Roof replacement, repair and storm damage in all 22 jurisdictions we cover in Charleston County, each with its own page: the local permit rule, the code edition it enforces and the building department's number. Of the county's 209,803 homes, 61% were built before 2000 — past the usual 20-year life of a roof — and the median year built is 1991.
Ken Granata, Chief Building Official (City of Charleston)
843-577-5550
We list a building official's name only where the jurisdiction publishes one — 10 of 22 here do. We list a permit answer only where the jurisdiction states one — 14 of 22 here do, and 14 of those clearly require a permit. Everything else is left blank on purpose.
Charleston County, town by town
Each line is a summary of that town's own page.
Adams Run — 234 homes, median built 1984, 10% before 1940; code: 2021 IRC; re-roof permit: yes; building official named (Hakim Bayyoud).
Awendaw — 818 homes, median built 2001, 2% before 1940; code: 2021 IRC; re-roof permit: yes; no official named.
Charleston — 77,417 homes, median built 1995, 10% before 1940; code: 2021 IRC; re-roof permit: yes; building official named (Ken Granata).
Edisto Island — code: 2021 IRC; re-roof permit: yes; building official named (Hakim Bayyoud).
Folly Beach — 2,221 homes, median built 1990, 3% before 1940; code: 2021 IRC; re-roof permit: yes; no official named.
Hollywood — 2,589 homes, median built 2003, 3% before 1940; code: 2021 IRC; re-roof permit: not published; no official named.
Isle of Palms — 4,588 homes, median built 1986, 0% before 1940; code: 2021 IRC; re-roof permit: not published; no official named.
James Island — 4,971 homes, median built 1970, 0% before 1940; code edition not published; re-roof permit: not published; no official named.
Johns Island — code: 2021 IRC; re-roof permit: yes; building official named (Ken Granata).
Kiawah Island — 3,865 homes, median built 1989, 0% before 1940; code: 2021 IRC; re-roof permit: not published; building official named (Bruce Spicher).
Lincolnville — 577 homes, median built 1987, 2% before 1940; code edition not published; re-roof permit: not published; no official named.
McClellanville — 357 homes, median built 1984, 15% before 1940; code: 2021 IRC; re-roof permit: not published; no official named.
Meggett — 739 homes, median built 1991, 9% before 1940; code: 2021 IRC; re-roof permit: yes; building official named (Hakim Bayyoud).
Mount Pleasant — 44,376 homes, median built 2000, 1% before 1940; code: 2021 IRC; re-roof permit: yes; no official named.
North Charleston — 54,781 homes, median built 1996, 1% before 1940; code: 2021 IRC; re-roof permit: yes; no official named.
Ravenel — 1,063 homes, median built 1993, 1% before 1940; code: 2021 IRC; re-roof permit: not published; no official named.
Rockville — 71 homes, median built 1975, 7% before 1940; code edition not published; re-roof permit: not published; no official named.
Seabrook Island — 2,574 homes, median built 1988, 0% before 1940; code: 2021 IRC; re-roof permit: yes; no official named.
Sullivan's Island — 1,088 homes, median built 1981, 27% before 1940; code: 2021 IRC; re-roof permit: yes; building official named (Max Wurthmann).
Wadmalaw Island — code: 2021 IRC; re-roof permit: yes; building official named (Hakim Bayyoud).
West Ashley — code: 2021 IRC; re-roof permit: yes; building official named (Ken Granata).
Homes across Charleston County: the Census numbers
Built before 2000
61%
128,771 homes
Median year built
1991
5% built before 1940
Built 2000 or later
39%
81,032 homes
Owner-occupied
64%
58% detached houses
Charleston County has 209,803 homes in the Census count, with a median year built of 1991. 5% were built before 1940, 34% before 1980 and 39% in 2000 or later; the single biggest decade was the 2010s, with 37,713 homes (18%). 58% of homes are single-family detached houses and 64% of occupied homes are owner-occupied; the count includes 10,231 mobile homes.
