Hurricane Shutters in Mount Pleasant, SC
Bahama, colonial, roll-down, and accordion shutters, storm panels, and hurricane screens for Mount Pleasant homes. We measure every opening, prepare the Town permit and any design-review paperwork, and install with our own crews.
-
01 / 04Bahama -
02 / 04Colonial -
03 / 04Roll-Down -
04 / 04Accordion
Town permit
handled
We prepare and file the Mount Pleasant building permit for rated installs.
Old Village
review
Drawings and product sheets for the Historic District Preservation Commission.
Rated for
the coast
Impact-rated systems, custom-fit to each opening.
Insurance
paperwork
Product documentation for your wind-mitigation credit.
One town, four kinds of house.
Shutters in Mount Pleasant start with the house. The Old Village has historic cottages and older homes on tight lots near the harbor. I’On is newer but built to look traditional. Out along US 17 and Highway 41, neighborhoods like Park West, Carolina Park, Dunes West, and Rivertowne are mostly larger two-story homes with wide rear porches. And along the marsh and the creeks, many houses sit well off the ground.
Each asks something different of a shutter. A historic cottage needs protection the Town’s preservation commission will accept. A planned neighborhood needs a color and profile the HOA will approve. A raised marsh-front house needs a way to cover second-story glass without a ladder. So we walk the house opening by opening and quote the mix that fits, not one product across every window.
Storm timing matters here too. The state hurricane plan puts the areas in and around Mount Pleasant in Charleston County evacuation Zone B, just behind the barrier islands in Zone A. Look up your address on SCEMD’s Know Your Zone before the season, and plan on having every opening closed before an order comes, not after.
What fits a
Mount Pleasant house.
Most homes end up with a mix. Here is where each system earns its place in town.
Bahama Shutters
Top-hinged and propped open for shade on hot west- and south-facing windows, then lowered and latched as rated protection. At home on coastal-style builds and newer neighborhoods alike.
View Bahama Shutters →
Colonial Shutters
Side-hinged and sized to close over the whole window. The period-correct look for Old Village and I’On houses, built in marine-grade aluminum and approved for High-Velocity Hurricane Zones.
View Colonial Shutters →
Roll-Down Shutters
A header box above the opening and slats that drop on a crank or a motor. The easiest way to cover wide porch openings and sliders on a marsh-facing house.
View Roll-Down Shutters →
Accordion Shutters
Stacks beside the opening and slides closed by hand from inside. A good answer for second-floor balconies and wide doors on raised houses.
View Accordion Shutters →
Storm Panels
Bertha™ .050 aluminum or clear panels that go up on permanent headers and sills. The lowest-cost rated option, stored in the garage between storms.
View Storm Panels →
Hurricane Screens
Rated mesh for screened porches and big openings. Shade and bug screen most of the year, and a debris barrier you can still see through when a storm comes.
View Hurricane Screens →
Permits, review boards, and the fine print.
The Town building permit
Building permits in Mount Pleasant come from the Town’s Building Inspection Division, and applications go through the Town’s online permitting portal, OPAL. The Town’s permit FAQ exempts only work where materials and labor come to $1,000 or less, so a rated shutter install will normally need a permit. We prepare the product approvals and installation details, file the application, and schedule the inspection.
Since January 1, 2023, the Town has enforced the 2021 International Residential and Building Codes with South Carolina amendments. The code requires designs for high wind in this area, and we size every system to the site: the opening, how high it sits on the wall, and what it faces.
The Old Village Historic District
Inside the Old Village Historic District, the Historic District Preservation Commission reviews exterior changes, and its approval has to come before work starts. The district’s design guidelines, adopted in February 2023, are specific about storm protection:
- Hurricane panels that are not permanent do not need a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA).
- Permanent hurricane window protection, on historic and non-historic buildings alike, needs a COA and must be on the Town’s Approved Materials List.
- New shutters should suit the size and style of the house. Closed, they should cover the window completely without overlapping on the wall, and on historic buildings they must be operable, not fixed.
The Town requires a pre-application meeting with planning staff before an application goes to the Commission. The Commission meets on the second Monday of each month, with submittals due four weeks ahead. For many Old Village houses that points to one of two routes: removable panels for storm days, or operable colonial shutters taken through review. We supply drawings and product sheets for either.
Neighborhood HOAs
Outside the historic district, the review usually comes from your HOA or architectural committee. Get their sign-off before you commit to the build. Our Mount Pleasant page covers what boards in town typically ask to see.
What the maps and the policy say.
Flood zones and raised houses
FEMA’s flood maps for Mount Pleasant, effective January 29, 2021, include AE and VE zones and added a Coastal A Zone that the Town regulates much like VE. A flood zone doesn’t change which shutter is rated, but it shapes the house: homes built up to flood elevation put the living floor, and the glass, well above the yard. On those we lean toward systems that close from inside or from a switch. The Town’s GIS map shows the flood zone for any address.
