The single most expensive mistake on a Grand Strand permit application is applying to the wrong office. A Myrtle Beach mailing address does not mean the City of Myrtle Beach issues your permit, and the same is true in North Myrtle Beach. Large stretches of both are unincorporated Horry County, and the county and the cities run entirely separate permitting departments with their own applications, fees, and inspectors.
Baldwin Builders (SC License #CLG124644) is based in North Myrtle Beach and pulls permits across all three jurisdictions. This guide covers which office handles your project, what each one requires, and the two local rules that catch people out most often.
City or County: How to Tell Which Office Issues Your Permit
Jurisdiction is set by whether the parcel sits inside incorporated city limits, not by the mailing address on the mailbox. Along the Grand Strand that distinction is unusually messy, because city limits weave in and out and large residential areas that say "Myrtle Beach, SC 29588" or "29579" are actually unincorporated county.
- Inside City of Myrtle Beach limits — the City of Myrtle Beach Construction Services Department
- Inside City of North Myrtle Beach limits — the City of North Myrtle Beach Planning & Development Department, which covers the Ocean Drive, Crescent Beach, Cherry Grove, and Windy Hill sections
- Unincorporated Horry County — the Horry County Building Department, which covers Carolina Forest, much of Socastee, and most of the land between the beach towns and Conway
- Other incorporated towns — Surfside Beach, Briarcliffe Acres, Atlantic Beach, Conway, Aynor, and Loris each permit their own
Confirm the parcel before you prepare anything. Applying to the wrong department does not get forwarded; it gets returned, and you start the clock over. This is the first thing we check on a new project, before drawings, before a survey, before a fee gets paid.
Permits Inside the City of Myrtle Beach
Building permits inside city limits are handled by the City of Myrtle Beach Construction Services Department. The department handles building permits, construction plan review, floodplain review, building inspections, trade permits, and property maintenance code enforcement.
- Phone: (843) 918-1111
- Office: 921 North Oak Street
- Mailing address: P.O. Box 2468, Myrtle Beach, SC 29578
- Permit questions: permittech@cityofmyrtlebeach.com
- Plan submittals: planreviewer@cityofmyrtlebeach.com
- Fax: (843) 918-1158
Plans and revisions can be submitted by email or fax, or dropped in the drop box in the front lobby at 921 North Oak Street. One detail worth planning around: paperwork, plans, or plan revisions dropped in the box are not processed or reviewed for at least 48 hours from the time they enter the box. If you are working to a deadline, email is the faster path.
There is also a licensing requirement separate from the permit. Any contractor working inside the city is required to hold a City of Myrtle Beach business license in addition to state licensing through the South Carolina Contractor's Licensing Board. It is a routine item, but an unlicensed-in-city contractor will stop an otherwise complete application.
Scheduling Inspections in Myrtle Beach
Inspections are scheduled by calling Construction Services at (843) 918-1111, and the city publishes firm cutoff times:
- Morning inspection — request by 4:00 p.m. the prior day
- Afternoon inspection — request by 9:00 a.m. the same day
Those cutoffs are the difference between a one-day delay and a three-day one. A framing crew that finishes Thursday afternoon but misses the Thursday 4:00 p.m. call for Friday morning can lose the entire weekend. On our projects, inspection calls are scheduled against the work, not made once the work is already done.
Covering work before it is inspected is the other costly mistake. If insulation goes up over an uninspected rough-in, it comes back down so the inspector can see the wiring, plumbing, and ductwork underneath.
Permits Inside the City of North Myrtle Beach
North Myrtle Beach permits are issued by the City of North Myrtle Beach Planning & Development Department. The department runs three divisions — Building, Planning, and Zoning — and per the city, the Building division's primary responsibilities are plan review, enforcement of all relevant construction codes, issuance of building permits, and construction inspection.
- Address: 1018 Second Avenue S, North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582
- Phone: (843) 280-5560
- Permit applications: submitted through the city's online permitting portal
North Myrtle Beach runs its permitting through an online portal rather than paper intake, which means the application is only as fast as the completeness of what you upload. Missing documents sit in the queue rather than getting a phone call.
The North Myrtle Beach Survey Requirement
This is the local rule that derails the most projects, and it is newer than most homeowners realize. Effective September 1, 2025, North Myrtle Beach requires a current property survey with permit applications. Per the city's announcement, permit applications without a survey will not be accepted.
The requirement applies to:
- New house or commercial building construction
- Accessory structures — garage, shed, or pool house
- Expansions to an existing structure's footprint
- Pools, driveways, patios, or retaining walls
- Fences within 5 feet of property lines
- Development in flood zones or coastal jurisdictions
The city recommends scheduling surveys early to prevent application delays, and that is sound advice. Surveyor availability along the Grand Strand fluctuates with construction demand, and a survey is frequently the longest lead item on a small project — longer than the plans and longer than the review itself. On a home addition or a pool deck in Cherry Grove or Ocean Drive, the survey gets ordered the week the project is approved, not the week before application.
