Spartanburg County, SC Fire Regulations: Smoke Detectors (2026)

Section 10-176 requires a minimum of one smoke detector per floor in any property offered as a dwelling, with no exception for older buildings or construction type. Section 10-177 puts installation on the rental property owner while making tenants responsible for battery upkeep and requiring them to notify the owner of any defect. Detectors must be battery-operated (DC) or hard-wired (AC) with battery backup, per § 10-178, and installed to the manufacturer's instructions, per § 10-179. Under § 10-180, a building inspector checks for the required alarms whenever a construction project already requires a permit and inspection, though inspectors are not required to enter a home solely to check smoke alarms; county building inspectors, law enforcement officers and fire personnel may also check during fire calls or routine fire inspections.

Section 10-181 sets the violation process: any building inspector, law enforcement officer, or qualified firefighter (with chief or assistant chief approval) can issue a notice of violation giving the person 48 hours to correct it, or a warning giving five days. 00 for each later offense, payable within 72 hours of the deadline, and the violation itself must still be corrected within 12 days (first offense) or 120 hours (subsequent offense). If the penalty isn't paid and the violation isn't fixed in time, a criminal warrant issues through the magistrate, and conviction is punished under § 10-182 as a misdemeanor per the general penalty at § 1-6.