8 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Richland County, South Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
Richland County adopts the South Carolina Fire Code. Recreational fires and permanent fire pits are permitted but must be at least 25 feet from any structure or combustible material, constantly attended, and kept small.
SC Fire Code Sec. 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 and in unincorporated Richland County, but Sec. 18-9 bans discharge between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. On July 4th and New Year's Eve the cutoff extends to 1:00 a.m.
Richland County Code Sec. 18-9
It shall be unlawful for a person to use, discharge, shoot or ignite fireworks or similar explosives within Richland County between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. ... except that on July 5th and January 1st it shall be unlawful between 1:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m.
Richland County has no defensible-space mandate for homes, but fire and burn rules require clearance around any fire: 25 feet for recreational fires (SC Fire Code) and 75 feet for permitted rural open burning (County Code Sec. 10-2).
Richland County Code Sec. 10-2 prohibits open burning of leaves and yard trimmings on private residences in residential zoning districts. In rural districts it is allowed only if the fire is at least 75 feet from any structure, road, or property line.
Richland County Code Sec. 10-2
Open burning of leaves, tree branches and yard trimmings on the premises of private residences shall be permitted within 'rural' zoning districts, provided that any fire must be located not less than 75 feet from any structure, road, or property line and adequate provision has been made to prevent the fire from spreading.
Richland County has not adopted a mapped wildland-urban-interface (WUI) code or a defensible-space overlay. Wildfire risk is managed by the SC Forestry Commission through burn bans, fire-danger ratings, and voluntary Firewise guidance rather than mandatory zones.
Richland County enforces the South Carolina building and fire codes, which require smoke alarms in every dwelling: in each sleeping room, outside each sleeping area, and on every story, including basements.
Cooking fires and fires in fire pits, chimineas, or portable outdoor fireplaces need no notification. But South Carolina law requires you to notify the SC Forestry Commission before burning yard debris, and residential-zone open burning is banned countywide.
SC Forestry Commission burning-notification guidance
State law requires citizens to notify the South Carolina Forestry Commission before burning yard debris. ... a fire used for the preparation of food for immediate consumption, or fires burned in portable outdoor fireplaces, chimineas, or permanent fire pits [do not require notification].
Richland County enforces South Carolina Fire Code Chapter 61. Propane containers cannot be stored in basements or pits where gas could collect, must sit at code distances from buildings and lot lines, and any one installation is capped at 2,000-gallon water capacity.
SC Fire Code Ch. 61 / Sec. 6104
LP-gas containers shall not be stored in a basement, pit or similar location where heavier-than-air gas might collect. ... the aggregate capacity of any one installation shall not exceed a water capacity of 2,000 gallons (7570 L).
1 cities in Richland County have their own fire regulations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
See every category we cover for Richland County — parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Richland County Ordinance Hub →