The Roofing Book

Permitting Authorities / Orangeburg County - Permitting and Inspections Department

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

Adopted code

Orangeburg County - Permitting and Inspections Department

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Unincorporated Orangeburg County, SC, issued by Orangeburg County - Permitting and Inspections Department. Apply to the Permitting and Inspections Department on the County's Residential Building Permit/Plan Review Application, checking "Roofing" as the type of permit and giving the total estimated cost or contract price, materials and labor. The contractor section asks for the contractor's "SCLLR #" and its expiration date, and the form warns: "Failure to complete the contractor information above will result in an automatic assumption that the owner will be serving as the contractor". The permit fee for alterations and repairs is set on the value of the work: $50.00 for "$1,000.00 or less requiring an inspection" and $5.00 "On each additional $1,000.00 or fraction there of", plus a residential plan review fee of "25% of Permit Fees" (County Code Section 6-14.2). The building official "has the authority to request documentation supporting the value shown on the application prior to issuing a permit." The permit must be kept at the job and shown to the building official on demand (Section 6-15(b)). Work started without a required permit pays a doubled fee (Section 6-18).

Roof code checklist: Unincorporated Orangeburg County, SC

ItemAnswerCode citeSourceVerified
Permit to replace a roofYesorangeburgcounty.org2026-09-26
Repair permit thresholdPublishedlibrary.municode.com2026-09-26
Layer limit / roof-overPublishedR908.3.1.1codes.iccsafe.org2026-09-26
Deck & sheathingPublishedR8032021-Code-Modifications.pdf2026-09-26
Drip edgeNot published
Ice & water shieldNolibrary.municode.com2026-09-26
Mid-roof inspectionNot published
Impact-resistant (Class 4) roofingNolibrary.municode.com2026-09-26
Wind design criteriaPublishedR301.2.1library.municode.com2026-09-26
Adopted codePublished§ 6-9-10library.municode.com2026-09-26
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
Orangeburg County, South Carolina (unincorporated)
Jurisdiction type
county
Address
1437 Amelia Street, Orangeburg, SC 29115
Contact
  • url: https://www.orangeburgcounty.org/223/Permits-Inspections
  • phone: 803-533-6173
  • email: [email protected]
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: Orangeburg County's residential permit application asks for the contractor's "SCLLR #" and its expiration date. It states: "Homeowners may obtain permits for residential work only. A homeowner affidavit must also be completed". No County contractor licence or registration of its own appears in the County's building chapter (Chapter 6, read in full); its licensing sections reach only manufactured-home and modular-home businesses.
Permit process note
Apply to the Permitting and Inspections Department on the County's Residential Building Permit/Plan Review Application, checking "Roofing" as the type of permit and giving the total estimated cost or contract price, materials and labor. The contractor section asks for the contractor's "SCLLR #" and its expiration date, and the form warns: "Failure to complete the contractor information above will result in an automatic assumption that the owner will be serving as the contractor". The permit fee for alterations and repairs is set on the value of the work: $50.00 for "$1,000.00 or less requiring an inspection" and $5.00 "On each additional $1,000.00 or fraction there of", plus a residential plan review fee of "25% of Permit Fees" (County Code Section 6-14.2). The building official "has the authority to request documentation supporting the value shown on the application prior to issuing a permit." The permit must be kept at the job and shown to the building official on demand (Section 6-15(b)). Work started without a required permit pays a doubled fee (Section 6-18).
Adopted code
Orangeburg County Code Section 6-14, as rewritten by Ordinance No. 2025-09-15-25 (third reading September 15, 2025), provides: "In compliance with S.C. Code Ann. § 6-9-10 (1976, as amended), the County of Orangeburg shall enforce the following codes with South Carolina modifications", listing among them the "2024 Edition of the International Residential Code", and Section 6-14(b) adopts Chapter 1 (Administration) of those codes. The ordinance recites that the Building Codes Council "has updated the list of code versions to be used to regulate building construction in the State effective as of January 1, 2026" and provides: "This ordinance shall become effective on January 1, 2026." The County's only amendments to the residential code insert the County's name in R101.1, its own climatic and design criteria in Table R301.2(1), and a plumbing depth in P2603.5.1; none touches the roofing chapter. 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). The County's ordinance and the Council's notice give different dates, and this record does not decide which edition applies to a given permit; ask the Department which edition your permit is reviewed under. The Council's list of approved local modifications carries no modification for Orangeburg County. The one South Carolina change to the roofing chapter, in both editions' modifications, 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." (2021: Reg. 8-1228; 2024: Reg. 8-1235; IRC Section R905.2.8.5.) The County's building chapter (Chapter 6, read in full) contains no roofing provision of its own.
