The Roofing Book

Permitting Authorities / Town of Summerville - Building Department

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Summerville, SC?

Adopted code

Town of Summerville - Building Department

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Summerville, SC, issued by Town of Summerville - Building Department. Apply through the Town's CitizenServe portal; the Building Department FAQ states that "electronic submittals are required". A signed contract between owner and contractor must be uploaded: "A signed contract or scope of work between the owner and contractor will need to be uploaded before the permit can be issued. Both parties will need to sign the contract." The permit is not issued "until the contractor is selected and credentials are verified by our office. Credentials include a state license, if applicable, and a town business license." If someone other than the licensed contractor applies, "the contractor will need to sign a letter of authorization giving the applicant permission to pull the permit under their license." For renovation work the Town's fee schedule uses "the contract amount as the total valuation": $50 for the first $1,000 plus $5 for each additional thousand up to $50,000, plus a $30 administrative fee for each permit issued. The fee schedule adds a plan review fee of half the permit fee due when the application is submitted, while Town Code Section 6-43 states that the plan review fee "shall only apply to new residential construction and all commercial construction". Required inspections are listed on the permit card, and inspections requested through the portal by 3:00 pm can usually be made by the end of the following business day. The Building Department lists "Roofing work" among the projects that require a permit.

Roof code checklist: Summerville, SC

ItemAnswerCode citeSourceVerified
Permit to replace a roofYessummervillesc.gov2026-09-26
Repair permit thresholdPublishedsummervillesc.gov2026-09-26
Layer limit / roof-overPublishedR908.3.1.1codes.iccsafe.org2026-09-26
Deck & sheathingPublishedR905.2.1summervillesc.gov2026-09-26
Drip edgeNot published
Ice & water shieldNot published
Mid-roof inspectionNot published
Impact-resistant (Class 4) roofingNolibrary.municode.com2026-09-26
Wind design criteriaPublishedR301.2.1summervillesc.gov2026-09-26
Adopted codePublished§ 6-9-60library.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
Town of Summerville, South Carolina
Jurisdiction type
city
Address
200 S Main Street, Summerville, SC 29483
Contact
  • url: https://www.summervillesc.gov/170/Building-Department
  • phone: 843-851-4203
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 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 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 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.
  • city_level: Neither the Town's building chapter (Town Code Chapter 6) nor its business license chapter (Chapter 8) sets up a contractor licence or registration of its own. The Town's Building Permit Guidelines state: "Contractors and/or subcontractors must be appropriately licensed in the State of South Carolina for the scope of work performed and obtain a business license with the Town of Summerville." The Town's business license rate class for "Contractors, Construction, All Types" (Town Code Chapter 8, Appendix A) provides that "No contractor shall be issued a business license until all state and municipal qualification examination and trade license requirements have been met" and that "Each contractor shall post a sign in plain view on each job identifying the contractor with the job." The business license is a revenue license priced on gross income, not a contractor credential. An owner who acts as his or her own builder under the state exemption signs the Town's Home Owner's Disclosure, which states that "You may not hire an unlicensed person as your residential builder or specialty contractor", and must record the notarized Notice of Non-Licensed Owner's Intent to Build with the county Register of Deeds and upload the recording receipt to CitizenServe.
Permit process note
Apply through the Town's CitizenServe portal; the Building Department FAQ states that "electronic submittals are required". A signed contract between owner and contractor must be uploaded: "A signed contract or scope of work between the owner and contractor will need to be uploaded before the permit can be issued. Both parties will need to sign the contract." The permit is not issued "until the contractor is selected and credentials are verified by our office. Credentials include a state license, if applicable, and a town business license." If someone other than the licensed contractor applies, "the contractor will need to sign a letter of authorization giving the applicant permission to pull the permit under their license." For renovation work the Town's fee schedule uses "the contract amount as the total valuation": $50 for the first $1,000 plus $5 for each additional thousand up to $50,000, plus a $30 administrative fee for each permit issued. The fee schedule adds a plan review fee of half the permit fee due when the application is submitted, while Town Code Section 6-43 states that the plan review fee "shall only apply to new residential construction and all commercial construction". Required inspections are listed on the permit card, and inspections requested through the portal by 3:00 pm can usually be made by the end of the following business day. The Building Department lists "Roofing work" among the projects that require a permit.
Adopted code
