Do I need a permit for fence installation or replacement in Richland County (Unincorporated)?

It depends. Whether fence installation or replacement needs a permit in Richland County (Unincorporated) comes down to the details of your project.

South Carolina's residential code applies statewide, but its list of work exempt from a permit (Section R105.2, which exempts fences up to 7 feet) is an administrative provision. The state leaves those provisions to each city or county to adopt by ordinance, so confirm the fence rule with the office that covers your address. Height is not the only trigger. Local zoning height limits, corner sight-triangle rules and HOA restrictions almost always apply, and some jurisdictions require a fence or zoning permit at any height. Confirm locally before you build. A fence used as the barrier around a swimming pool must meet the pool barrier code, including height and gate requirements. Richland County does not publish whether a residential fence needs a building permit; its permitting page asks homeowners to contact the Building Permitting Office to determine whether a project needs a permit. LDC Sec. 26-5.8 limits fences and walls in required yards to 8 feet in side and rear yards and 4 feet in front yards, and bars fences in street intersection sight areas. Chain link is allowed only in the AG, HM, RT, LI, and HI districts, at school playgrounds or athletic fields, or where the fence is not visible from a street; the finished side must face outward (LDC Sec. 26-5.8(e) and (f)). On a single-family lot, a fence taller than 4 feet within 20 feet of a collector or larger road must be landscaped with at least one evergreen shrub per 5 linear feet on the street side (LDC Sec. 26-5.8(f)).