Greenville SC Plumbing Permit

Greenville Plumbing Permits: County vs. City

One detail that trips up contractors new to the Greenville market: Greenville County and the City of Greenville operate independent permitting systems. A county permit doesn't cover city projects, and vice versa. If your project address falls inside city limits, you're dealing with a completely separate application process, fee schedule, and portal.

Both jurisdictions require a valid South Carolina state contractor license (LLR pocket card) and an active local business license before you can pull permits.

Greenville County Permits

Greenville County handles plumbing permits through the eTrakit Online Portal. Applications require:

• A valid property Tax Map ID number
• A copy of your state-issued contractor pocket card
• An active county business license

The 2025 Fee Increase

Effective July 1, 2025, Greenville County implemented a 20% increase on all residential and commercial building permit fees. If you're working from older project estimates that budgeted for pre-increase fees, recalculate before submitting.

Owner-Builder Restrictions

Greenville County enforces strict owner-builder limitations:

• Owner-builders can only pull permits if the project value is under $5,000
• A notarized Owner-Builder Disclosure must be filed with the application
• All residential rental properties are excluded from the owner-builder exemption — work on rentals must be done by a licensed contractor, regardless of project value

That rental property exclusion is worth knowing if you're quoting projects for landlords who want to self-permit. They can't, and they'll need your license.

Permit Expiration

Permits become completely invalid if work doesn't commence or an inspection isn't requested within six months of permit issuance. If a project timeline is uncertain, delay pulling the permit until you have a firm start date rather than risk the six-month clock expiring.

City of Greenville Permits

The City of Greenville runs its own Online Permit Service Center, completely separate from the county's eTrakit system. The city has an additional layer that catches contractors off guard:

A Site Plan Permit must be fully approved and issued before any trade-specific plumbing permits can be purchased. If you try to pull a plumbing permit before the site plan is approved, the application will be rejected.

Structured permit fees apply per trade application, though the city doesn't publish a simple fixture-based schedule like some other SC jurisdictions.

Inspection Requirements

Both Greenville County and City require the standard South Carolina inspection sequence:

1. Under-slab — piping exposed before concrete placement
2. Rough-in — after framing, before drywall; DWV pressure testing per IPC Section 312
3. Final — all fixtures installed, tested, and operational

Inspections must be scheduled through the eTrakit system (county) or the city's permit portal. Re-inspection requirements and fees are jurisdiction-specific; confirm them in the applicable county or city portal before requesting another inspection.

Setting Up in Greenville

If you're expanding into the Greenville market, get your local business license squared away first, then register in the appropriate portal (county eTrakit or city Permit Service Center depending on where you'll be working). Many contractors operating in the Upstate region need both registrations since project addresses regularly cross the city-county boundary.

The South Carolina Plumber License Guide includes a local permitting reference with the specific portal URLs, fee structures, and submission requirements for Greenville alongside Charleston, Columbia, and Spartanburg.

See more South Carolina guides →