Wind-mitigation credits
South Carolina law requires rating plans for wind and hail coverage in the state’s seacoast area, which includes all of Charleston County, to carry discounts or credits for storm shutters, among other factors. The law doesn’t set the amount, so ask your agent what they credit and what documentation they want before we install. We provide the product paperwork.
The wind pool
The South Carolina Wind and Hail Underwriting Association writes wind and hail coverage for property owners in the state-defined “coastal area” who can’t get it privately. In this part of Charleston County that area is drawn at the Intracoastal Waterway, so mainland Mount Pleasant mostly falls outside it. Your agent can confirm for your address.
SC Safe Home
The SC Department of Insurance’s SC Safe Home program has offered grants that include hurricane shutters for owner-occupied primary homes in coastal counties. It is not accepting applications right now. Check the program page for the next cycle, and apply before any work begins.
Order in winter. Close it in minutes.
Hurricane season runs June through November. Every rated system we install is built to the measurements of your openings, and in Mount Pleasant the calendar can include HOA approval, a Historic District Preservation Commission meeting, and the Town permit before a crew ever arrives. Winter and early spring are the time to measure and order.
Once a storm is in the forecast, it is too late to build and permit a custom system for that storm. If you are starting late in the season, storm panels are the quickest rated system to put in place, and you can upgrade the hardest openings to roll-downs or accordions later.
Practice before you need it. Close every shutter once in the spring, label storm panels by opening, and rinse tracks and locks with fresh water a few times a year, especially on houses facing the harbor or the marsh.
What drives the price.
Every quote is built opening by opening after we measure. These are the things that move the number:
- Opening size and count. A wide slider or porch bay costs more to cover than a standard window, and a whole-house job spreads setup across more openings.
- Shutter type. Storm panels are the most economical rated option. Systems that stay on the house, like roll-downs, accordions, and hinged shutters, cost more because you are paying for convenience as well as protection.
- Manual or motorized. Motors, controls, and wiring add cost, and save the most time on large or hard-to-reach openings.
- Mounting surface. Brick, stucco, fiber-cement siding, and wood trim each anchor differently, and some need blocking or build-outs.
- Height and access. Second-story and raised-house openings may need lifts or extra labor.
- Rated or decorative. Impact-rated systems cost more than look-alike shutters, and only rated systems protect the opening or count toward a mitigation credit.
- Color and review. Custom colors, and the drawings a review board asks for, can add time and cost.
The at-home estimate is free, and the quote comes with the product documentation for your insurer. Want the full lineup first? Start with our Charleston hurricane shutters overview.
Mount Pleasant
shutter questions.
Permits, review, insurance, and timing.
Do I need a permit for hurricane shutters in Mount Pleasant?
Usually, yes. The Town of Mount Pleasant exempts only work valued at $1,000 or less in materials and labor, so a rated shutter install normally needs a building permit, filed through the Town’s OPAL portal. ShadeCoast prepares and files it.
Can I put hurricane shutters on a house in the Old Village?
Yes, with the right approvals. In the Old Village Historic District, removable hurricane panels that are not permanent do not need a Certificate of Appropriateness. Permanent storm protection needs one from the Historic District Preservation Commission and must be on the Town’s Approved Materials List. Shutters on historic buildings must be operable and cover the window completely when closed.
Which hurricane shutters work best on Mount Pleasant homes?
It depends on the house. Colonial shutters suit the Old Village and I’On. Bahama shutters give everyday shade on sunny windows. Motorized roll-downs are the easiest way to cover wide porch openings and sliders, accordions suit balconies, and storm panels cover the most openings for the money.
Do hurricane shutters lower home insurance in Mount Pleasant?
They can. South Carolina law requires wind and hail rating plans in the seacoast area, which includes Charleston County, to include credits or discounts for storm shutters. The amount varies by carrier, so ask your agent what documentation they need before the install.
How late in the season can I order hurricane shutters?
You can order at any point, but a custom rated system can’t be built and permitted once a storm is already in the forecast. Order in winter or early spring to be installed before the season. A late-season order still protects you for the rest of that season and every one after it.
Is the SC Safe Home grant available for shutters?
The program has funded hurricane shutters for eligible owner-occupied primary homes in coastal counties, but it is not accepting applications right now. Watch the SC Department of Insurance program page for the next cycle and apply before any work starts.
Get a Mount Pleasant storm plan
before the season.
A ShadeCoast specialist will measure every opening, tell you what the Town, your HOA, or the preservation commission will need, and quote the project at no cost.