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

C. Code § 5-25-1310, Title 5, Chapter 25, Article 11. Subsection (A) requires every one-family and two-family dwelling, including manufactured housing, to carry an approved, properly functioning smoke detector installed to NFPA Standard 72E (1990) and NFPA Standard 74 (1989), though this article's detailed installation requirements apply only to rental dwellings and housing. Subsection (B) adds a higher bar for anything newly built or remodeled past 50% of its assessed value after December 31, 1994: the detector must be electrically powered from a dependable, commercial source and installed per the manufacturer's instructions, with § 5-25-1320 allowing a battery-operated detector meeting NFPA 74 only in an existing dwelling that hasn't crossed that remodeling threshold.

Section 5-25-1330 puts the ongoing duty on the landlord: the owner supplies and installs the detectors, gives the tenant written or verbal instructions for testing and battery replacement, and once a tenant gives written notice that a detector is deficient, the owner has fifteen days to repair or replace it; an owner isn't obligated to fix a detector the tenant deliberately damaged. Section 5-25-1340 backstops the whole scheme at the point of sale: no one may convey title to, or transfer possession of, a covered dwelling unless the smoke detectors are installed and functioning, and the seller must give the buyer a closing affidavit confirming that.