Ice & water shield
Not required — Orangeburg County's own climatic and geographic design criteria table, Attachment 1 to Ordinance No. 2025-09-15-25 (Table R301.2), enters "NO" in its column for ice barrier underlayment required. The table was enacted with the County's 2024 code adoption, effective January 1, 2026. Neither edition's South Carolina modifications add an ice barrier requirement. About ice & water barrier
Impact-resistant roofing
Not required — Neither Orangeburg County's building chapter (Chapter 6, including Section 6-14 as rewritten by Ordinance No. 2025-09-15-25) nor the South Carolina modifications to the 2021 or the 2024 International Residential Code amends the roofing chapter's impact provisions, and the Building Codes Council lists no approved modification for the County; no UL 2218 or Class 4 impact requirement appears in the County's adopted code or its amendments.
Repair permit threshold
Orangeburg County's permit section, County Code Section 6-15(a), requires anyone who desires "to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, improve, or otherwise change a building or structure" to "first make application to the building official and obtain an appropriate permit, except that in the case of emergency repairs (as defined by the codes referenced in section 6-14 of this chapter), repairs may commence immediately and a permit may be subsequently obtained." The County's Residential Building Permit application lists "Roofing" as its own permit type beside Building, Plumbing, Electrical, Mechanical and Solar, so a reroof is permit work. Neither the County Code nor the County's fee schedule sets a square-footage or dollar figure below which a small roof repair needs no permit; the smallest fee line is "$1,000.00 or less requiring an inspection" at $50.00. Ask the Permitting and Inspections Department before starting a patch job. Work started before a required permit pays a doubled fee (Section 6-18).
Wind design criteria
Orangeburg County's own climatic and geographic design criteria table, Attachment 1 to Ordinance No. 2025-09-15-25 (Table R301.2, drawn up on the 2024 International Residential Code), enters a wind speed of "116/131" miles per hour, "NO" for topographic effects, "NO" for special wind region and "NO" for windborne debris zone, and Seismic Design Category "C-D1". Under the 2024 table's own footnote the speed is the ultimate design wind speed and "Wind exposure category shall be determined on a site-specific basis". South Carolina's modification to IRC Section R301.2.1 for the 2021 code (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's Orangeburg County map for that cycle shows a 120 MPH line and a 130 MPH line crossing the County, 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)(A) of the 2015 International Residential Code." The same modification states: "Asphalt shingles shall be designed for wind speeds in accordance with Section R905.2.4." Confirm the design wind speed for the site with the Permitting and Inspections Department.
Roof layer limit / recover
Two layers maximum under either edition the County's and the state's instruments name. The 2021 International Residential Code, Section R908.3.1.1 Roof recover not allowed, bars a roof recover "Where the existing roof has two or more applications of any type of roof covering", as well as where the existing roof or covering is water soaked or deteriorated to the point it is not an adequate base, or is slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile. The 2024 edition carries the same three conditions in the Exceptions to Section R908.4 Roof recover. Neither edition's South Carolina modifications change the reroofing section, and Orangeburg County's building chapter (Chapter 6, read in full) adds no reroofing rule of its own.
Deck & sheathing requirements
Neither the South Carolina modifications to the 2021 or the 2024 International Residential Code nor Orangeburg County's building chapter (Chapter 6, read in full, including Section 6-14 as rewritten by Ordinance No. 2025-09-15-25) amends the roof sheathing provisions (Section R803), so the base code's roof sheathing provisions apply unmodified. The County publishes no roof-deck rule of its own.
Sales & use tax
7% in unincorporated Orangeburg County and in the Orangeburg County towns the South Carolina Department of Revenue lists (among them Bowman, Branchville, Elloree, Eutawville, Holly Hill, North, Santee, Springfield and the City of Orangeburg): 6% state sales tax plus the 1% Orangeburg County Capital Projects tax (code 1038 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 Pickens County, SCRoof permit Unincorporated Richland County, SCRoof permit Unincorporated Saluda County, SCRoof permit Unincorporated Spartanburg County, SCRoof permit Unincorporated Sumter County, SCRoof permit Roofing in South CarolinaState hub

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The Orangeburg County Permitting and Inspections Department issues building permits and makes building inspections for unincorporated Orangeburg County, enforcing the building codes the County adopts under state law. The County's building chapter is Chapter 6 of the County Code, the Buildings Code Ordinance of Orangeburg County.

