Building Permits

The City of Darlington offers building permits in the Codes Enforcement office in City Hall at 400 Pearl Street.  Alex Gainey is the Codes Enforcement Officer and Sheila Jones is Assistant Codes Enforcement Officer.  Call 843-398-4000 Ext. 105 for building permit information. Permits are required for any work over $200.

Permits are required for any work done within the City limits, including construction, repairs, and demolition. Separate permits must be obtained for building, structural, mechanical, plumbing, and electrical work.

Download a Permit Application here.

New Fee Schedule, effective April 5, 2017

Plans should be submitted to the Codes Enforcement Office for review. Commercial Site Plan Review Form.

To obtain a permit, each contractor on a job needs to obtain a city business license (843-398-4000) and submit a contract to the Codes Enforcement office. They will need to have a state license as well.

Common issues for initial business inspections:

• Panel box labeled
• Pan under hot water heater
• Exit signs at all doors
• All receptacles and switches should have cover plates
• No raw wires showing
• Updated fire extinguisher
• Fire alarms
• No extension cords can be used for permanent wiring
• 4" lettering should appear on the front of house for E-911 and mailing purposes.

Approved Paint Colors

When painting or installing awnings and signage, the City of Darlington requires the color choice be approved prior to installation. Click here to download the approved color chart. Those colors with a check mark represent approved colors. Colors do not have to be any particular brand or name but must be visually similar to colors represented. Also, any paint colors from a historic line of paints would be accepted.

For sign approval, please submit drawings with scale, location, and colors noted along with this form.

For Zoning Information, click here.

Considering improvements to your historic home?

If you are in one of the City's historic districts OR your home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, you will need approval from the Historic Landmarks Commission prior to making any changes. Submit an Application for a Certificate of Appropriateness, and staff will schedule a meeting for the commission to review your request. Download the form here (PDF). The fee for this application is $65, payable to City of Darlington, at the time of application. This covers the cost of notification and advertisement of the meeting as required by state law.

If you are not making any changes to your historic property but simply need to make repairs or paint, submit an Application for a Certificate of No Effect prior to beginning work. Download the form here (PDF). There is no fee for this application.

For both applications, supporting data (sketches, drawings, photo or snapshot, architect’s plans, site plan, etc.) must be submitted.

Information on restoring old windows: http://starcraftcustombuilders.com/windows.htm#.VviQ-EX3bCQ

Traditional Buildings offers free on-demand webinars at https://www.traditionalbuildingshow.com/online-education. 

State Historic Income Tax Credit Law Amended

On June 9, 2015, Governor Nikki Haley signed into law changes to the South Carolina state income tax credits for historic preservation projects. These changes include an option for taxpayers with income-producing projects to elect a 25% state income tax credit (capped at $1 million credit), and using the credits in three years instead of five years. The SC Department of Revenue is working on policy papers that will provide transition rules. We have posted a link to the revised law on our website http://shpo.sc.gov/programs/tax/Pages/default.aspx. More information will follow as it becomes available.

New Publication on Historic Tax Credits

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency recently published “Historic Tax Credits: Bringing New Life to Older Communities.” This updated edition describes how national banks and federal savings associations can use historic tax credits to facilitate the rehabilitation of historic buildings, and discusses how investments in these tax credit transactions may be considered under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). This report also highlights the new IRS safe harbor guidance and details the public welfare investment authority for these type transactions. The report is available electronically at http://www.occ.gov/topics/community-affairs/publications/insights/insights-historic-tax-credits-may-2015.pdf.