Note that last bullet. In a flood zone or coastal jurisdiction, the survey requirement applies broadly, and flood-zone work brings elevation documentation with it. Our guide to flood zones and insurance in coastal South Carolina covers what that involves.
What Work Requires a Permit Along the Grand Strand
Both cities and the county work from the International Residential Code and International Building Code as adopted and amended for South Carolina, so the categories are consistent even though the applications are not. Expect to need a permit for:
- New construction — residential and commercial
- Additions and structural work — added square footage, removing load-bearing walls, foundation and framing repair
- Electrical, plumbing, and mechanical work — new circuits, panel upgrades, repipes, HVAC changeouts
- Roofing and window replacement — to verify coastal wind-resistance compliance
- Decks, pools, and accessory structures
- Demolition and, for commercial spaces, change of tenant or occupancy
Cosmetic work that does not touch structure or systems — painting, flooring over a sound subfloor, cabinet refacing, trim, like-for-like fixture swaps — generally does not. The gray area is the renovation that starts cosmetic and turns structural once a wall opens up, which happens often in older beach cottages. When that happens, the permit gets pulled then, not after.
Condo and HOA work adds a layer that has nothing to do with the city. Many oceanfront buildings along both beaches require association approval, proof of contractor insurance, and scheduled work windows before anything starts. That approval runs in parallel with the permit, and it is frequently the slower of the two.
Myrtle Beach vs. North Myrtle Beach vs. Horry County
| City of Myrtle Beach | City of North Myrtle Beach | Horry County | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department | Construction Services | Planning & Development | Building Department |
| Phone | (843) 918-1111 | (843) 280-5560 | See our county guide |
| Submittal | Email, fax, or lobby drop box | Online portal | County process |
| Survey required | Project dependent | Yes, per the 2025 rule | Project dependent |
| City business license | Required for contractors | Required for contractors | County requirements apply |
Fee schedules in all three jurisdictions are based on the valuation of the work and are updated periodically, so the reliable move is to confirm current fees with the issuing office or have your contractor price permitting into the estimate up front. We include permitting in every estimate so it is not a surprise line item later.
Let Us Handle the Permit
Baldwin Builders confirms jurisdiction, prepares the application, orders the survey, and schedules every inspection on projects across Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, and Horry County. Call (843) 251-4834 or request a free quote.
Frequently Asked Questions About Grand Strand Building Permits
Who issues building permits in Myrtle Beach, SC?
Inside the City of Myrtle Beach limits, building permits are issued by the City of Myrtle Beach Construction Services Department, which can be reached at (843) 918-1111. Its office is at 921 North Oak Street, with a mailing address of P.O. Box 2468, Myrtle Beach, SC 29578. Permit questions go to permittech@cityofmyrtlebeach.com and plan submittals go to planreviewer@cityofmyrtlebeach.com. If your property has a Myrtle Beach mailing address but sits outside city limits, the Horry County Building Department issues the permit instead.
Who issues building permits in North Myrtle Beach?
The City of North Myrtle Beach Planning and Development Department issues permits inside city limits. The office is at 1018 Second Avenue S, North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582, and can be reached at (843) 280-5560. The department's Building division handles plan review, code enforcement, permit issuance, and construction inspection, and permit applications are submitted through the city's online portal.
Does North Myrtle Beach require a survey for a building permit?
Yes. Effective September 1, 2025, North Myrtle Beach requires a current property survey with permit applications for new house or commercial building construction, accessory structures such as a garage, shed, or pool house, expansions to an existing structure's footprint, pools, driveways, patios and retaining walls, fences within 5 feet of a property line, and development in flood zones or coastal jurisdictions. Per the city's announcement, permit applications without a survey will not be accepted. Schedule the survey early, because surveyor availability is often the longest lead item.
How do I know if my property is in the city or in Horry County?
A mailing address does not determine jurisdiction. Large areas with a Myrtle Beach mailing address are in unincorporated Horry County, and the same is true around North Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach, and Conway. Confirm the parcel's jurisdiction with the county or city before preparing an application, because applying to the wrong office costs weeks. Your licensed general contractor should confirm this as the first step of the project.
How do I schedule a building inspection in Myrtle Beach?
Inspections in the City of Myrtle Beach are scheduled by calling the Construction Services Department at (843) 918-1111. Requests must be made by 4:00 p.m. the prior day for a morning inspection, or by 9:00 a.m. the same day for an afternoon inspection. Missing that cutoff pushes the inspection to the next slot, which is why inspection scheduling is built into the construction schedule rather than handled day of.
Does a contractor need a city business license to work in Myrtle Beach?
Yes. The City of Myrtle Beach requires any contractor working inside the city to hold a City of Myrtle Beach business license, in addition to state licensing through the South Carolina Contractor's Licensing Board. That is separate from the building permit itself and is one of the more common reasons an otherwise complete application stalls.