Charleston County, SC Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum hot water temp
- 120°F (49°C) at every fixture
- Required fixtures
- kitchen sink, lavatory, tub/shower, water closet
- Hearing notice window
- 10 to 30 days before hearing
- Non-compliant dwelling remedy
- repair, vacate, or demolish order
- Unpaid repair cost
- becomes lien like county taxes
Summary
Charleston County's unsafe dwellings ordinance sets minimum habitability standards for every rental unit in the unincorporated county: working sanitary fixtures, hot water at 120°F, functioning heat, and rodent-proof windows and doors. The Building Official can order repairs or vacate a dwelling that falls below these standards under Sec. 4-28, § 113.5.
113.5.1 General: No person shall occupy as owner-occupant or let or sublet to another for occupancy any dwelling or dwelling unit designed or intended to be used for the purpose of living, sleeping, cooking, or eating therein, nor shall any vacant dwelling building be permitted to exist which does not comply with the following requirements. ... 113.5.1.1 Sanitary Facilities: Every dwelling unit shall contain not less than a kitchen sink, lavatory, tub or shower, and a water closet all in good working condition and properly connected to an approved water and sewer system. Every plumbing fixture and water and waste pipe shall be properly installed and maintained in good sanitary working condition free from defects, leaks, and obstructions. ... 113.5.1.4 Water Heating Facilities: Every dwelling unit shall have water heating facilities which are properly installed and maintained in a safe and good working condition and are capable of heating water to such a temperature as to permit an adequate amount of water to be drawn at every required kitchen sink, lavatory basin, bathtub or shower at a temperature of not less than 120 o F (49 o C).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 21).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 1 bars anyone from occupying or renting out 'any dwelling or dwelling unit designed or intended to be used for the purpose of living, sleeping, cooking, or eating' unless it meets the county's Additional Minimum Residential Standards, and bars a vacant dwelling from existing in violation of them either. 1 requires every unit to have a kitchen sink, lavatory, tub or shower, and a water closet, all in good working order and properly connected to an approved water and sewer system, with plumbing free of leaks and defects.
4 requires water heating facilities capable of delivering water at not less than 120°F (49°C) at every required fixture, even when the unit's regular heating system is off; apartment buildings may meet this with a centralized water heater. 5 requires permanent heating facilities able to safely and adequately heat every habitable room and bathroom. 4 requires floors, walls and ceilings kept structurally sound and rodent-proof. 2: the Building Official investigates complaints, can hold a hearing on 10 to 30 days' notice, and, once a dwelling is found unfit, can order the owner to repair it, or vacate and close it, or, where repair isn't cost-effective, to demolish it; unpaid repair costs become a lien collectible like county taxes.
Violations & Fines
Failing to comply with a repair, vacate, or demolition order lets the Building Official have the work done and bill the owner, with the cost becoming a real-property lien collectible the same way as county taxes under § 113.2.4. Occupying or renting a unit that doesn't meet these minimum standards is enforced under Chapter 4's general misdemeanor and magistrates'-court penalty provision, § 115.4.
Frequently Asked Questions
What minimum standards must a Charleston County rental unit meet?
Can the county force a landlord to fix an uninhabitable unit?
What if the landlord ignores the repair order?
Does the hot water requirement apply to every rental unit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Charleston County
Compare Charleston County to another location·View the South Carolina rental property rules overview
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