The Roofing Book

Permitting Authorities / Richland County - Building Permitting and Inspections Department

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

Adopted code

Richland County - Building Permitting and Inspections Department

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Unincorporated Richland County, SC, issued by Richland County - Building Permitting and Inspections Department. The Department's Building Permits page states that "Permitting is responsible for issuing permits for commercial and residential work for any new construction, reconstruction, alteration, repair, movement and setup of a building to another site, and removal or demolition of any building", and tells homeowners: "Step 1. Contact the Building Permitting Office to determine if your project will require a permit." Licensed contractors apply through the County's eTRAKiT online contractor program; owner-builders apply in person at the permitting counter, where "Online application is not available at this time", and review "May take up to 14 days for approval". The eTRAKiT portal states that an updated fee schedule is "in effect as of July 9, 2025". State law requires the permit office to see evidence of the contractor's Residential Builders Commission registration or licence, or of an exemption, before it issues the permit. Call 803-576-2140 before a reroof to confirm what the County requires and that the property is in its jurisdiction.

Roof code checklist: Unincorporated Richland County, SC

ItemAnswerCode citeSourceVerified
Permit to replace a roofYeswww7.richlandcountysc.gov2026-09-26
Repair permit thresholdPublishedwww7.richlandcountysc.gov2026-09-26
Layer limit / roof-overPublishedR908.3.1.1codes.iccsafe.org2026-09-26
Deck & sheathingPublishedR803www7.richlandcountysc.gov2026-09-26
Drip edgeNot published
Ice & water shieldNot published
Mid-roof inspectionNot published
Impact-resistant (Class 4) roofingNowww7.richlandcountysc.gov2026-09-26
Wind design criteriaPublishedR301.2.1Richland 15.pdf2026-09-26
Adopted codePublishedSec. 6-82www7.richlandcountysc.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
Richland County, South Carolina (unincorporated)
Jurisdiction type
county
Address
2020 Hampton Street, Columbia, SC 29204
Contact
  • url: https://www.richlandcountysc.gov/Government/Organization/Departments/Building-Permitting-and-Inspections
  • phone: 803-576-2140
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), and "all residential specialty contractors must be registered, by the commission" (Section 40-59-220(A)). When the cost of an undertaking for an individual property owner "exceeds five thousand dollars, the residential specialty contractor must obtain an executed bond" (Section 40-59-220). A residential builder, one who constructs or superintends the "construction, repair, improvement, or reimprovement of a residential building" when "the cost of the undertaking exceeds five thousand dollars", must be licensed (Sections 40-59-20 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 for the owner's or the owner's family's own 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: Richland County's Building Permits page states that "Licensed Residential Contractors will be required to use our Online Contractor’s Program for their permitting applications" (eTRAKiT), and that a homeowner acting as owner-builder must apply in person and bring "Names and License numbers of any sub-contractors hired to complete work on your project." Owner-builders "are required to fill out a Statement of Disclosure", and "This document prevents the owner from selling or renting the home for a period of two years. The document must be Notarized and the taken to the Register of Deeds to be filed." The County's online contractor account is how a state-licensed or state-registered contractor applies; it is not a separate County licence. A County business licence, where one applies, is a separate matter.
Permit process note
The Department's Building Permits page states that "Permitting is responsible for issuing permits for commercial and residential work for any new construction, reconstruction, alteration, repair, movement and setup of a building to another site, and removal or demolition of any building", and tells homeowners: "Step 1. Contact the Building Permitting Office to determine if your project will require a permit." Licensed contractors apply through the County's eTRAKiT online contractor program; owner-builders apply in person at the permitting counter, where "Online application is not available at this time", and review "May take up to 14 days for approval". The eTRAKiT portal states that an updated fee schedule is "in effect as of July 9, 2025". State law requires the permit office to see evidence of the contractor's Residential Builders Commission registration or licence, or of an exemption, before it issues the permit. Call 803-576-2140 before a reroof to confirm what the County requires and that the property is in its jurisdiction.
Inspection requirements
The Department's Residential Inspection page lists the inspections "Required by Phases", to be scheduled by the permit applicant "in the order listed", and notes that "Inspections not needed during your project maybe omitted." The list runs from a saw pole inspection through footing, slab, sheathing, house wrap, framing, electrical, mechanical and plumbing rough-in and insulation inspections to the "Final Inspection". It names no separate roofing inspection. Schedule inspections at 803-576-2140, option 2; "All inspections scheduled will be inspected the following business day."
Adopted code
Richland County Ordinance No. 004-24HR (third reading February 13, 2024, "effective retroactively from and after January 1, 2023") rewrote County Code Section 6-82, Adopted, in Chapter 6, Article III, Building Codes: "There is hereby adopted by the County Council the 2021 South Carolina Residential Code, including Chapter 1 (Administration), and all amendments thereto". The ordinance states that the 2021 South Carolina Residential Code is the published version of the 2021 International Residential Code with South Carolina Modifications, and that "The construction, alternation, repair, or demolition of every detached one- and two-family dwelling structure, townhomes (not more than three stories) and accessory structures shall conform to the requirements of this Code." It adopts the 2021 South Carolina Existing Building Code the same way, and makes no local amendment to the residential code. At the state level, S.C. Code Section 6-9-10(A) requires every county to enforce the building codes the South Carolina 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 Council's list of approved local modifications carries no modification for Richland County. The one South Carolina change to the 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.)
Impact-resistant roofing
Not required — Neither Richland County Ordinance No. 004-24HR (adopting the 2021 South Carolina Residential Code) nor the South Carolina modifications to the 2021 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
Richland County publishes no roofing threshold of its own. Ordinance No. 004-24HR, read in full, names no roof work either way and sets no dollar, area or percentage line; it adopts the 2021 South Carolina Residential Code "including Chapter 1 (Administration)", so the permit and exemption sections of the adopted International Residential Code (Section R105) apply in the County; they are not restated here, and the South Carolina modifications do not change them. The Department's Building Permits page says only that it issues permits for residential work for any "new construction, reconstruction, alteration, repair" and tells homeowners to "Contact the Building Permitting Office to determine if your project will require a permit."
Wind design criteria
South Carolina's modification of IRC Section R301.2.1 (Reg. 8-1202) provides that "Buildings and portions thereof shall be constructed in accordance with the previously published maps by the South Carolina Building Codes Council." The Council's approved wind and seismic map for Richland County (a South Carolina Department of Transportation General Highway System map of Richland County, published by the Council among "the following county maps for the 2021 code cycle based on the 2015 International Residential Code") draws two design wind speed lines: a 115 mph line running from the Congaree River on the west, across Interstate 77 and through Columbia, to the northeast of the county, and a 120 mph line across the southern part of the county. The map notes that the "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(4A) of the 2015 International Residential Code." Confirm the design wind speed for a specific address with the Building Permitting and Inspections Department.
Roof layer limit / recover
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 South Carolina modifications to the 2021 IRC do not change the reroofing section, and Richland County's adopting ordinance (No. 004-24HR, read in full) adds no reroofing rule of its own, so the base rule applies unmodified.
Deck & sheathing requirements
Richland County applies the 2021 International Residential Code with South Carolina modifications. Neither the County's adopting ordinance (No. 004-24HR, read in full) nor the South Carolina modifications amend the roof sheathing provisions (Section R803), so the base IRC provisions on roof sheathing apply unmodified.
Sales & use tax
8% in unincorporated Richland County: 6% state sales tax plus the Richland County Transportation Tax and Local Option tax (codes TT 1040 and LO 1040), per SCDOR form ST-575, South Carolina Sales Tax Rate by Municipality (Rev. 2/5/26). The same 8% total is listed for Arcadia Lakes, Blythewood, Columbia, Eastover, Forest Acres and Irmo in Richland County. 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 Saluda County, SCRoof permit Unincorporated Spartanburg County, SCRoof permit Unincorporated Sumter County, SCRoof permit Unincorporated Union County, SCRoof permit Unincorporated Williamsburg County, SCRoof permit Roofing in South CarolinaState hub

