Rock Hill, SC Rental Inspections: Tenant Complaint Process (2026)
Key Facts
- Who can complain
- department accepts any complaint of violation
- Overrides
- vacancy-only cycle and 5-year new-unit exemption
- Legal basis
- § 10-607(c)(1)
- Also triggers
- code official's reasonable cause, or owner invitation
- Fee
- no charge for initial or first re-inspection
Summary
A tenant or anyone else can trigger an out-of-cycle inspection of a Rock Hill rental unit by filing a complaint of violation with the Department of Neighborhood Services. City Code § 10-607(c) lets a code official inspect a unit at any time on a complaint, not just when a tenant moves out.
(c)Notwithstanding the foregoing, a unit shall be subject to inspection at any time if:(1)The department has received a complaint of violation; or(2)A code official has reasonable cause to believe that a violation is occurring as provided in the "right of entry" section of the IPMC; or(3)Upon the invitation of the owner, responsible person, or occupant.
Full Breakdown
Rock Hill's residential rental inspection program is ordinarily audit-based: a unit is queued for inspection only when a tenant vacates, under § 10-607(a), and new units get a five-year exemption under § 10-607(b). ' That means a complaint to the Department of Neighborhood Services can put a unit under inspection outside the normal vacancy cycle and even during the five-year new-unit exemption. If the code official finds a violation after a complaint-triggered inspection, the same notice-of-violation process applies as for any other inspection: a ten-day notice for fire, egress, heat, water supply, or roof problems under § 10-608(b), or a thirty-day notice for other violations under § 10-608(c).
The article does not set a separate fee for a complaint-triggered inspection; the no-fee rule for initial inspections and the first re-inspection under § 10-611(a)(1) applies the same way regardless of how the inspection was triggered.
Violations & Fines
A complaint-triggered inspection follows the same enforcement path as any other: a ten-day notice for fire, egress, heat, water, or roof issues under § 10-608(b), or a thirty-day notice for other violations under § 10-608(c). Uncorrected violations lead to registration revocation and fines up to $250.00 per unit under § 10-611(b)(2).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a tenant request a rental inspection in Rock Hill?
Does a complaint bypass the five-year exemption for new rentals?
What happens after a complaint-triggered inspection finds a violation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rock Hill
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