Roof replacement, repair and storm damage in all 4 jurisdictions we cover in Dorchester 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 67,865 homes, 50% were built before 2000 — past the usual 20-year life of a roof — and the median year built is 2000.
We list a building official's name only where the jurisdiction publishes one — 2 of 4 here do. We list a permit answer only where the jurisdiction states one — 3 of 4 here do, and 3 of those clearly require a permit. Everything else is left blank on purpose.
Ridgeville — 217 homes, median built 1977, 5% before 1940; code: 2021 IRC; re-roof permit: yes; no official named.
St. George — 1,012 homes, median built 1977, 9% before 1940; code edition not published; re-roof permit: not published; no official named.
Summerville — 22,776 homes, median built 2001, 3% before 1940; code: 2021 IRC; re-roof permit: yes; building official named (Rebecca McGrew).
Homes across Dorchester County: the Census numbers
Built before 2000
50%
34,121 homes
Median year built
2000
2% built before 1940
Built 2000 or later
50%
33,744 homes
Owner-occupied
76%
67% detached houses
Dorchester County has 67,865 homes in the Census count, with a median year built of 2000. 2% were built before 1940, 20% before 1980 and 50% in 2000 or later; the single biggest decade was the 2000s, with 18,003 homes (27%). 67% of homes are single-family detached houses and 76% of occupied homes are owner-occupied; the count includes 7,969 mobile homes.
The rule of thumb in HUD's Residential Rehabilitation Inspection Guide is a service life of about 20 years for an asphalt shingle roof. On that yardstick, 34,121 homes across Dorchester County (50%) were built before 2000 and have outlived at least one roof, and 5,658 (8%) predate 1970. The 18,003 homes from the 2000s are where first replacements are coming up now.
Across the 3 places we cover here with their own Census figures, St. George has the oldest housing (9% before 1940) and Summerville the newest (52% built in 2000 or later). Summerville is the largest, at 22,776 homes, and St. George has the highest share of renters (51%), 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 Dorchester County, 2016–2025
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center logged 24 reports of hail 1 inch or larger in Dorchester County from 2016 through 2025, on 11 days. 6 were 1.75 inches or larger, and 2 of those reached 2 inches; the largest, 2 inches, fell on June 10, 2024. The busiest single day was June 10, 2024, with 6 reports.
Year
Reports
2016
1
2017
4
2018
2
2019
7
2020
0
2021
2
2022
2
2023
0
2024
6
2025
0
Counted within 5 miles of each town’s center, Summerville has the most reports (17) and Ridgeville 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 4 jurisdictions we cover in Dorchester County, these publish the edition they enforce:
2021 IRC: Unincorporated Dorchester County, Ridgeville, Summerville
St. George publishes 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 Dorchester County
Do I need a permit to replace a roof in Dorchester County?
It depends on the city, not the county. Of the 4 jurisdictions we cover across Dorchester County, 3 require one (Unincorporated Dorchester County, Ridgeville, Summerville); the other 1 publishes no answer either way. Each city page says which applies and links the building department.
Which building codes are in force across Dorchester County?
Of the jurisdictions we cover across Dorchester County, these publish the edition they enforce: the 2021 IRC in Unincorporated Dorchester County, Ridgeville, Summerville. 1 publishes no edition we could read. The edition in force is the one your roof is inspected against.
How old are the houses across Dorchester County?
The Census Bureau's 2020–2024 estimates put the median year built across Dorchester County at 2000, with 2% of its 67,865 homes built before 1940 and 50% in 2000 or later. 50% were built before 2000, so most have had at least one new roof already.
Does a roofer need a license in Dorchester 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 Dorchester County, Unincorporated Dorchester County asks for a license or registration of its own as well.
Which Dorchester County jurisdictions name their building official?
2 of the 4 we cover publish a name: Unincorporated Dorchester County, Summerville. Where a name is published, it is on that city's page with the department's own number.
