Columbia
City of Columbia Planning and Development Services, Development Center
In short
City of Columbia Planning and Development Services, Development Center issues 2 permits we publish for Columbia, last verified 2026-09-08. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Columbia Planning and Development Services, Development Center | By construction value: $50.00 flat for $1.00–$5,000; $50.00 for the first $5,000 plus $9.00 per additional $1,000 (or fraction) up to $100,000; $905.00 for the first $100,000 plus $4.00 per additional $1,000 up to $1,000,000; $4,505.00 for the first $1,000,000 plus $3.00 per additional $1,000 up to $5,000,000; $16,505.00 for the first $5,000,000 plus $2.00 per additional $1,000 above that. A plan review fee of 30% of the permit fee applies only once plans reach a third review submittal. Demolition is $150 flat for two stories or fewer, or $200 plus $25 per additional story for three or more (a basement counts as a story). A construction trailer permit is $50; a driveway/curb cut is $20. | one-time, per project | 2026-09-08 |
| Sign Permit | City of Columbia Planning and Development Services, Development Center | $10.00 for a commercial zoning permit under $50,000 in value, plus $1.00 for each additional $50,000 above that. | one-time, per sign | 2026-09-08 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
Commercial Building Permit
This schedule is marked 'LR 06/20/14' (last revised June 2014) on the document the city's own Payments and PC Fee Schedule pages currently link to, and it is the only building-permit fee schedule the city publishes — chapter 5, article III of the codified Municipal Code ('Building Permits') is itself marked 'Reserved,' confirming fees are set administratively rather than in ordinance text. Confirm with the Development Center (803-545-3483) before relying on these figures for a large project, given the document's age.
Sign Permit
Columbia routes signage through its general Zoning Permit rather than a distinct, separately labeled 'sign permit' fee — the Planning and Development Services zoning-permits page states directly that signs, fences/walls, and small accessory structures 'can be obtained through zoning permits only,' with no building permit required. This record applies that zoning permit's published fee table to signage; confirm with Zoning (Zoning@ColumbiaSC.gov) that no separate, higher figure applies to large or illuminated commercial signs.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Columbia
- Phone
- (803) 545-3483
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- City of Columbia — Commercial Development Review Fees (marked 'LR 06/20/14'), the currently linked fee schedule as of September 2026City of Columbia, Planning and Development Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
- City of Columbia — Unified Development Ordinance Fee Schedule, revised August 2021City of Columbia, Planning and Development Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
- City of Columbia — Zoning Permits, stating that signs, fences/walls, and small accessory structures are obtained through a zoning permit rather than a building permitCity of Columbia, Planning and Development Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
Other offices serving Columbia
The full permit list for this jurisdiction
Industry permit lists that include this agency
South Carolina jurisdictions
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.