In Seabrook Island, the 2021 IRC is in force and 0% of the 2,574 homes went up before 1940. We replace and repair roofs here and inspect after hail, starting with a free, photographed inspection.
Seabrook Island runs to about 5.9 square miles and roughly 2,204 people. It sits about 20 miles southwest of downtown Charleston. The community dates back to 1987. We cover ZIP code 29455.
No completed roof in Seabrook Island is logged in our job records yet.
Seabrook Island is a barrier island facing the Atlantic and the mouth of the North Edisto River, with Bohicket Creek on its north side. The island was a hunting and fishing club in the early 1900s before becoming a private, gated residential and resort community, and residents voted to incorporate in 1987 to control their own planning and zoning.
Housing from this stretch in Seabrook Island sits on plywood or OSB decking and was largely first roofed with three-tab shingles. Most are on their second covering by now. The things worth checking are the penetrations rather than the field: pipe boots from this era are the single most common leak we trace, because the rubber collar splits long before the shingles wear out. Ridge venting was inconsistent through these years, and OSB that has been damp for a season goes soft in a way plywood does not — you find it with your feet, not from the ground.
By the Census Bureau's estimate there are 2,574 homes in Seabrook Island, with a median year built of 1988. 10 of them (0%) went up before 1940 — 22nd of 28 places on this site for pre-1940 share — and 764 (30%) in 2000 or later. The 1980s were the busiest decade, adding 865 of today's homes (34%). (Charleston County as a whole: 5% before 1940.)
The rule of thumb in HUD's Residential Rehabilitation Inspection Guide is a service life of about 20 years for an asphalt shingle roof. That puts 1,810 homes in Seabrook Island, the 70% built before 2000, past at least one full roof life, and the 23 built before 1970 (1%) are usually on a third covering or later. Homes from the 2000s (462 in Seabrook Island) are reaching their first replacement, while the 302 built since 2010 are mostly still on the roof they were built with.
Detached single-family houses make up 58% (1,497); attached houses and townhouses 14% (360). 412 homes (16%) sit in two- to nine-unit buildings and 305 (12%) in buildings of ten units or more, where the roof is usually a landlord's or an association's decision. Owners live in 96% of the 1,250 occupied homes. On a housing mix like this, the likely work is first replacements on 2000s builder-grade shingles, flat and low-slope sections, which turn up more on attached and multi-unit buildings and hail checks on newer roofs that look fine from the driveway.
| Built | Homes | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1940 | 10 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 8 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 5 | 0% | |
| 1970s | 609 | 24% | |
| 1980s | 865 | 34% | |
| 1990s | 313 | 12% | |
| 2000s | 462 | 18% | |
| 2010s | 238 | 9% | |
| 2020 or later | 64 | 2% |
Census ACS 2020–2024, tables B25034, B25035, B25024 and B25003: 2,574 homes, 1,250 occupied. Survey estimates.
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center logged no reports of hail 1 inch or larger within 5 miles of Seabrook Island’s center from 2016 through 2025. That is a gap in the reports rather than proof that no hail fell: reports come from spotters and the public.
The town says building permits are required for all structures constructed, reconstructed, erected or modified, and for any other work that needs a building inspection. Charleston County, which issues the permits here, lists roofing among the work that needs its own permit. Before applying to the county, get a town zoning permit; the town requires one for all new construction, renovation, modifications and maintenance, even work that needs no county permit.
Seabrook Island enforces the 2021 IRC. Charleston County enforces in the town the 2021 International Residential, Building and Fire Codes (with modifications), the 2021 International Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes, the 2020 National Electrical Code (with modifications), the 2009 International Energy Code and ANSI A117.1-2017. The county's own page says the 2024 editions apply to projects submitted on or after January 1, 2027.
The published number is 843-202-6930. Building permits and inspections in the town are handled by Charleston County Building Inspection Services. The town's building permits page lists Nichole Nettles as its License & Permit Official (843-768-9121). The department page is here.
Wind design changes with location across greater Charleston: the published ultimate design wind speeds run 133–150 mph, and the building department can say which figure applies to a given address. See the roofing code guide for what it governs.
Seabrook Island borders Kiawah Island, Rockville, Johns Island, Bohicket Creek, North Edisto River and Atlantic Ocean. Our pages for them:
Also in Charleston County:
| City | Re-roof permit | Code | Median built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seabrook Island | Yes | 2021 IRC | 1988 |
| Kiawah Island | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1989 |
| Rockville | Not published | Not published | 1975 |
| Johns Island | Yes | 2021 IRC | — |
| Adams Run | Yes | 2021 IRC | 1984 |
| Awendaw | Yes | 2021 IRC | 2001 |
| Charleston | Yes | 2021 IRC | 1995 |
All 22 Charleston County cities side by side →
The town says building permits are required for all structures constructed, reconstructed, erected or modified, and for any other work that needs a building inspection. Charleston County, which issues the permits here, lists roofing among the work that needs its own permit. Before applying to the county, get a town zoning permit; the town requires one for all new construction, renovation, modifications and maintenance, even work that needs no county permit.
Seabrook Island enforces the 2021 IRC. Charleston County enforces in the town the 2021 International Residential, Building and Fire Codes (with modifications), the 2021 International Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes, the 2020 National Electrical Code (with modifications), the 2009 International Energy Code and ANSI A117.1-2017. The county's own page says the 2024 editions apply to projects submitted on or after January 1, 2027.
Median year built 1988, by the Census Bureau's 2020–2024 estimates. Of 2,574 homes, 1,810 were built before 2000 and 10 before 1940, so most roofs in Seabrook Island are not the first one the house has had.
Not yet: no completed roof in Seabrook Island is in our job records, so this page shows no job count.
Researched 2026-10-24; housing, Census ACS 2020–2024; hail, NOAA SPC. Sources: www.townofseabrookisland.org · www.townofseabrookisland.org · www.townofseabrookisland.org · www.townofseabrookisland.org · www.charlestoncounty.gov · www.charlestoncounty.gov · www.charlestoncounty.gov · www.charlestoncounty.gov · en.wikipedia.org · www.townofseabrookisland.org · www.townofseabrookisland.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · www.scstatehouse.gov · www2.census.gov · data.census.gov · www.spc.noaa.gov. Rules and staff change; check with the jurisdiction.
