Charleston, SC Building Safety: Lead Paint (2026)

City Code Section 7-117(a) defines an 'exposed surface' as any interior surface of a dwelling, dwelling unit or child care facility, and any exterior surface such as stairs, porches, railings, windows, doors and siding, measured from ground level up to at least 5 feet, that is readily accessible to children six years old or younger, with particular attention to surfaces where paint is peeling or chipping. The same section defines a 'lead-base substance' as paint, lacquer, putty, plaster glaze or similar surface-coating material that tests positive for lead in the dried paint film using an in-site analyzer device.

Section 7-117(b) places the legal duty on the owner: whenever the board of health determines that lead-based coating on exposed surfaces of public or private premises presents a danger to health, the owner must remove it or permanently cover it. The public safety and housing officer, the same official who administers Charleston's broader unfit-dwelling process under Article IV, Division 1, is required to report any apparent violations of this duty to the board of health rather than act unilaterally, so enforcement runs through a board of health danger finding before an owner is compelled to abate.

This section has stood since 1980 and works alongside the city's minimum-standards provisions in Division 3, which independently require dwellings to be free of hazards that threaten occupant health.