Around town
Who Issues Building Permits in Bluffton, Hilton Head, Beaufort and the Towns Between
Eight offices, one rule: the permit comes from whoever governs the land under your house. Where to call, and why your mailing address can fool you.
South Carolina law is tidy on this point. Every county and town in the state “shall enforce” the building codes “within their jurisdictions.” (SC Code 6-9-10) The untidy part is figuring out which jurisdiction you live in. Down here, a mailing address is a suggestion.
Take a house with a Bluffton address. If it sits inside the town limits, the Town of Bluffton handles the permit. If it’s in one of the unincorporated neighborhoods that share the zip code, it’s Beaufort County. The county’s own records show it: a 2026 county appeals board agenda lists a tree variance request for a Bluffton street address in a planned development under county zoning. (Beaufort County Zoning Board of Appeals, May 2026)
So before anything else, find out who governs the land. If you’re not sure, ask the county or the town before you hire anyone. Then call the right office.
The Offices
Town of Hilton Head Island. Town Hall is at 1 Town Center Court. Residential permit questions go to the Community Development information center at 843-341-4757, and applications can go through the Town’s online Citizen Self Service portal. (Town of Hilton Head Island, residential permits)
Town of Bluffton. The town runs its own Building Safety office, according to its posting for a chief building official. (MASC) Check the Town of Bluffton’s website for the current phone number and portal.
Beaufort County, for unincorporated areas. Building Codes, 100 Ribaut Road, Administrative Building, Room 225, Beaufort. Main line 843-255-2065, inspections 843-255-2078, and an online Citizen Self Service portal. The county’s process starts with a zoning permit from its Zoning Department, then the building permit. (Beaufort County Building Codes, requirements)
City of Beaufort. Building Codes Department, 843-525-7040. (City of Beaufort, FAQ)
Town of Port Royal. Its own building department. Call the permits administrator at 843-986-2219. Applications can go in person, by mail or by email to permits@portroyal.org. Inspections are 843-986-2236. (Town of Port Royal)
City of Hardeeville. Building permits at 205 Main Street, 843-784-2231. Fences and sheds that don’t need a building permit still need a site features permit. (City of Hardeeville, site features permit)
Town of Ridgeland. The Building Division, under Planning and Community Development, takes applications online. (Town of Ridgeland) Its residential submittal checklist lists 1 Town Square and 843-726-7500. (Ridgeland checklist)
Jasper County, for unincorporated areas. Planning and Building, 358 Third Avenue, Ridgeland, 843-717-3650, with an online portal. (Jasper County)
What Needs One
Jasper County publishes the clearest list I found. A permit is required for “new construction, additions, alterations, repairs, roof replacement, electrical, plumbing,” heating and air systems, accessory structures and swimming pools. The exemptions are small sheds under 200 square feet, fences under 7 feet and retaining walls under 4 feet. (Jasper County)
The others say it more broadly. Hilton Head requires a permit to “construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move or demolish” a structure or to install or alter electrical, heating, air conditioning or plumbing equipment. The City of Beaufort and Port Royal both say a permit “is required for most work.” When in doubt, call. The call is free. The stop-work order isn’t.
Who Should Pull It
Your contractor. State law tells permit offices to turn away applicants who can’t show a license for work that requires one. (SC Code 40-59-280) The City of Beaufort’s advice, if a contractor asks you to pull it yourself, is two words: “please don’t.” Port Royal adds that anyone working on someone else’s property counts as a contractor and needs a Port Royal business license, plus a state license depending on the type and value of the work. (Town of Port Royal FAQ)
And Then There’s the HOA
A town permit doesn’t mean your neighborhood approves. Hilton Head’s permit application asks whether recorded private covenants or restrictions conflict with the work, and if so, wants a copy. (Hilton Head permit application) In the plantations and planned communities, the design review board is a second gate, and it has its own calendar.
Know Your Ground
Down here we know our ground by the tide charts and the property line. Add one more fact to that list: whose permit office your house answers to. It takes five minutes to find out, and it saves the most expensive kind of surprise, the kind that arrives with a clipboard after the work is done.