Quick answer: First confirm that the property is in unincorporated Horry County. The official Code Enforcement page links the county Online Portal, but describes it for inspection scheduling, invoice payments, and viewing office-submitted permit cases—not as a guaranteed public address-history search. Use the county permit GIS for location context, subject to the county’s current free-login requirement for platforms that display property addresses. If those routes do not identify the file, contact Code Enforcement with the address, PIN, work type, and approximate year.
At a glance
- Address search: Not confirmed. The Code Enforcement page describes its Online Portal for office-submitted permit cases and inspection scheduling.
- Online records start: Not confirmed.
- Older records: FOIA request through the Public Information Office: $0.15 per page plus $25 per hour of staff time, paid before release. Processing time: not confirmed.
- Checked: October 21, 2026. Compare 15 other jurisdictions in our permit lookup by address comparison.
Building Permit History tool · for buyers and owners
Permit status decoder
Copy the permit rows from the city or county portal and paste them below, one permit per line. The decoder explains each status, flags the ones to ask about, and lists what to request before you rely on the record.
Horry County Code Enforcement issues permits for unincorporated Horry County. Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Conway, Surfside Beach, and other municipalities can control their own permits. A postal city name does not establish the issuing authority.
Choose the county route that matches what you know
| What you have | Start here | If that is not enough |
|---|---|---|
| Street address | Confirm that the parcel is in unincorporated Horry County, then use the permit GIS for location context | Give Code Enforcement the standardized address and approximate work year |
| PIN or parcel identifier | Use it to distinguish the parcel in the county GIS; a free county login may be required | Include the PIN when asking which office or record system holds the file |
| Permit or case number | Check whether the Online Portal displays the office-submitted case | Ask Code Enforcement for the record route if the case is not displayed or access is restricted |
| Only a work type or approximate year | Contact Code Enforcement rather than guessing at an undocumented portal filter | Ask whether the file is current, legacy, municipal, or available by records request |
Use GIS for identity, then verify the record with Code Enforcement
Coastal developments, subdivisions, and renamed streets can create close matches. Use the official GIS to confirm the parcel and jurisdiction, but treat the map as a location clue rather than proof of permit status or completion. Horry County’s notice says that, beginning March 16, 2026, a free login is required for online platforms that display property-address information, so an access screen is not a no-record result.
- Check whether the parcel is in unincorporated Horry County or inside a municipality with its own permitting office.
- Open the permit GIS and sign in or create the county’s free account if the site requests it.
- Save the matched address and PIN, plus any permit or case number the county page actually displays.
- If no case is visible, contact Code Enforcement from its official page and ask which system or records process covers that address, work type, and year.
What each Horry County route can actually establish
| What you see | Limited conclusion | What still needs verification |
|---|---|---|
| A parcel or permit location in GIS | The map associates that feature with a location | The issuing jurisdiction, case details, inspections, and completion |
| An office-submitted case displayed in the Online Portal | The county portal has information for that case | Whether the online view is the complete retained file |
| A dated inspection result that is actually visible | That listed inspection received that result on that date | Other trades, corrections, and the required final inspection |
| Inspection-scheduling or invoice-payment access | The portal supports that operational action for the case | Permit completion, full public-document access, or present building condition |
Record only what the county page actually shows
The Code Enforcement page does not document a complete list of search fields, result tabs, or online years. After identifying a case, copy the exact permit or case number, property identifier, work description, displayed status, and any dated inspection result that is actually visible. Do not infer a final inspection, certificate, or downloadable plan from a case header.
If the county pages do not identify the permit
A blank result, a login screen, or an inaccessible map does not establish that no permit exists. First confirm county-versus-municipal jurisdiction and the parcel PIN. Then contact Code Enforcement through the official department page with the standardized address, PIN, approximate work year, work type, and any number found on a job card, disclosure, or invoice. Ask whether the record is in the current portal, an older system, a municipality, or a separate public-records channel.
Give Code Enforcement enough detail to route the question
Before contacting the office, save the standardized address, PIN, whether the parcel is unincorporated, approximate work year, work type, and every case or permit number already found. State which county pages you checked and whether you encountered no result or a login/access limit. Ask which system or records process holds that specific record; do not ask the office to certify that the whole property has no other permits.
Coastal and municipal records may split the evidence
A Horry property file may require more than the building permit. Floodplain documentation, zoning approvals, utility or septic records, and municipality-issued permits can be owned by different offices. Create one list of issuing agencies before deciding the history is complete.
Official sources
- Horry County Code Enforcement — unincorporated-area scope, Online Portal functions, inspection routes, and current department contact information
- Horry County Online Portal — inspection scheduling, invoice payment, and office-submitted permit-case access described by Code Enforcement
- Horry County permit GIS — official geographic permit application; its live controls were not independently verified for this guide
- Horry County online-access notice — free-login requirement for county platforms that display property-address information
For the signed flood documents themselves, see how to find a Horry County elevation certificate, which explains the year-by-year archive and its EC, FP, VR and VC labels.
Last checked: September 21, 2026. Portal labels, login requirements, and record coverage can change; confirm the live agency page before relying on a result.