The Residential Rehabilitation Inspection Guide published by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development puts the service life of an asphalt shingle roof at about 20 years. On that yardstick, 128,771 homes across Charleston County (61%) were built before 2000 and have outlived at least one roof, and 49,217 (23%) predate 1970. The 36,275 homes from the 2000s are where first replacements are coming up now.
Across the 17 places we cover here with their own Census figures, Sullivan's Island has the oldest housing (27% before 1940) and Hollywood the newest (58% built in 2000 or later). Charleston is the largest, at 77,417 homes, and North Charleston has the highest share of renters (50%), where the roof is more often a landlord's decision.
Figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates (tables B25001, B25003, B25024, B25034, B25035). Survey estimates carry margins of error, widest in the smallest places. Census table.
Hail reports in Charleston County, 2016–2025
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center logged 26 reports of hail 1 inch or larger in Charleston County from 2016 through 2025, on 13 days. 1 was 1.75 inches or larger, and 0 of those reached 2 inches; the largest, 1.75 inches, fell on March 20, 2018. The busiest single day was April 5, 2017, with 7 reports.
Year
Reports
2016
1
2017
11
2018
2
2019
2
2020
2
2021
4
2022
0
2023
2
2024
2
2025
0
Counted within 5 miles of each town’s center, Lincolnville has the most reports (16) and Adams Run the fewest (0). Each town’s own page lists its latest dates. Reports come from spotters and the public, so busier places log more of them.
Why the city matters more than the county
South Carolina sets one residential building code for the whole state: every city, town and county has to enforce the editions the state's Building Codes Council adopts, so what changes from one town to the next is who issues the permit and what that office asks for. Of the 22 jurisdictions we cover in Charleston County, these publish the edition they enforce:
2021 IRC: Adams Run, Awendaw, Charleston, Unincorporated Charleston County, Edisto Island, Folly Beach, Hollywood, Isle of Palms, Johns Island, Kiawah Island, McClellanville, Meggett, Mount Pleasant, North Charleston, Ravenel, Seabrook Island, Sullivan's Island, Wadmalaw Island, West Ashley
James Island, Lincolnville, Rockville publish no edition we could read. Ask before work starts which one the roof will be inspected against.
Design wind is set by location here: across greater Charleston the published ultimate design wind speeds run 133–150 mph, depending on where a house stands. What each figure does to a roof is in our Charleston roofing code guide.
Common questions about roofing across Charleston County
Do I need a permit to replace a roof in Charleston County?
It depends on the city, not the county. Of the 22 jurisdictions we cover across Charleston County, 14 require one (Adams Run, Awendaw, Charleston, Unincorporated Charleston County, Edisto Island, Folly Beach, Johns Island, Meggett); the other 8 publish no answer either way. Each city page says which applies and links the building department.
Which building codes are in force across Charleston County?
Of the jurisdictions we cover across Charleston County, these publish the edition they enforce: the 2021 IRC in Adams Run, Awendaw, Charleston, Unincorporated Charleston County, Edisto Island, Folly Beach. 3 publish no edition we could read. The edition in force is the one your roof is inspected against.
How old are the houses across Charleston County?
The Census Bureau's 2020–2024 estimates put the median year built across Charleston County at 1991, with 5% of its 209,803 homes built before 1940 and 39% in 2000 or later. 61% were built before 2000, so most have had at least one new roof already.
Does a roofer need a license in Charleston County?
South Carolina requires a residential roofer to be registered with the state's Residential Builders Commission for any job over $500 (S.C. Code 40-59-20 and 40-59-220), and to carry a surety bond on a homeowner's job over $5,000 (40-59-240). Registration involves no exam. Among the places we cover in Charleston County, Kiawah Island and Unincorporated Charleston County ask for a license or registration of their own as well.
Which Charleston County jurisdictions name their building official?
10 of the 22 we cover publish a name: Adams Run, Charleston, Unincorporated Charleston County, Edisto Island, Johns Island, Kiawah Island, Meggett, Sullivan's Island, Wadmalaw Island, West Ashley. Where a name is published, it is on that city's page with the department's own number.