Hail reports near the center of Orangeburg County, SC

Reports, last 24 months
1
Largest, last 24 months
1.00 in May 29, 2025
Most recent
May 29, 2025 1.00 in
Reports, last 5 years
4
4 most recent reports, last 5 years
DateHail sizeDistance
May 29, 20251.00 in8 mi NE
May 9, 20230.70 in9 mi SE
May 21, 20220.25 in9 mi NW
Mar 16, 20221.00 in6 mi NE

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 Orangeburg County, SC. Data through Sep 30, 2026. A report is an observation, not a damage record.

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Sources

Roofing questions: Unincorporated Orangeburg County, SC

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

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Unincorporated Orangeburg County, SC. Orangeburg County's permit section, County Code Section 6-15(a), requires anyone who desires "to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, improve, or otherwise change a building or structure" to "first make application to the building official and obtain an appropriate permit, except that in the case of emergency repairs (as defined by the codes referenced in section 6-14 of this chapter), repairs may commence immediately and a permit may be subsequently obtained." The County's Residential Building Permit application lists "Roofing" as its own permit type beside Building, Plumbing, Electrical, Mechanical and Solar, so a reroof is permit work. Neither the County Code nor the County's fee schedule sets a square-footage or dollar figure below which a small roof repair needs no permit; the smallest fee line is "$1,000.00 or less requiring an inspection" at $50.00. Ask the Permitting and Inspections Department before starting a patch job. Work started before a required permit pays a doubled fee (Section 6-18).

Is ice & water shield required in Unincorporated Orangeburg County, SC?

No. Orangeburg County's own climatic and geographic design criteria table, Attachment 1 to Ordinance No. 2025-09-15-25 (Table R301.2), enters "NO" in its column for ice barrier underlayment required. The table was enacted with the County's 2024 code adoption, effective January 1, 2026. Neither edition's South Carolina modifications add an ice barrier requirement.

Can you roof over an existing roof in Unincorporated Orangeburg County, SC?

Two layers maximum under either edition the County's and the state's instruments name. The 2021 International Residential Code, Section R908.3.1.1 Roof recover not allowed, bars a roof recover "Where the existing roof has two or more applications of any type of roof covering", as well as where the existing roof or covering is water soaked or deteriorated to the point it is not an adequate base, or is slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile. The 2024 edition carries the same three conditions in the Exceptions to Section R908.4 Roof recover. Neither edition's South Carolina modifications change the reroofing section, and Orangeburg County's building chapter (Chapter 6, read in full) adds no reroofing rule of its own.

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

Yes.

What building code does Unincorporated Orangeburg County, SC use?

Orangeburg County Code Section 6-14, as rewritten by Ordinance No. 2025-09-15-25 (third reading September 15, 2025), provides: "In compliance with S.C. Code Ann. § 6-9-10 (1976, as amended), the County of Orangeburg shall enforce the following codes with South Carolina modifications", listing among them the "2024 Edition of the International Residential Code", and Section 6-14(b) adopts Chapter 1 (Administration) of those codes. The ordinance recites that the Building Codes Council "has updated the list of code versions to be used to regulate building construction in the State effective as of January 1, 2026" and provides: "This ordinance shall become effective on January 1, 2026." The County's only amendments to the residential code insert the County's name in R101.1, its own climatic and design criteria in Table R301.2(1), and a plumbing depth in P2603.5.1; none touches the roofing chapter. 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). The County's ordinance and the Council's notice give different dates, and this record does not decide which edition applies to a given permit; ask the Department which edition your permit is reviewed under. The Council's list of approved local modifications carries no modification for Orangeburg County. The one South Carolina change to the roofing chapter, in both editions' modifications, 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." (2021: Reg. 8-1228; 2024: Reg. 8-1235; IRC Section R905.2.8.5.) The County's building chapter (Chapter 6, read in full) contains no roofing provision of its own.