The Building Code Ordinance of the Town of Summerville (Town Code Section 6-37, Adoption of building codes, last amended by Ord. No. 16-0402, 5-11-2016) adopts by reference the International Building, Fire, Fuel Gas, Mechanical, Plumbing, Property Maintenance, Residential, Energy Conservation, Existing Building and Swimming Pool and Spa codes and NFPA 70, and provides: "The application of these codes shall be the most current issue of adoption by the South Carolina Building Code Council and have an enforcement date the same as specified by the state and as provided under S.C. Code § 6-9-60 and including applicable amendments, appendices, and/or revisions thereto." The Residential Code is adopted with its Chapter 1 administrative provisions and Appendix H, Patio Covers; the Town's only changes to Chapter 1 concern demolition permit time limits and expiration. The Building Department's Building Code Requirements page states that "All construction in the Town of Summerville must comply with applicable building code requirements as shown in the following editions adopted by the Town", listing the "2021 South Carolina Residential Code or the 2021 International Residential Code with SC modifications". At the state level, S.C. Code Section 6-9-10(A) requires every municipality 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 Council's list of approved local modifications carries no modification for Summerville. 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.) The Town's building chapter (Chapter 6, read in full as codified through Ord. No. 26-0507, June 11, 2026) contains no roof-covering provision of its own. Its only roof-related text is a plumbing insertion to IRC Section P3103.1: "Vent pipes that extend through the roof shall be terminated at least six inches above the roof or at least six inches above the anticipated snow accumulation, except where the roof is used for any other purpose other than weather protection." The Building Department also posts a handout of the 2021 IRC asphalt shingle sections.
Impact-resistant roofing
Not required — Neither the Town of Summerville's Building Code Ordinance (Town Code Chapter 6, including Section 6-37 adopting the state codes) 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 Town; no UL 2218 or Class 4 impact requirement appears in the Town's adopted code or its amendments.
Repair permit threshold
The Town of Summerville Building Department states: "we require permits and inspections for new buildings, renovations, and repairs to building structures and systems." It lists "Roofing work" among the projects that also require a permit, and names only carpet installation and painting as work that does not: "Carpet installation and painting do not require a building permit." The Town's Building Code Ordinance adopts the International Residential Code including its Chapter 1 administrative provisions (Town Code Section 6-37) and amends the code's permit exemption list (Section 105.2) only to add "all detached accessory structures regardless of square footage" (Section 6-38). Neither the Department's page nor the Town code sets a square-footage or dollar floor below which a roof repair needs no permit, so ask the Building Department before starting a small patch job. The Town's fee schedule charges no permit fee on a job valued at $1,000 or less "unless inspection required, in which case a $15 fee for each inspection", and where work that needs a permit is started before the permit is obtained "the fees herein specified shall be doubled".
Wind design criteria
The Town's Building Permit Guidelines state that design criteria "must meet either the International Residential Code or the International Building Code requirements for our wind and seismic loads" and that, for projects using the International Residential Code, "the wind speed may be obtained from the above website or by using the maps on the State of South Carolina LLR website"; they give the residential seismic design area as D2. 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 Town spans three counties. The Council's Dorchester County map, which labels Summerville, carries wind-speed lines of 130 MPH, in the west of the County, and 140 MPH, running east of the area it labels Summerville past Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site; its note reads: "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 Council's Berkeley County map carries one line, labelled 140 MPH, and its Charleston County map carries lines labelled 140 MPH and 150 MPH. The same state modification provides: "Asphalt shingles shall be designed for wind speeds in accordance with Section R905.2.4." Confirm the design wind speed for the job address with the Building Department.
Roof layer limit / recover
Two layers maximum. 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 roof covering is water soaked or has deteriorated to the point that it is not adequate as a base for additional roofing, or where the existing roof covering is slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile. The South Carolina modifications to the 2021 IRC do not change the reroofing section, and the Town of Summerville's building chapter (Town Code Chapter 6, read in full) adds no reroofing rule of its own, so the base rule applies unmodified.
Deck & sheathing requirements
Neither the South Carolina modifications to the 2021 International Residential Code nor the Town of Summerville's building chapter (Town Code Chapter 6, read in full) amends the roof sheathing sections (R803) or the asphalt shingle sheathing requirement, so the base 2021 IRC provisions apply unmodified. The Building Department's handout of the 2021 IRC asphalt shingle sections reproduces Section R905.2.1 Sheathing requirements: "Asphalt shingles shall be fastened to solidly sheathed decks."
Sales & use tax
9% in the parts of the Town in Berkeley County and in Charleston County, and 7% in the part in Dorchester County. South Carolina Department of Revenue form ST-575, South Carolina Sales Tax Rate by Municipality (Rev. 2/5/26), lists Summerville once for each county: Berkeley County, the 6% state sales tax plus the Education Capital Improvement, Transportation and Local Option taxes (codes 5081, 1008 and 2876), 9% in total; Charleston County, the same three local taxes (codes 5101, 1010 and 2875), 9% in total; and Dorchester County, the Transportation tax alone (code 1018), 7% in total. The form marks Summerville as a municipality located in more than one county and states: "To determine the appropriate tax rate for your business, check with your local municipal government." It also states: "If your sales or purchases are delivered within the municipal limits of an incorporated city or town, you must use the specific county or municipality code for that location." 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 by such builder, contractor, or landowner", and its list of building materials names "roofing materials". Repair and replacement work are treated alike.

