Quick answer: Use Horry County’s permit portal and permit GIS for work handled by the county in unincorporated areas. Start with the Horry County Code Enforcement page, confirm that the address is actually in the agency’s service area, and save the permit number before reading status or inspection details.
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.
Use the portal and GIS as complementary searches
| What you know | Best first move | Evidence to save |
|---|---|---|
| Street address | Search the county permit portal and confirm the location in permit GIS | Standardized address, parcel match, result date |
| Parcel number | Use GIS parcel context to distinguish similar addresses | Parcel identifier and linked address |
| Permit or record number | Open the exact county permit record and linked inspection history | Full record number, type, dates, status |
| Only an approximate work year | Use the approximate year to narrow the portal and request older files if needed | Date range tried and any older-system lead |
Search the address without creating a false negative
Coastal developments, subdivisions, and new street names can produce close matches. Confirm the building footprint and parcel location in the official GIS, then carry the permit number back to the record system. Do not rely on a map point alone for status.
- Check whether the parcel is unincorporated.
- Search the address in the permit system.
- Confirm the location in the county permit GIS.
- Open the permit record and review inspections, documents, and status.
Map location is not the same as permit completion
The GIS is useful for discovering records around a parcel, while the permit portal is the better place to read record details. A map feature can identify a permit location without proving that inspections passed or that the permitted scope matches the present building.
| Record signal | What it supports | What it does not prove |
|---|---|---|
| Application received | The agency opened a record | Plans were approved or a permit was issued |
| Permit issued | The listed scope was authorized | The work was completed or matches today’s building |
| Inspection passed | That inspection item passed on that date | Every trade and final inspection passed |
| Closed/finaled | The portal workflow reached a closing status | No unpermitted work exists outside the record |
Read status, inspections, and documents separately
Read each building and trade record separately. Coastal construction may also involve floodplain, zoning, septic, stormwater, or municipal records that do not collapse into one building permit status.
- Match the work description to the part of the property you are checking.
- Open related electrical, plumbing, mechanical, roofing, fire, and zoning records when the portal separates them.
- Read the inspection list for a final or completion event; do not stop at the permit header.
- Save attached plans, correction notices, certificates, or decision letters only when the portal makes them public.
If the permit does not appear
A missing county result can be caused by municipal jurisdiction, a parcel/address change, an older file, or work indexed under a contractor or application number.
- Check the municipality boundary.
- Search nearby map features and verify the parcel.
- Try the exact application or permit number from a job card or disclosure.
- Ask Code Enforcement which system covers the work year and record type.
Build a record packet another person can reproduce
Save the search date, address format, parcel identifier, jurisdiction check, permit numbers, status, inspection dates, and source links. Follow the building-permit record workflow so an empty result is documented rather than treated as proof. If the mailing city and permit authority differ, use the city-versus-county jurisdiction check before reaching a conclusion.
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.
Horry County permit search questions
Can I rely on an address-only search?
Use it as the first pass, not the final conclusion. Parcel numbers and exact permit numbers are more stable than street formatting, and older records may use a prior address or legacy index.
Does no online result mean no permit was required?
No. It may mean wrong jurisdiction, a limited online date range, alternate indexing, an exempt record, or a paper/image file. Ask the issuing office which possibility applies.
Official sources
- Horry County Code Enforcement — official permit, inspection, portal, and contact guidance for unincorporated county areas
- Horry County permit GIS — official geographic permit-viewing tool
Last checked: August 23, 2026. Portal labels and record coverage can change; confirm the live agency page before relying on a result.