8 rules for unincorporated Greenville County, South Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
Backyard fire pits and recreational fires are allowed in Greenville County as campfires or fires used solely for recreation under SC open-burning rules. Under the adopted SC Fire Code a recreational fire must stay at least 25 feet from any structure, be constantly attended, and use only clean, untreated wood.
SC Fire Code (IFC) 307.4.2
Recreational fires shall not be conducted within 25 feet (7620 mm) of a structure or combustible material.
Consumer fireworks are legal in South Carolina. Anyone 16 or older may buy, store, and set off state-approved 1.4G consumer fireworks. Greenville County has no countywide ban, but a property owner can file a Fireworks Prohibited Zone, and burn bans or HOA rules may still apply.
SC Code 23-35-175(C)
An owner, a lessee, or managing authority of real property may establish a Fireworks Prohibited Zone by: (1) filing a Discharge of Fireworks Prohibited Agreement with the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction.
South Carolina has no statewide defensible-space clearance mandate like California. In Greenville County brush is usually cleared by burning yard debris, which is legal under Regulation 61-62.2 only after you notify the SC Forestry Commission, clear the area around the fire, and keep enough people and equipment to prevent it
SC Reg. 61-62.2, Section I(E)(1)
The location of the burning must be a sufficient distance but not less than one-thousand (1000) feet from public roadways and all residential, commercial, and industrial sites not a part of the contiguous property on which the burning is conducted.
You may burn leaves, branches, and yard trimmings from your own residence under SC Regulation 61-62.2, but state law requires you to notify the SC Forestry Commission before burning, and open burning is banned on and near county road and drainage rights-of-way. Household trash burning is prohibited.
SC Reg. 61-62.2, Section I(A)
Open burning of leaves, tree branches, or yard trimmings originating on the premises of private residences and burned on those premises.
Greenville County has no formal wildfire hazard-zone map or defensible-space code. Wildfire risk is managed at the state level by the SC Forestry Commission, which issues Red Flag alerts and countywide burn bans during drought. There are no California-style very-high-fire-severity zone designations here.
South Carolina law requires every one- and two-family dwelling, including manufactured homes, to have approved, working smoke detectors. New or substantially remodeled homes must have hardwired detectors powered from a dependable commercial electrical source. Greenville County enforces these through the adopted SC building and fire codes.
SC Code 5-25-1310
One-family and two-family dwellings, including manufactured housing, must be equipped with approved and properly functioning smoke detectors.
Backyard campfires and recreational fires are allowed in Greenville County under the state's open-burning exemption, provided they use clean wood, stay at least 25 feet from structures, and are constantly attended. Burning trash or yard debris in the backyard requires notifying the Forestry Commission first and is banned during burn
SC Reg. 61-62.2, Section I(C)
Campfires and fires used solely for recreational purposes, ceremonial occasions, or human warmth. Fires set for the purpose of human warmth must use only clean wood products (woody vegetation, leaves, or wood which is not coated with stain, paint, glue or other coating material, and not treated lumber).
Greenville County follows the adopted SC Fire Code and NFPA 58 for propane. Portable LP-gas containers must be stored outdoors, protected against tampering, and kept clear of combustibles. Weeds, grass, brush, trash, and other combustible materials must be kept at least 10 feet from LP-gas tanks or containers.
SC Fire Code (IFC) 6109.13
Weeds, grass, brush, trash and other combustible materials shall be kept not less than 10 feet (3048 mm) from LP-gas tanks or containers.
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