Do you need a permit to demolish a house in Columbia, SC?
Yes. Every city and county around the Midlands requires a demolition permit before a house or building comes down. Columbia issues a separate permit for each structure. West Columbia lists $50 for residential demolition. Unincorporated Lexington County charges $21. The paperwork differs by address, and the asbestos rule from SCDES sits on top of all of it.
This page covers what each office asks for, what it costs where a fee is published, and what happens when a teardown skips the permit. We handle the permit step on our own residential teardown work, so this is the same list we work from.
What does the City of Columbia require for a demolition permit?
Columbia’s code, Chapter 5, Article IV, says no person may demolish any building in the city without first obtaining a separate permit for each structure from the building official. The packet goes to the Development Center at 1136 Washington Street, first floor, (803) 545-3420.
The city’s demolition submittal sheet lists what has to be in it.
| Item | What Columbia asks for |
|---|---|
| Permit application | One copy, commercial or residential |
| Owner approval | A signed letter from the property owner approving the demolition |
| Site plan | Two copies, to scale, showing the address, tax map sheet number, the building types coming down and the demolition method |
| Tree protection | One copy, only if protected street trees will be affected |
| Design or historic district | Supplementary review if the property sits in a DD or DP district |
| Floodplain or floodway | Supplementary review if the property sits in one |
Incomplete packets are not accepted for review, and all plans must be to scale. If someone other than the owner applies, the owner’s written consent has to be on file before the permit issues.
The ordinance also sets a clock. A two story frame house and a small commercial building each get 30 days to complete the demolition. Buildings of three stories or more get 60 days. The permit holder can ask for an extension with good reason. When the work is done, the ordinance requires the lot leveled, everything razed to grade, no wood or other rotting material used as fill, and all debris removed. If new construction starts within 90 days, the building official can waive the fill and grading requirement.
One more rule matters when you hire. Anyone in the business of demolition inside Columbia has to deposit a $600,000 bond with the city or show a liability policy of $600,000 or more naming the city as an additional insured. That is the city’s floor for who can legally tear a building down.
The city does not publish a demolition permit fee online. Call the Development Center for the current number.
What does West Columbia require?
West Columbia issues demolition permits through its EnerGov Customer Self Service portal. You register, staff approve the account, and the application goes through Planning and Zoning, Building, Fire and Engineering review. The city states that reviews typically take 10 to 14 business days from submission.
The city’s building permit application carries one line that catches owners off guard. If the permit is for demolition or moving, an asbestos survey or a form from SCDES must be attached. That applies even when the state itself exempts the house, which is covered below.
The fee schedule the city links from its permits page lists demolition at $50 residential and $100 commercial. That document is dated for fiscal year 2020 to 2021, so confirm the number with the Building Department at 200 North 12th Street, (803) 936-6286, before you count on it.
What do Lexington County and Richland County require?
Outside the city limits, the county building department issues the permit. Lexington County’s development review and permit fee schedule, effective July 1, 2026, lists a demolition permit at $21. Building Inspections and Safety takes the application at (803) 785-8130.
Lexington County also runs the Edmund Landfill, and its rules bear on the job. All demolition waste from contractors and large loads goes to the landfill and is charged, at $38 per ton for mixed debris and $20 per ton for clean concrete. A teardown is not free residential drop off.
We could not confirm a published demolition permit fee for unincorporated Richland County. Its building department handles the permit for addresses outside Columbia, Blythewood and Forest Acres, so call before you assume the process matches Lexington County.
When does SCDES require an asbestos survey before demolition?
SCDES is the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services. It took over air, land and water programs from DHEC on July 1, 2024, and anything still calling the agency DHEC is out of date. Its Asbestos Section runs the demolition notification rule.
For regulated buildings, an ePermitting application goes to SCDES at least ten working days before demolition, even when a building inspector finds no asbestos. The application includes fees and a copy of the inspector’s report, and all asbestos containing material has to come out before the building comes down. The owner and the contractor are both responsible for compliance.
For houses, SCDES exempts the demolition of a private residence with four or fewer units unless one of five conditions applies.
| Condition that removes the exemption | Example |
|---|---|
| Part of a larger commercial or public project | A highway job, a shopping center, a private development |
| Multiple residences in a compact area under one owner | A city clearing a block, SCDOT clearing a right of way |
| Part of an installation | A base or a university campus |
| Being burned for fire training | A donated house used by a fire department |
| Used in the past for non residential purposes | A former office, shop or daycare |
That last row is the one that surprises people. A house that ever operated as a business needs the full survey and notification before it comes down. And SCDES states plainly that structural burns are prohibited by state open burning regulations, so burning a house down is not a shortcut.
What has to happen with utilities before a teardown?
Water, sewer, gas and electric have to be disconnected and capped before the machine starts. The utility does the disconnect, not the demolition contractor, and the utility sets the schedule. National cost guides put disconnect charges at $500 to $2,000, but the local number varies by provider and we did not find a published Midlands figure. Call the utilities the day the permit application goes in, because the disconnect is the step that most often delays a start date.
Mobile homes add a title step and a moving permit. The mobile home removal process covers both.
What happens if you demolish without a permit?
In Columbia, demolishing a building without a permit, continuing after a permit expires or fails, or working without proper barricades is a misdemeanor under the city code, and each day of continued noncompliance is a separate offense. The building official can also stop the work until barricades go up.
West Columbia’s code compliance office notes that fines and fees for violations can exceed $1,000 per day the violation exists, and that the city may deny or withhold permits or pursue the matter in court. A partially demolished house left standing is itself a violation in Columbia. The ordinance says once demolition starts it must be completed and the lot leveled, and it is unlawful to leave a partially demolished building in an unsafe or unsightly condition.
The permit is also what protects you when the house is being torn down because the city ordered it. Municipal demolition orders on condemned and fire damaged houses are a regular part of our commercial and municipal demolition work, and every one of them runs on a permit.
Who pulls the permit, the owner or the contractor?
Either can apply, and in practice the contractor does it. The contractor has the site plan, the demolition method and the license and insurance the city wants to see. The owner signs the approval letter. On our jobs we prepare the packet, submit it to the right office for the address, line up the SCDES paperwork where it applies, and schedule the utility disconnects while the review runs. What the permit costs is small next to the job. What it costs to skip is not. If you want the full price picture, what a house teardown costs in the Columbia area lays it out, and a fire damaged house has its own set of steps.
Call (803) 796-4727 and tell us the address. We will tell you which office the permit goes to and what it needs.