Data through September 2026 · updated 19 Oct 2026
7,775 building permits issued in the City of Charleston, October 2024 through September 2026: about 3,888 a year. The biggest kind of work is remodels & repairs, with 2,722. 4,074 permits in the last 12 months (Oct 2025–Sep 2026), 10% more than the 3,701 in the 12 months before. 67% were permits for homes. The busiest month for permits is July.
What this file covers: The city's layer holds building permits only, so trade permits are few.
Permits issued October 2024 through September 2026. Last 12 months is Oct 2025–Sep 2026; the 12 months before is Oct 2024–Sep 2025. Homes is the share issued as residential permits. Busiest month is the calendar month with the most permits on average.
| Kind of work | Permits | Share | Last 12 mo | 12 mo before | Change | Homes | Busiest month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remodels & repairs | 2,722 | 35% | 1,397 | 1,325 | +5% | 100% | March |
| New homes | 1,142 | 15% | 634 | 508 | +25% | 100% | July |
| Additions | 591 | 8% | 308 | 283 | +9% | 100% | May |
| Demolition | 479 | 6% | 241 | 238 | +1% | 0% | May |
| Garages, sheds & shade structures | 391 | 5% | 186 | 205 | −9% | 100% | October |
| Roofing | 260 | 3% | 162 | 98 | +65% | 100% | October |
| Other | 2,071 | 27% | 1,082 | 989 | +9% | 0% | August |
Fewer than 100 permits, so no row: pools & spas (59), ADUs & casitas (31), fences & walls (15), plumbing (8), solar (2), electrical (2), HVAC (2).
Permits issued in each calendar year of the window. Per year scales a part year to 12 months.
| Year | Months | Permits | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 (from October) | 3 | 726 | 2,904 |
| 2025 | 12 | 3,928 | 3,928 |
| 2026 (through September) | 9 | 3,121 | 4,161 |
Permits issued each month, October 2024 through September 2026. The tallest bar is the busiest month on file.
| Month | Permits |
|---|---|
| Oct 2024 | 267 |
| Nov 2024 | 242 |
| Dec 2024 | 217 |
| Jan 2025 | 341 |
| Feb 2025 | 266 |
| Mar 2025 | 298 |
| Apr 2025 | 333 |
| May 2025 | 294 |
| Jun 2025 | 282 |
| Jul 2025 | 385 |
| Aug 2025 | 390 |
| Sep 2025 | 386 |
| Oct 2025 | 390 |
| Nov 2025 | 248 |
| Dec 2025 | 315 |
| Jan 2026 | 312 |
| Feb 2026 | 304 |
| Mar 2026 | 383 |
| Apr 2026 | 395 |
| May 2026 | 367 |
| Jun 2026 | 340 |
| Jul 2026 | 352 |
| Aug 2026 | 344 |
| Sep 2026 | 324 |
Permits by calendar month, 100 = an average month (the thin line), October 2024 through September 2026. Kinds of work do not all peak together. Each month is counted twice (once a year), so one unusual month still moves these numbers.
2,722 permits · busiest March, quietest December
1,142 permits · busiest July, quietest November
591 permits · busiest May, quietest January
479 permits · busiest May, quietest December
391 permits · busiest October, quietest January
260 permits · busiest October, quietest January
| Kind of work | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remodels & repairs | 118 | 90 | 119 | 119 | 92 | 103 | 106 | 111 | 99 | 92 | 78 | 73 |
| New homes | 105 | 96 | 79 | 122 | 83 | 74 | 165 | 101 | 124 | 121 | 46 | 85 |
| Additions | 59 | 85 | 102 | 106 | 134 | 112 | 97 | 108 | 102 | 102 | 97 | 97 |
| Demolition | 90 | 108 | 98 | 98 | 130 | 108 | 118 | 93 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 88 |
| Garages, sheds & shade structures | 55 | 98 | 104 | 86 | 110 | 89 | 101 | 95 | 126 | 163 | 86 | 86 |
| Roofing | 69 | 69 | 111 | 148 | 97 | 102 | 97 | 78 | 111 | 152 | 78 | 88 |
How the city classed each permit. Other covers commercial buildings, signs, towers and similar work.
| Permit class | Permits | Share | Last 12 mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes (residential) | 5,225 | 67% | 2,751 |
| Other | 2,550 | 33% | 1,323 |
Permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025, so each has had at least 12 months to reach a final. Finished means the city recorded a final inspection or marked it complete; expired means it lapsed without one.
| Status | Permits | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Finished | 2,032 | 54.9% |
| Still open | 1,664 | 45.0% |
| Expired | 5 | 0.1% |
The 8 ZIP codes with the most permits, counted at the property's ZIP code. A ZIP code can cross into a city that runs its own permit office; only the city's permits are counted.
| ZIP code | Permits | Share | Top kind of work |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29403 | 1,433 | 18% | Remodels & repairs (544) |
| 29401 | 1,256 | 16% | Remodels & repairs (492) |
| 29492 | 1,180 | 15% | New homes (411) |
| 29407 | 1,004 | 13% | Remodels & repairs (402) |
| 29414 | 742 | 10% | Remodels & repairs (279) |
| 29412 | 640 | 8% | Remodels & repairs (269) |
| 29455 | 466 | 6% | New homes (172) |
| 29405 | 60 | under 1% | Demolition (8) |
From our cross-city data studies: the same measure, read the same way, for every city we cover.
Source: City of Charleston GIS, Permits All Issued (Dashboard View), EnerGov layer External/Applications 1134, read 19 Oct 2026. We count permits issued October 2024 through September 2026; denied and withdrawn permits are left out.
Building permits the City of Charleston Department of Permitting & Inspections issues inside the city limits only: the Peninsula, West Ashley, James Island, Johns Island, Daniel Island and Cainhoy parts of the city. North Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Summerville and unincorporated Charleston County run their own permit offices and are not in this file. Business-license certificates of occupancy, tree removal, rental registrations and sidewalk dining permits are left out.
Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. Sources and definitions →
Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Please credit Contractor Records and link to this page. Suggested citation:
Contractor Records, "The City of Charleston, SC building permit statistics", https://contractorrecords.com/charleston-sc/permit-statistics, data through September 2026, from the City of Charleston Department of Permitting & Inspections building-permit records.Link to a table: By kind of work · By year · By month · When each kind of work is filed · Homes and everything else · How many get finished · By ZIP code.
Download the tables (CSV): Permits by kind of work · Permits by year · Permits by month · Permits by calendar month (index) · Homes and other permits · Finished, open and expired · Permits by ZIP code.