South Carolina adopts the International Residential Code and International Building Code statewide under Title 6, Chapter 9, requiring uniform pool barrier standards including a minimum 48-inch fence height around residential swimming pools.
The South Carolina Building Codes Council, established under SC Code Section 6-9-40, adopts the IRC and IBC as the mandatory minimum statewide construction codes. Local governments cannot adopt less stringent standards. Under IRC Appendix G (or current adopted Appendix), residential swimming pools deeper than 24 inches must be enclosed by a barrier at least 48 inches high with self-closing, self-latching gates opening outward. Openings must not allow passage of a 4-inch sphere. Doors providing direct access from a dwelling must have alarms or self-closing devices. These standards apply uniformly across all SC jurisdictions.
Code violations may result in stop-work orders, denial of certificate of occupancy, and civil penalties enforced by local building officials under state authority.
See how Summerville's pool barriers rules stack up against other locations.
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