Pressure washing costs in Charleston

The crew that washes your house in Charleston needs a city business license before it starts. The city requires one for any business operating or earning income inside its limits, and it says contractors based elsewhere have to get one before doing business there. Every license expires on April 30. An out-of-town contractor can't use the city's online portal, so its application goes in by email, by mail or in person.

If the wash is the first step toward paint on an old house downtown, the Board of Architectural Review's general guidelines set some hard lines on stripping. Highly acidic paint removal solutions aren't permitted, and neither are disc sanding or open flame. Mechanical sanders are for flat boards only, never for details. City staff can point you to gentler options, such as stripping gels and orbital sanders.

A clean wall also shows what the grime was hiding, like soft wood at the bottom of a column or in a porch ceiling. In the historic districts, that fix may not need to wait for a board meeting. A list the city posted in March 2025 names the scopes preservation staff can typically process over the counter in the Permit Center. Minor rot repair is on it: columns and balusters, trim, wood siding, window sashes and sills, and decking or ceilings, especially on piazzas. So is repainting surfaces that are already painted, in the same color or a new one. The list adds that it isn't an automatic approval, and staff decide case by case.