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 plan review and permit issuance: up to five days, according to the county's residential plan-review requirements; commercial timing is N/A.
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 803-483-3195 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 803-483-3195.
Residential plan review and permit issuance: up to five days, according to the county's residential plan-review requirements; commercial timing is N/A.
Use the Evolve portal to request, cancel, and view scheduled or completed inspections, or contact Lee County Planning at 803-483-3195. The portal supports residential, commercial, electrical, mechanical, gas, plumbing, demolition, fire-system and sign permits. Do not begin work before the permit is issued.
For 2026, Lee County's adopted South Carolina code cycle is the 2021 International Building, Residential, Mechanical, Plumbing, Fire, Fuel Gas and related codes with South Carolina amendments; 2020 National Electrical Code with SC amendments; 2017 ICC/ANSI A117.1 accessibility standard; and 2009 International Energy Conservation Code. The county adopted these codes for inspection and enforcement, subject to the effective editions established by the South Carolina Building Codes Council. N/A (the county's public requirements sheet refers to contractor exemptions and owner-builder permitting but does not enumerate a complete local minor-work exemption list; confirm any statutory South Carolina code exemption with Lee County Planning before starting work)
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.