The Roofing Book

Permitting Authorities / Marlboro County - Office of Code Enforcement (Building, Planning & Zoning)

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Unincorporated Marlboro County, SC?

Adopted code

Marlboro County - Office of Code Enforcement (Building, Planning & Zoning)

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Unincorporated Marlboro County, SC, issued by Marlboro County - Office of Code Enforcement (Building, Planning & Zoning). The County's Building Permits page states that "Permits are required for any construction and includes additions, renovations, and new constructions and must be completed by a licensed contractor," and lists "Replacing a roof" among its examples of permit work, with the line "A building permit is required for ANY type of construction, addition or renovation greater than $2,000 in valuation, or that requires an inspection." Residential permits are applied for through the County's online Residential Building Permit application; the page asks that the application be filled out "in its entirety" and gives 843-479-5602 ext. 10 for questions. The County's directory entry lists what the office needs: a completed building permit application; "Present State of South Carolina Contractor's License & Identification Card (Contractors only)"; "Signed Contract Agreement between the contractor and homeowner is a MUST. (No permit will be issued without a SIGNED contract of BOTH signatures)"; and, where the homeowner does the work personally, "an affidavit must be signed and recorded with the Clerk of Court Office." Fees are based on the job valuation ("Fees are on Valuation"), and the office accepts cash, credit card and check payable to Marlboro County. The County's permitting covers the unincorporated county and the towns of Blenheim, Tatum and Clio; "If you live in the city limits of Bennettsville (454-1907), you must contact the City Administration Offices to obtain permits.".

Roof code checklist: Unincorporated Marlboro County, SC

ItemAnswerCode citeSourceVerified
Permit to replace a roofYesmarlborocounty.sc.gov2026-09-26
Repair permit thresholdPublishedmarlborocounty.sc.gov2026-09-26
Layer limit / roof-overNot published
Deck & sheathingNot published
Drip edgeNot published
Ice & water shieldNot published
Mid-roof inspectionNot published
Impact-resistant (Class 4) roofingNot published
Wind design criteriaPublishedR301.2.1Marlboro 15.pdf2026-09-26
Adopted codePublishedSec. 6-9-10marlborocounty.sc.gov2026-09-26
Contractor license / registrationYesscstatehouse.gov2026-09-26
Sales & use taxPublishedST575.pdf2026-09-26

Each row comes from the sourced record on this page; full wording is in the table below. "Not published" means no official source for that item was found when the record was last verified.

