South Carolina building permit authorities
2025 Census Building Permits Survey directory.
155 permit-issuing authorities
The Census Building Permits Survey lists 155 authorities in South Carolina. They reported 45,862 residential units permitted in 2025; 114 of them (74%) reported activity.
No single authority dominates: the largest, Horry County Unincorporated Area, accounts for 10% of the state total.
Largest authorities by 2025 residential units
| Authority | Units permitted |
|---|---|
| Horry County Unincorporated Area | 4,690 |
| Spartanburg County Unincorporated Area | 3,378 |
| Greenville County Unincorporated Area | 2,291 |
| Columbia | 1,956 |
| Hardeeville | 1,718 |
| Lexington County Unincorporated Area | 1,672 |
| Berkeley County Unincorporated Area | 1,589 |
| Charleston | 1,311 |
| Aiken County Unincorporated Area | 1,308 |
| Richland County Unincorporated Area | 1,238 |
| Anderson County Unincorporated Area | 1,219 |
| Dorchester County Unincorporated Area | 1,105 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey, 2025. Inclusion confirms that an authority issues permits — not that it publishes an open feed, and not that any address has an active project. What we measure before covering a market →
Key takeaways
This directory records 155 authorities that issued permits in South Carolina and 45,862 residential units reported for 2025. Our analysis of the Census survey shows reporting scale, not whether an authority has an open permit database or whether a particular project is active. Those questions need the authority’s own current record.
- Use the authority name to locate the primary record.
- Check local data availability separately.
- Verify a project before outreach or a bid decision.
Common question
Does inclusion mean Projects Ahead has a usable project signal there?
No. Inclusion means the Census survey identifies an authority that issues permits. A usable project signal requires separate testing of source access, fields and the ability to reconstruct a project timeline.