact Us
Please contact us if you have questions or need guidance:

• permits@charleston-sc.gov
• 843.577.5550