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Mount Pleasant, SC Rental Inspections: Tenant Complaint Process (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Trigger
Code Enforcement Official's opinion of unsanitary dwelling
Notice required
Written, specifies fix and deadline, § 93.02
Consequence
Occupancy prohibited if uncorrected, § 93.03
Separate offense
Interfering with inspector, § 93.05
Covers
Apartment houses, tenements, dwellings of any size

Summary

When Mount Pleasant's Code Enforcement Official finds an apartment, tenement, or dwelling kept in an unsanitary condition, such as inadequate toilets, water, lighting, ventilation, or overcrowding, §§ 93.01-93.03 require written notice to the owner, a deadline to fix it, and let the town prohibit occupancy until the conditions are corrected.

Whenever, in the opinion of the applicable Code Enforcement Official, any apartment house, tenement, or other dwelling ... is kept and maintained in an unsanitary condition, whether by lack of sufficient toilet facilities, lack of proper or sufficient water supply, lack of sufficient lighting and ventilation, overcrowding of tenants, or otherwise, the applicable Code Enforcement Official shall have the power to require the correction of such conditions as hereinafter provided. ... the Code Enforcement Official shall give written notice to the owners of the premises in question ... specifying the condition to be corrected, the steps to be taken for such correction, and the time within which correction shall be made. ... the owner or agent of such premises shall comply with the requirements of the Code Enforcement Official as set forth in the notice. In the event that such owner or agent shall, after notice as hereinabove provided, fail or refuse to comply with the requirements of the Code Enforcement Official, such officer shall thereupon have power to prohibit such occupancy until the requirements of the Code Enforcement Official shall be complied with.

Full Breakdown

Mount Pleasant's nuisance chapter gives its Code Enforcement Official a formal three-step process for unsanitary rental housing. 01: whenever the officer forms the opinion that an apartment house, tenement, or other dwelling, whatever the number of families occupying it, is kept in an unsanitary condition, whether from too few toilets, an inadequate water supply, insufficient lighting or ventilation, overcrowding of tenants, or some other cause, the officer has the power to order the condition corrected. 02 then requires the officer to put that order in writing: the notice must specify the exact condition, the steps needed to fix it, and the deadline for compliance, and it must go to the owner or their agent in charge, either by mail to their last known address or, if neither can be identified, by posting the notice on the premises.

03 supplies the teeth: if the owner or agent fails or refuses to comply within the deadline in that notice, the Code Enforcement Official gains the power to prohibit occupancy of the premises until the required corrections are actually made. 06 extends the same duty-to-abate framework to any condition the officer finds endangers public health more generally. Tenants who believe their unit is unsanitary should direct a complaint to the town's Code Enforcement office, since it is the officer's opinion, not a tenant's own assessment, that triggers the formal notice-and-correction sequence.

Violations & Fines

Failing to correct an unsanitary condition after written notice lets the town prohibit occupancy of the unit entirely under § 93.03 until the required fixes are made. Separately, hindering or obstructing the Code Enforcement Official during an inspection is itself unlawful under § 93.05, and both violations carry Chapter 93's penalty provisions in § 93.99.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the town find out about an unsanitary rental unit?
The process starts when the town's Code Enforcement Official forms the opinion, under § 93.01, that a dwelling is unsanitary because of inadequate toilets, water, lighting, ventilation, or overcrowding; a tenant complaint can prompt an inspection, but it's the officer's finding that triggers formal action.
What notice does a landlord get before enforcement?
Section 93.02 requires the Code Enforcement Official to send written notice specifying the exact unsanitary condition, the steps needed to correct it, and a deadline, mailed to the owner's or agent's last known address or posted on the premises if neither can be identified.
What happens if the landlord doesn't fix the problem in time?
Under § 93.03, the Code Enforcement Official gains the power to prohibit occupancy of the dwelling entirely once the notice deadline passes without the required corrections being made, and occupancy stays barred until the conditions are actually fixed.
Can I stop the inspector from entering my building?
No. Section 93.05 makes it unlawful to hinder, obstruct, or interfere with the Code Enforcement Official while inspecting a premises or working to abate a nuisance, and doing so is a separate violation under Chapter 93's penalty provisions.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Mount Pleasant

All Mount Pleasant rules

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