Local roofing hub

Roofing in Summerville, South CarolinaCity hub

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The Town of Summerville Building Department issues building permits and makes inspections for work inside the Town limits of Summerville, South Carolina, which reach into Dorchester, Berkeley and Charleston counties. Permit applications, plan submittals and inspection requests go through the Town's CitizenServe online portal.

Hail reports near Summerville, SC

Reports, last 24 months
4
Largest, last 24 months
1.75 in Mar 15, 2026
Most recent
Sep 6, 2026 1.00 in
Reports, last 5 years
25
5 most recent reports, last 5 years
DateHail sizeDistance
Sep 6, 20261.00 in6 mi NE
Sep 6, 20261.00 in6 mi NE
Sep 6, 20261.00 in5 mi E
Mar 15, 20261.75 in8 mi E
Jun 10, 20242.00 in6 mi SW

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 Summerville, SC (Census point). Data through Sep 30, 2026. A report is an observation, not a damage record.

Working an insurance claim in Summerville, 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).

NOAA storm reports show hail up to 1.00 in within 10 miles of Summerville, SC on September 6, 2026. If you are writing supplements for those roofs, the pack has this jurisdiction's code items with sources.

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Sources

Roofing questions: Summerville, SC

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Summerville, SC?

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Summerville, SC. The Town of Summerville Building Department states: "we require permits and inspections for new buildings, renovations, and repairs to building structures and systems." It lists "Roofing work" among the projects that also require a permit, and names only carpet installation and painting as work that does not: "Carpet installation and painting do not require a building permit." The Town's Building Code Ordinance adopts the International Residential Code including its Chapter 1 administrative provisions (Town Code Section 6-37) and amends the code's permit exemption list (Section 105.2) only to add "all detached accessory structures regardless of square footage" (Section 6-38). Neither the Department's page nor the Town code sets a square-footage or dollar floor below which a roof repair needs no permit, so ask the Building Department before starting a small patch job. The Town's fee schedule charges no permit fee on a job valued at $1,000 or less "unless inspection required, in which case a $15 fee for each inspection", and where work that needs a permit is started before the permit is obtained "the fees herein specified shall be doubled".

Can you roof over an existing roof in Summerville, SC?

Two layers maximum. 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 roof covering is water soaked or has deteriorated to the point that it is not adequate as a base for additional roofing, or where the existing roof covering is slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile. The South Carolina modifications to the 2021 IRC do not change the reroofing section, and the Town of Summerville's building chapter (Town Code Chapter 6, 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 Summerville, SC?

Yes.

What building code does Summerville, SC use?

The Building Code Ordinance of the Town of Summerville (Town Code Section 6-37, Adoption of building codes, last amended by Ord. No. 16-0402, 5-11-2016) adopts by reference the International Building, Fire, Fuel Gas, Mechanical, Plumbing, Property Maintenance, Residential, Energy Conservation, Existing Building and Swimming Pool and Spa codes and NFPA 70, and provides: "The application of these codes shall be the most current issue of adoption by the South Carolina Building Code Council and have an enforcement date the same as specified by the state and as provided under S.C. Code § 6-9-60 and including applicable amendments, appendices, and/or revisions thereto." The Residential Code is adopted with its Chapter 1 administrative provisions and Appendix H, Patio Covers; the Town's only changes to Chapter 1 concern demolition permit time limits and expiration. The Building Department's Building Code Requirements page states that "All construction in the Town of Summerville must comply with applicable building code requirements as shown in the following editions adopted by the Town", listing the "2021 South Carolina Residential Code or the 2021 International Residential Code with SC modifications". At the state level, S.C. Code Section 6-9-10(A) requires every municipality 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 Council's list of approved local modifications carries no modification for Summerville. 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.) The Town's building chapter (Chapter 6, read in full as codified through Ord. No. 26-0507, June 11, 2026) contains no roof-covering provision of its own. Its only roof-related text is a plumbing insertion to IRC Section P3103.1: "Vent pipes that extend through the roof shall be terminated at least six inches above the roof or at least six inches above the anticipated snow accumulation, except where the roof is used for any other purpose other than weather protection." The Building Department also posts a handout of the 2021 IRC asphalt shingle sections.