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Roofing in Lexington, South Carolina

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Lexington, SC, issued by Town of Lexington - Planning & Building Department. Roof repair is a listed work type on the Town's Building Permit Application ("REPAIR ... Roof"). Complete the application and return it to the Town of Lexington's Department of Planning, Building, & Technology by email or by mail to 111 Maiden Lane; questions go to (803) 356-5938. The Town's Inspection Sheet states that "no online permits can be accepted at this time"; registered users can request inspections online, and the building inspection line is (803) 358-7267. "Work that is required to have a permit cannot be performed without posting the building permit" (Town Code Section 150.02(B)), and "Placards must be visibly posted on the job site." 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. In a Historic Special Overlay District, "A certificate of appropriateness is required before a building permit can be issued for the demolition, new construction, exterior alteration, modification or addition to property in a historic district" (Town Code Section 152.02.20), but the historic preservation rules do not "prevent the ordinary maintenance or repair of any exterior architectural feature of historic structures within a designated historic district when that repair does not involve a change in design, material, color or outer appearance of the structure" (Section 152.02.21(G)). Property in unincorporated Lexington County is permitted by Lexington County, not by the Town. This hub aggregates roofing permit and contractor-registration requirements for Lexington, South Carolina, along with sourced roofing material references — every fact linked to its directory record.

Roofing permits & building code in Lexington

Roofing permit and contractor-licensing rules in Lexington are set locally by Town of Lexington - Planning & Building Department. South Carolina requires residential roofers to register with the state Residential Builders Commission for jobs over $500, and a building official may not issue a permit for that work without proof of registration, while the building codes adopted by the state Building Codes Council apply in every city and county and a local technical change needs the Council's approval — always confirm the current requirements with the authority before starting work.

Roofing permit
Required
Contractor registration
Required
Adopted building code
Town of Lexington Code Section 150.01, Building codes administration (Ord. No. 2015-27, 9-8-2015), provides that "The Town of Lexington shall enforce the Building Code recognized, adopted and mandated by the State of South Carolina and the South Carolina Building Codes Council including Chapter 1, Scope and Administration." It names no edition. The Town's Inspection Sheet and its New Development Guide 2026 list the "2021 SC or International Residential Code with SC modifications" among the Town's current building codes. The Town's Owner-Builder forms still say that the Town's building inspectors "enforce and interpret the 2006 International Residential Code". Chapter 150 of the Town Code (four sections, read in full) amends no technical provision of the Residential Code. At the state level, S.C. Code Section 6-9-10(A) 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 the Town of Lexington. 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.)
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). 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 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.
  • city_level: The Town's Building Permit Application and Single-Family Dwelling permit application each ask for the applicant's "S.C. LLR license #" and its expiration date, and the Town's Sub-Contractor Verification Form asks for the "Roofing Contractor – Business Name & LLR License Number". These forms record the state credential; the Town's building chapter (Chapter 150 of the Town Code, read in full) sets no contractor licence or registration of its own. The Town's Owner-Builder Form carries a disclosure statement made "under the authority of" Section 40-59-260, stating that "You may not hire an unlicensed person as your residential builder or specialty contractor", and requires the owner to file a Public Record Notice with the Lexington County Register of Deeds on completion. Separately, the Town's New Development Guide states that "Every business, including individuals conducting business in the Town of Lexington — such as general contractors without an office in the town—must acquire a business license." The Town business licence is a general business licence, not a contractor credential.
Permit process
Roof repair is a listed work type on the Town's Building Permit Application ("REPAIR ... Roof"). Complete the application and return it to the Town of Lexington's Department of Planning, Building, & Technology by email or by mail to 111 Maiden Lane; questions go to (803) 356-5938. The Town's Inspection Sheet states that "no online permits can be accepted at this time"; registered users can request inspections online, and the building inspection line is (803) 358-7267. "Work that is required to have a permit cannot be performed without posting the building permit" (Town Code Section 150.02(B)), and "Placards must be visibly posted on the job site." 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. In a Historic Special Overlay District, "A certificate of appropriateness is required before a building permit can be issued for the demolition, new construction, exterior alteration, modification or addition to property in a historic district" (Town Code Section 152.02.20), but the historic preservation rules do not "prevent the ordinary maintenance or repair of any exterior architectural feature of historic structures within a designated historic district when that repair does not involve a change in design, material, color or outer appearance of the structure" (Section 152.02.21(G)). Property in unincorporated Lexington County is permitted by Lexington County, not by the Town.
Inspections
The Town's Inspection Sheet lists the inspections for residential and commercial construction, including "FRAMING: Framing & wall bracing; Columns; Sheathing, Vapor barrier, Roofing, Flashing" and "FINAL". It does not say which of these apply to a reroof permit. Inspections are requested by voicemail on the building inspection line, (803) 358-7267, with "the permit #, address, and type of inspection ready", and "Inspections called in will be scheduled for the next business day the voicemail is left." "Re-inspection fees start at $58.40 and increase when multiple re-inspections are required."

View the full Lexington permitting authority record →

Roofing materials for Lexington

Compare roofing material families — service life, weight, cost band, and durability — for a Lexington reroof. Every material entry in the directory carries a cited, dated source.

Start with all roofing materials or the asphalt vs. metal vs. tile comparison.

Local permitting authority

Town of Lexington - Planning & Building Departmentcity

Roofing guides

Class 4 Impact-Resistant ShinglesGuide Asphalt vs. Metal vs. TileGuide Wind & Fire RatingsGuide

Sources