Digital permit application gateway
Start with the issuing authority’s own submission lane. A complete application package, accurate valuation, and accessible inspection path are the fastest route through statutory plan review.
Recommended first click
Use the official digital gateway to submit plans, monitor review comments, pay required charges, and request inspections when the permit is issued. If the link is unavailable, use the agency website or phone number on the administrative profile to confirm the current lane.
Typical review lane
Residential one- and two-family plan review: approximately 5-7 days; new commercial buildings or additions: allow approximately 20 days for review.
Treat this as a planning signal, not a guaranteed approval date. Completeness, corrections, resubmittals, and agency workload control the actual clock.
Verify the parcel is inside this agency’s service area and note whether a city, state, fire marshal, septic authority, or utility district also has approval authority.
Prepare legible plans, site information, project valuation, ownership authorization, contractor information, and any energy, floodplain, zoning, or utility documentation the issuing office requires.
Keep the permit number, approved plan set, correction comments, fee receipts, and inspection results together. Those records establish the compliance trail for the next trade.
Application documents
Before submission, call 843-915-5090; 843-915-6090 if the project involves a change of occupancy, structural alteration, accessory structure, demolition, or work near a regulated environmental feature.
Source trail
Use these direct agency or licensing links to confirm current instructions before you file, pay, or schedule work. External pages control if their information differs from this directory.
Project questions
This record is marked Municipal Fallback. Confirm whether a city, state agency, or other local authority controls the parcel before filing.
Begin with the online permit gateway listed in the application guide. If the portal does not recognize the address or project type, contact 843-915-5090; 843-915-6090.
Residential one- and two-family plan review: approximately 5-7 days; new commercial buildings or additions: allow approximately 20 days for review.
Use the Horry County Online Portal for inspection scheduling for Residential New, Residential Alteration, Residential Repair, Residential Townhouse, and Mobile Home New permits. For all other work classes, call 843-915-5090. The county requires the permit before work and additional review materials for floodplain projects; residential plans generally require five to seven days for review.
Horry County lists South Carolina's mandatory 2021 code cycle: 2021 South Carolina/International Building, Residential, Fire, Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, Existing Building, and Swimming Pool and Spa Codes with SC modifications; 2020 National Electrical Code with SC modifications; 2009 International Energy Conservation Code; and the latest ICC/ANSI A117.1 accessibility standard. Horry County publishes a detailed R105.2/A105.2 list. Residential exemptions include qualifying one-story detached accessory buildings up to 200 square feet (zoning compliance still required), fences up to 7 feet, retaining walls up to 4 feet without surcharge, at-grade water tanks up to 5,000 gallons within the height/width ratio, sidewalks and driveways, painting/papering/tiling/carpeting/cabinets/countertops and similar finish work, prefabricated pools under 24 inches, swings/playground equipment, qualifying wall awnings, and detached decks up to 200 square feet and 30 inches above grade. Minor electrical, portable gas/mechanical equipment, and specified plumbing leak/stoppage repairs are also exempt; commercial accessory-building limits differ.
What makes an application complete
Before you click submit, make sure the drawings agree with the site plan, project description, valuation, ownership authorization, and contractor information. If the work changes structure, occupancy, drainage, fire protection, energy performance, or utility demand, describe that scope plainly. Ambiguous narratives create correction cycles and delay the field schedule.
Save the confirmation number, payment receipt, uploaded plan set, and every correction comment. Those records are the backbone of a defensible compliance file when multiple trades or agencies share responsibility.
Submission quality check
Site: address, parcel, access, setbacks, and existing conditions are consistent.
Scope: structural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, fire, and energy work is identified.
Closeout: inspection contacts and the final approval path are understood before work begins.