Related guides

Denver-Metro Roofing Permits Filing a Hail Insurance Claim Colorado Hail Season Prep Hiring a Contractor

The Richland County Building Permitting and Inspections Department issues residential and commercial building permits, reviews building plans and makes the building inspections for work under the County's jurisdiction. Licensed contractors apply through the County's online contractor program (eTRAKiT); owner-builders apply in person at the permitting counter at 2020 Hampton Street, Columbia. Property inside the City of Columbia or another incorporated town should be confirmed with the Department before applying.

Hail reports near the center of Richland County, SC

Reports, last 24 months
0
Largest, last 24 months
None
Most recent
None in 24 months
Reports, last 5 years
12
5 most recent reports, last 5 years
DateHail sizeDistance
Feb 23, 20240.50 in4 mi SW
Feb 23, 20240.50 in5 mi SW
Feb 23, 20240.25 in9 mi W
Feb 23, 20240.25 in7 mi W
Feb 23, 20240.25 in8 mi WSW

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

Working an insurance claim in Unincorporated Richland County, SC? Everything on this page (drip edge, ice & water shield, inspections, Class 4 rules) formatted as a claim-ready evidence pack: verbatim ordinance quotes, code section cites, verification dates, and official source links, ready to attach to a supplement. See a real sample pack (PDF, 4 pages, free).

Buy this jurisdiction's pack: $12 Delivered by email within minutes.

Questions about the Unincorporated Richland County, SC pack?

Not ready to buy, or need a different jurisdiction? Tell us and we’ll reply directly.

By submitting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Sources

Roofing questions: Unincorporated Richland County, SC

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

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Unincorporated Richland County, SC. Richland County publishes no roofing threshold of its own. Ordinance No. 004-24HR, read in full, names no roof work either way and sets no dollar, area or percentage line; it adopts the 2021 South Carolina Residential Code "including Chapter 1 (Administration)", so the permit and exemption sections of the adopted International Residential Code (Section R105) apply in the County; they are not restated here, and the South Carolina modifications do not change them. The Department's Building Permits page says only that it issues permits for residential work for any "new construction, reconstruction, alteration, repair" and tells homeowners to "Contact the Building Permitting Office to determine if your project will require a permit."

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

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 South Carolina modifications to the 2021 IRC do not change the reroofing section, and Richland County's adopting ordinance (No. 004-24HR, read in full) adds no reroofing rule of its own, so the base rule applies unmodified.

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

Yes.

What building code does Unincorporated Richland County, SC use?

Richland County Ordinance No. 004-24HR (third reading February 13, 2024, "effective retroactively from and after January 1, 2023") rewrote County Code Section 6-82, Adopted, in Chapter 6, Article III, Building Codes: "There is hereby adopted by the County Council the 2021 South Carolina Residential Code, including Chapter 1 (Administration), and all amendments thereto". The ordinance states that the 2021 South Carolina Residential Code is the published version of the 2021 International Residential Code with South Carolina Modifications, and that "The construction, alternation, repair, or demolition of every detached one- and two-family dwelling structure, townhomes (not more than three stories) and accessory structures shall conform to the requirements of this Code." It adopts the 2021 South Carolina Existing Building Code the same way, and makes no local amendment to the residential code. At the state level, S.C. Code Section 6-9-10(A) requires every county to enforce the building codes the South Carolina 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 Council's list of approved local modifications carries no modification for Richland County. The one South Carolina change to the 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.)