Owner-side project help in Mount Pleasant.

Local considerations

• Town growth management and impact-related requirements affecting schedule
• Tidal creek and marsh buffers on waterfront and near-water parcels
• Tree protection and landscape requirements that influence site layout
• Stormwater standards on parcels with limited natural drainage
• Neighborhood and ARB review layered on top of town permitting

Common engagements

• Custom home and major renovation owner's representation
• Dock, bulkhead, and waterfront structure coordination
• Community amenity and HOA capital projects
• Small commercial and tenant improvement management

Permitting and approvals

Mount Pleasant reviews projects through its Planning & Development departments: Development Review for site plans and subdivisions, Zoning for land use, and the Building Inspection Division for permits and inspections. The town's building permit allocation system also meters residential permits, which affects when a project can actually start — not just how long review takes.

Waterfront work is a separate track. Docks, bulkheads, and anything in the critical area go through SCDES coastal permitting, and jurisdictional waters can add federal review. Those clocks do not run in step with the house permit.

• Town of Mount Pleasant — Building Inspection Division
• Town of Mount Pleasant — Development Review
• Town of Mount Pleasant — Zoning
• Charleston County — Building Inspection Services
• SCDES — Critical Area Permitting (coastal)

What to watch out for

• Grand trees discovered after the site plan is set — they can move a whole footprint
• Dock permitting timelines assumed to run parallel with the house; they rarely do
• HOA/ARB approval treated as a formality and scheduled after town submittal
• Stormwater detention volume underestimated on flat, poorly draining lots
• Permit allocation timing on residential work, which can delay a start date independent of design
• Parcels just outside town limits that are reviewed by Charleston County instead