Jurisdiction
Marlboro County, South Carolina (unincorporated)
Jurisdiction type
county
Address
105 Main Street (County Courthouse), Bennettsville, SC 29512
Contact
  • url: https://marlborocounty.sc.gov/services/building_permits.php
  • phone: 843-479-5602
Permit portal
Permit portal
Roofing permit required
Required
Contractor registration required
Required
Registration details
  • state_level: Roofing is a named Residential Specialty Contractor classification of the South Carolina Residential Builders Commission: "Roofers: the installation, alteration and repair of materials common to the residential building industry that form a watertight, weather resistant surface for roofs and decks, including all accessories, flashing, valleys, gravel stops and roof insulation panels above the roof deck." A residential specialty contractor is one who contracts to do "construction work, repairs, improvement, or reimprovement which requires special skills and involves the use of specialized construction trades or craft, when the undertakings exceed five hundred dollars" (S.C. Code Section 40-59-20(7)), and "all residential specialty contractors must be registered, by the commission" (Section 40-59-220(A)). When the total cost of materials and labor for an undertaking for an individual property owner "exceeds five thousand dollars, the residential specialty contractor shall obtain an executed bond with a surety in an amount approved by the commission" (Section 40-59-220(D)). A residential builder, one who undertakes a residential building project "when the cost of the undertaking exceeds five thousand dollars", must be licensed (Sections 40-59-20(6) and 40-59-220(A)). The permit office "shall refuse to issue a permit for an undertaking which requires licensure or registration under this chapter unless the applicant has furnished evidence that he is either licensed or registered in accordance with this chapter or exempt from the requirements of this chapter" (Section 40-59-280). Section 40-59-260 states that the chapter "does not apply to an owner of residential property who improves the property" where "the owner does the work himself, with his own employees, or with licensed contractors or registered entities or individuals" and the structure is intended for the owner's or the owner's family's occupancy and not for sale or rent, and Section 40-59-270 states that the chapter "does not apply to a person licensed under Chapter 11" for that work.
  • county_level: The County's Building Permits page states that permitted work "must be completed by a licensed contractor", and its directory entry requires contractors to "Present State of South Carolina Contractor's License & Identification Card" and a contract signed by both the contractor and the homeowner before a permit is issued. A homeowner doing the work personally signs an affidavit that "must be signed and recorded with the Clerk of Court Office." An undated County handout states: "It is the responsibility of the Contractor and Subcontractors to make sure their LLR license is current. If an unlicensed contractor is working on the site without a valid SC license, his work will be stopped. The contractor also may be fined and the permit may be placed on hold, until the contractor(s) comply with the Building and License department." The County's building pages describe no County contractor licence or registration of its own. The Building Permits page also notes that "if constructing or opening a business with Clio, a Town Business License is required"; a business licence is not a contractor credential.
Permit process note
The County's Building Permits page states that "Permits are required for any construction and includes additions, renovations, and new constructions and must be completed by a licensed contractor," and lists "Replacing a roof" among its examples of permit work, with the line "A building permit is required for ANY type of construction, addition or renovation greater than $2,000 in valuation, or that requires an inspection." Residential permits are applied for through the County's online Residential Building Permit application; the page asks that the application be filled out "in its entirety" and gives 843-479-5602 ext. 10 for questions. The County's directory entry lists what the office needs: a completed building permit application; "Present State of South Carolina Contractor's License & Identification Card (Contractors only)"; "Signed Contract Agreement between the contractor and homeowner is a MUST. (No permit will be issued without a SIGNED contract of BOTH signatures)"; and, where the homeowner does the work personally, "an affidavit must be signed and recorded with the Clerk of Court Office." Fees are based on the job valuation ("Fees are on Valuation"), and the office accepts cash, credit card and check payable to Marlboro County. The County's permitting covers the unincorporated county and the towns of Blenheim, Tatum and Clio; "If you live in the city limits of Bennettsville (454-1907), you must contact the City Administration Offices to obtain permits."
Adopted code
The County's Ordinances page, which posts the ordinances "most commonly requested by the Public", includes no building-code adopting ordinance. The County's Building, Planning & Zoning directory entry states that the Code Enforcement Office "enforces all county ordinances and state laws relating to the International Building Code(s)". The County's Building Permits page still sends applicants for additions and new construction to "Section R106 of the 2015 International Residential Code" and links a fee schedule "as adopted in June, 2017". An undated County handout hosted on the County's website, under the heading "What codes govern construction in Marlboro County?", states (read on September 26, 2026, before the January 1, 2027 date set for implementing the 2024 edition): "We currently use the 2018 edition of the International Codes (IBC, IRC, IFC, IPC, IMC, IFGC). The 2017 Edition of the NEC, and the 2009 IECC is enforced. The actual date of code edition changes is mandated by state government, so that all jurisdictions in South Carolina are consistent with which editions they are enforcing." None of these County statements names a later edition. At the state level, S.C. Code Section 6-9-10(A) requires every county to enforce the building codes the Building Codes Council adopts and provides that "The municipality or county shall enforce only the national building and safety codes provided in this chapter." The 2021 International Residential Code with South Carolina modifications (S.C. Code of Regulations 8-1200 et seq.) is the mandatory state residential code for permits applied for before January 1, 2027, the date the Building Codes Council set for local jurisdictions to implement the 2024 edition with South Carolina modifications (State Register Vol. 50, Issue 5, May 22, 2026). This record does not decide which edition the County applies to a given permit; confirm the edition with the Code Enforcement Office. The 2015 and 2018 editions' texts were not read for this record. The Council's list of approved local modifications carries no modification for Marlboro County. The one South Carolina change to the 2021 roofing chapter replaces the drip-edge section: "A drip edge shall be provided at eaves and rake edges of asphalt shingle roofs where required by the manufacturer." (Reg. 8-1228, IRC Section R905.2.8.5.)
Repair permit threshold
The County's Building Permits page states: "A building permit is required for ANY type of construction, addition or renovation greater than $2,000 in valuation, or that requires an inspection. Examples include, but are not limited to: Replacing a roof, Door & window replacements, Decks & guardrails, Structural repairs, Moving of walls, New construction". A roof replacement is listed as permit work. The County's Building, Planning & Zoning directory entry puts the line differently: "Any project on commercial or residential buildings, the value of which exceeds $2000 and/or 200 sq. ft., requires a permit." Neither statement says whether a roof repair valued at $2,000 or less is exempt, and the two statements differ on whether a 200-square-foot test also applies, so call the Code Enforcement Office at 843-479-5602 before starting a small roof repair without a permit.
Wind design criteria
South Carolina's modification to IRC Section R301.2.1 (Reg. 8-1202) provides: "Buildings and portions thereof shall be constructed in accordance with the previously published maps by the South Carolina Building Codes Council. The local building official may delineate the wind design category within their jurisdiction provided that it does not surpass those provided on the Applied Technology Council (ATC) website." The Council says its county maps for the 2021 code cycle, based on the 2015 International Residential Code, "are intended to be the primary source for defining the appropriate boundaries for wind and seismic design in South Carolina for single- and two-family dwellings." The Council's Marlboro County map shows one wind-speed line, labelled 120 MPH, running from the Great Pee Dee River in the southwest through Bennettsville and Tatum to McColl at the North Carolina line, with the note: "Wind speed, shown in miles per hour, applies at all points along the length of its corresponding (blue) line. Interpolation between wind speed lines is determined by the AHJ as permitted by Figure R301.2(4) of the International Residential Code." The same map places a strip along the northern county line in Seismic Design Category B and the rest of the County in Category C. The same state modification states: "Asphalt shingles shall be designed for wind speeds in accordance with Section R905.2.4." Confirm the design wind speed for a site away from the mapped line with the Code Enforcement Office.
Sales & use tax
8% in unincorporated Marlboro County and in each Marlboro County municipality the South Carolina Department of Revenue lists (Bennettsville, Blenheim, Clio, McColl and Tatum): 6% state sales tax plus the School District tax (code 5351) and the Local Option tax (code 1035 for the unincorporated county), per SCDOR form ST-575, South Carolina Sales Tax Rate by Municipality (Rev. 2/5/26). South Carolina taxes the roofer, not the homeowner's contract: Reg. 117-314.2 provides that building materials "when purchased by builders, contractors, or landowners for use in adding to, repairing or altering real property are subject to either the sales or use tax at the time of purchase", and its list of building materials names "roofing materials". Repair and replacement work are treated alike.

