When do I need to hire an architect for my project?

South Carolina Board of Architectural Examiners requires the following: 

SECTION 40-3-290. Exceptions from coverage of chapter. 

(A) Nothing in this chapter prohibits a general contractor or a home builder from the preparation and use of details and shop drawings, assembly or erection drawings, or graphic descriptions used to detail or illustrate a portion of the work required to construct the project in accordance with the plans and specifications prepared or to be prepared under the requirements of this chapter. 

(B) Nothing in this chapter prevents or affects the practice of any other legally recognized profession. 

(C) If the drawings and specifications are signed by the authors with the true title of their occupations, this chapter does not apply to the preparations of plans and specifications for: 

(1) a building which is to be used for farm purposes only; 
(2) a building less than three stories high and containing fewer than five thousand square feet of total floor area except buildings of assembly, institutional, educational, and hazardous occupancies as defined by the Standard Building Code, regardless of area; 
(3) a detached single-family or two-family dwelling, as defined in Group R3 of the Standard Building Code, regardless of size, with each unit having a grade level exit and sheds, storage buildings, and garages incidental to the dwelling; 
(4) alterations to a building to which this chapter does not apply, if the alterations do not increase the areas and capacities beyond the limits of this chapter or affect the structural safety of the building.
 

SECTION 40-3-320. Issuance of building permits. The building official or other authority charged with the responsibility of issuing building or other similar permits of any county, municipality, or other subdivision, before issuing the permit, must be in possession of a sealed set of plans and specifications for which the seal of a registered architect is required and to verify that the architect who sealed the architectural plans and specifications is an architect registered in South Carolina.

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1. Once my site plans are approved, when can I obtain my grading permit?
2. How do I obtain a business license?
3. How does one become a Licensed Contractor?
4. As a homeowner, can I get the required permit(s) to work on my house without using a contractor?
5. Whom can I employ to perform construction work on my property?
6. Do I need a permit if my project is under $500?
7. How do I schedule an inspection?
8. I have a North Carolina License, may I perform work in South Carolina?
9. Does each trade have to pull a separate permit for their trade on a commercial project?
10. I have a complaint with the Contractor who built my house. How do I address this problem?
11. How do I get a 9-1-1 address for my property?
12. How do I go about taking over a Building / Structure that has been foreclosed upon?
13. Does York County require a business license?
14. When do I need to hire an architect for my project?
15. Do I need a permit for a storage building I purchased at Home Depot / Lowes etc.?