Unincorporated Sumter County

Sumter County requires building permits for construction, structural work, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, gas work, and mobile/manufactured home installations in unincorporated areas. The county ordinances (Chapter 8) set the permit triggers.

Note: No comprehensive county exemption list was posted on the Sumter County building pages reviewed. Confirm code-based exemptions directly with the Building Department before treating work as exempt.

Building code

Sumter County has adopted the 2021 International Building Code and 2021 International Residential Code with South Carolina statewide amendments, effective January 1, 2023. The 2020 NEC and ICC A117.1-2017 are also in effect.

Owner-builder

Homeowners may perform work on their primary residence if the home is listed as their primary residence in Sumter County Tax Records and they have lived there for at least 2 years (state requirement). An Owner/Builder Affidavit must be recorded with the Sumter County Register of Deeds.

Contractor requirements

All building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and gas work not performed by a qualifying homeowner must be performed by a South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation licensed contractor. Verify licenses at https://www.llr.state.sc.us. Contractors also need a Sumter County Business License.

1. 01
   Obtain a signed contract between the property owner and contractor, clearly stating labor and material costs.
2. 02
   Download the required building permit application form for the county from the Planning/Building Department.
3. 03
   If applying as an owner-builder (homeowner on primary residence), complete the Owner/Builder Affidavit and record it with the Sumter County Register of Deeds before obtaining the permit. State regulations require the homeowner to have owned and lived in the home for at least 2 years.
4. 04
   Prepare construction documents appropriate to the project scope (residential, commercial, mobile/manufactured home, etc.).
5. 05
   Submit the application, signed contract, and supporting documents in person at the Sumter City-County Building Department, 12 West Liberty Street, Sumter, SC 29150 (Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5:00pm).
6. 06
   Pay the permit fee according to the county fee schedule.
7. 07
   Once issued, post the permit and schedule inspections by calling (803) 774-1634.

Source: Sumter County Building Inspections / Sumter City-County Building Department ↗

Contact Debbie Rauch at (803) 774-1617 (residential) or Woody Avins at (803) 774-1627 (commercial) for current fee structure. The City-County Building Department is located in the Liberty Center.

• (803) 774-1634 (phone)

Scheduling deadline

Inspection requests received before 3 p.m. on any workday are scheduled for the next workday if the load permits. Requests after 3 p.m. or same-day requests are handled on a case-by-case basis.

Inspection hours

Monday-Friday

Typical sequence: The county does not publish a detailed master sequence on its main pages. Standard inspections follow permit issuance (e.g., footing, foundation, framing, rough-in, final).

Source: Sumter County Building Inspections / Sumter City-County Building Department ↗