More roof permit pages in South Carolina

Unincorporated Newberry County, SCRoof permit Unincorporated Oconee County, SCRoof permit Unincorporated Orangeburg County, SCRoof permit Unincorporated Pickens County, SCRoof permit Unincorporated Richland County, SCRoof permit Roofing in South CarolinaState hub

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The Marlboro County Code Enforcement Office (Building, Planning & Zoning) issues building permits, reviews plans and makes construction inspections for the unincorporated areas of Marlboro County and for the towns of Blenheim, Tatum and Clio. Work inside the city limits of Bennettsville is permitted by the City of Bennettsville, not the County. Residential permits are applied for through the County's online application.

Hail reports near the center of Marlboro County, SC

Reports, last 24 months
0
Largest, last 24 months
None
Most recent
None in 24 months
Reports, last 5 years
1
Most recent report, last 5 years
DateHail sizeDistance
May 10, 20241.00 in2 mi NNW

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database and daily storm reports (reports since the start of the current year are preliminary), within 10 miles of the center of Marlboro County, SC. Data through Sep 30, 2026. A report is an observation, not a damage record.

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Sources

Roofing questions: Unincorporated Marlboro County, SC

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Unincorporated Marlboro County, SC?

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Unincorporated Marlboro County, SC. The County's Building Permits page states: "A building permit is required for ANY type of construction, addition or renovation greater than $2,000 in valuation, or that requires an inspection. Examples include, but are not limited to: Replacing a roof, Door & window replacements, Decks & guardrails, Structural repairs, Moving of walls, New construction". A roof replacement is listed as permit work. The County's Building, Planning & Zoning directory entry puts the line differently: "Any project on commercial or residential buildings, the value of which exceeds $2000 and/or 200 sq. ft., requires a permit." Neither statement says whether a roof repair valued at $2,000 or less is exempt, and the two statements differ on whether a 200-square-foot test also applies, so call the Code Enforcement Office at 843-479-5602 before starting a small roof repair without a permit.

Do roofing contractors need a license or registration in Unincorporated Marlboro County, SC?

Yes.

What building code does Unincorporated Marlboro County, SC use?

The County's Ordinances page, which posts the ordinances "most commonly requested by the Public", includes no building-code adopting ordinance. The County's Building, Planning & Zoning directory entry states that the Code Enforcement Office "enforces all county ordinances and state laws relating to the International Building Code(s)". The County's Building Permits page still sends applicants for additions and new construction to "Section R106 of the 2015 International Residential Code" and links a fee schedule "as adopted in June, 2017". An undated County handout hosted on the County's website, under the heading "What codes govern construction in Marlboro County?", states (read on September 26, 2026, before the January 1, 2027 date set for implementing the 2024 edition): "We currently use the 2018 edition of the International Codes (IBC, IRC, IFC, IPC, IMC, IFGC). The 2017 Edition of the NEC, and the 2009 IECC is enforced. The actual date of code edition changes is mandated by state government, so that all jurisdictions in South Carolina are consistent with which editions they are enforcing." None of these County statements names a later edition. At the state level, S.C. Code Section 6-9-10(A) requires every county to enforce the building codes the Building Codes Council adopts and provides that "The municipality or county shall enforce only the national building and safety codes provided in this chapter." The 2021 International Residential Code with South Carolina modifications (S.C. Code of Regulations 8-1200 et seq.) is the mandatory state residential code for permits applied for before January 1, 2027, the date the Building Codes Council set for local jurisdictions to implement the 2024 edition with South Carolina modifications (State Register Vol. 50, Issue 5, May 22, 2026). This record does not decide which edition the County applies to a given permit; confirm the edition with the Code Enforcement Office. The 2015 and 2018 editions' texts were not read for this record. The Council's list of approved local modifications carries no modification for Marlboro County. The one South Carolina change to the 2021 roofing chapter replaces the drip-edge section: "A drip edge shall be provided at eaves and rake edges of asphalt shingle roofs where required by the manufacturer." (Reg. 8-1228, IRC Section R905.2.8.5.)