Sullivan's Island · SC 29482 · Charleston County

Do You Need Design Review Board Approval on Sullivan's Island?

For most exterior changes, yes. The Town of Sullivan's Island Design Review Board is a municipal board, so its calendar, agenda and decisions are public. This guide covers when it meets, when applications are due and how DRB approval sits alongside the building permit.

Quick answer

If your project changes the outside of a house on Sullivan's Island, plan on Town of Sullivan's Island Design Review Board review before you build. The DRB meets on the third Wednesday of every month at 4:00 PM in Town Hall Council Chambers, 2056 Middle Street, and the application deadline for the next meeting is 5:00 PM on the Friday after the prior meeting, roughly four weeks ahead. DRB approval is not a building permit; the permit is a separate application.

Checked against the official sources listed at the bottom of this page on 13 October 2026. By Jared McCarley, Southeastern Renovation LLC, SC General Contractor License CLG.127339.

When does the Sullivan's Island DRB meet, and when is the deadline?

The Town publishes both dates on its Design Review Board page. Meetings are the third Wednesday of the month at 4:00 PM. The submission deadline is 5:00 PM at Town Hall on the Friday after the previous meeting. The Town's own 2026 table, for example, pairs an October 23, 2026 deadline with the November 18, 2026 meeting and a November 20, 2026 deadline with the December 16, 2026 meeting. Public input on agenda items is accepted until noon on the day of the meeting.

In practice that means an application has to be complete about four weeks before the meeting it is aimed at. Miss the Friday deadline and the next realistic hearing is a month later.

What should the drawings answer?

Sullivan's Island lots carry three things that drive most design questions: flood elevation, salt air and the scale of the existing cottages around them. Before an exterior package goes in, we make sure the drawings answer the questions a reviewer will ask about:

Height, massing and setbacks of any addition or raised structure, shown against the existing house
Exterior materials and colors for every surface that changes, with before-and-after elevations
Windows, doors, porches and railings that change the street-facing look of the house
The flood-zone elevation the work is designed to, from a current survey or elevation certificate

The Town's DRB page and current application are the authority on exactly what the board requires. Read the current application before drawings are finalised, not after.

Step by step: from idea to permit

Confirm the property's flood-zone position. On a raised or low-lying island house this can decide what a renovation is allowed to be. See our FEMA 50% rule guide.
Design with the DRB calendar in view. Count back four weeks from the meeting you want; that Friday is your real deadline.
Submit a complete DRB application to the Town by 5:00 PM on the deadline Friday.
Attend the meeting (third Wednesday, 4:00 PM) or have your contractor or designer present.
Apply for the building permit once the design is settled. The licensed plumbing, electrical and mechanical subcontractors pull their own trade permits.

Is DRB approval the same as a building permit?

No. The DRB decides how the outside of the house may look. The building permit confirms the work meets code. They are separate applications with separate reviews, and approval from one tells you nothing about the other. Interior-only work, such as a kitchen or bath that does not touch an exterior wall, a window or the roof, normally goes straight to the permit side. If the plumbing or wiring changes, it still needs a permit. Our Sullivan's Island page covers the island's housing stock and what that means for renovation budgets.

Plan your Sullivan's Island project Tell us about your project · we map the approvals before the build schedule

Frequently asked

When does the Sullivan's Island Design Review Board meet?

On the third Wednesday of every month at 4:00 PM in the Town Hall Council Chambers at 2056 Middle Street, unless the Town notes otherwise.

What is the Sullivan's Island DRB application deadline?

5:00 PM at Town Hall on the Friday after the previous month's meeting. For the November 18, 2026 meeting the Town lists October 23, 2026; for December 16, 2026 it lists November 20, 2026.

Does an interior remodel on Sullivan's Island need DRB approval?

Interior work that does not change the exterior, such as windows, doors, the roof or the footprint, is generally a building-permit question rather than a design-review one. Check the Town's current DRB application if anything visible changes.

Can I speak at a Sullivan's Island DRB meeting?

The Town accepts public input on agenda items until noon on the day of the meeting.

Related guides and services

Sources

Rules and dates change. The official pages above are the authority, and this guide was last checked on 13 October 2026. See all permit and design-review guides.