Construction and development consulting in Charleston.

What makes building in Charleston different

• Board of Architectural Review jurisdiction over exterior work in historic districts
• Base flood elevation and freeboard requirements that shape structure and access
• OCRM critical area jurisdiction where a property touches marsh or tidal water
• Stormwater detention on flat, high-water-table sites with limited outfall
• Utility coordination with multiple providers, each with its own lead time
• Constrained sites where staging and access drive real cost

Project types we support here

• Historic renovations and adaptive reuse downtown and on the peninsula
• Infill residential and small multifamily
• Commercial tenant improvements and small commercial ground-up
• Association and community capital projects

Where owners lose time in Charleston

Almost always the same two places: entering review boards with an incomplete package, and starting design before the site's elevation, drainage, and jurisdictional constraints are actually confirmed. Both are avoidable with a few weeks of front-end work.

Permitting and approvals: where to start

Confirm jurisdiction first — a peninsula address, an unincorporated Charleston County address, and a James Island address do not follow the same path. City of Charleston projects go through the Permit Center, with Planning, Preservation & Sustainability administering zoning and the Board of Architectural Review controlling exterior work in the historic districts. County parcels go through Charleston County Building Inspection Services and Zoning & Planning instead.

Then confirm whether design review applies and where the property sits relative to base flood elevation and the coastal critical area. That sequence, not the building permit queue, sets your calendar.

• City of Charleston — Permit Center
• City of Charleston — Board of Architectural Review
• City of Charleston — Planning, Preservation & Sustainability
• City of Charleston — Floodplain Management
• Charleston County — Building Inspection Services
• Charleston County — Zoning & Planning
• SCDES — Critical Area Permitting (coastal)

What to watch out for

• Assuming a survey shows the critical area line — it often doesn't, and OCRM has to confirm it
• Designing to grade before base flood elevation and freeboard are confirmed
• Budgeting downtown work without allowances for access, staging, and protection of adjacent structures
• Scheduling review board dates before the drawing set is genuinely complete

Common questions

How long does permitting take in Charleston?

It varies by scope, jurisdiction, and whether design review boards are involved. The controlling factor is package completeness — resubmittals, not review queues, are what usually extend the timeline. Our permitting article walks through what to expect by jurisdiction.