Fire Regulations in South Carolina (2026)

Charleston allows backyard fire pits and recreational fires only inside a purpose-built container, kept twenty-five…

Recreational backyard fires and fires for cooking food are exempt from SC's open-burning ban. Regulation 61-62.2…

In unincorporated Cherokee County, South Carolina, a recreational fire, a cooking fire or a fire used solely for warmth…

Backyard campfires and recreational fires are allowed in Greenville County under the state's open-burning exemption…

Recreational campfires and fire pits used for warmth or ceremonies are exempt from Lancaster County's sunset-to-sunrise…

Lexington County lets you burn a recreational fire, including a fire pit or outdoor fireplace, for religious…

Recreational fires and cooking pit fires are legal only inside a contained device or pit meeting exact size and…

Cooking fires and fires in fire pits, chimineas, or portable outdoor fireplaces need no notification. But South…

Recreational backyard fires such as campfires and warmth fires are exempt from South Carolina's open-burning ban, so…

Small backyard recreational fires are allowed. State law requires clearing a firebreak, keeping equipment ready and…

Beaufort County exempts campfires and fire pits used solely for recreational purposes from its outdoor-burning…

Columbia allows recreational open fires, such as backyard campfires and fire pits, without a burning permit under…

Unincorporated Darlington County exempts recreational and warming fires kept in a pit, barrel or other noncombustible…

Recreational fire pits, campfires and outdoor fireplaces are exempt from Georgetown County's open-burning permit…

Unincorporated York County exempts campfires and fire pits used for recreation, ceremonies or warmth from its…

Backyard fire pits, chimeneas and campfires used for warmth or recreation are exempt from Horry County's open-burning…

Backyard fire pits, grills, and other recreational fires are exempt from the Town of Mount Pleasant's open-burning ban…

Rock Hill lets residents light a recreational fire, such as a campfire or backyard fire pit, without a permit, as long…

South Carolina permits year-round sale and use of consumer fireworks to buyers 16 and older. Licensing sits with the…

Charleston bans using, possessing, selling or storing fireworks anywhere within city limits under City Code Section…

South Carolina law permits the sale and use of most consumer fireworks. North Charleston allows fireworks but restricts…

Beaufort County treats retail fireworks facilities as fire hazards: buildings that store or sell them must be…

Columbia's Sec. 14-108 bars discharging fireworks between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. citywide, with extended windows on…

Unincorporated Darlington County bans the sale, possession, discharge or use of fireworks within one mile of the…

Unincorporated Florence County confines fireworks sales to a single zoning district. Sec. 30-29's Table II permits…

Georgetown County Council administers a fireworks prohibited zone extension process under County Code Sec. 13.8-18…

Unincorporated Horry County bans fireworks on beaches and public property outright and, in census-designated urban…

Sec. 24-3(6) bars possessing fireworks, explosives, firearms or air guns in any Lancaster County park or recreation…

Unincorporated Laurens County bans possessing any firearm, airgun, explosive or firework on county park and recreation…

The Town of Mount Pleasant bans possessing, discharging or setting off fireworks at any town-owned park, including…

Unincorporated Orangeburg County allows fireworks stands only as a temporary use under Zoning Ordinance § 3.18-2(9)…

South Carolina bars retail sale or use of small bottle rockets statewide and forbids selling any fireworks to anyone…

South Carolina lets any property owner, lessee, or condo association in Charleston County ban fireworks discharge on…

Dorchester County limits when fireworks may be set off in the unincorporated county. Ordinance § 28-7 bans discharging…

Consumer fireworks are legal in South Carolina. Anyone 16 or older may buy, store, and set off state-approved 1.4G…

Setting off fireworks close to a neighbor's home without their consent, or detonating carbide cannons or other…

Consumer fireworks are legal in South Carolina and in unincorporated Richland County, but Sec. 18-9 bans discharge…

Rock Hill's Zoning Ordinance caps temporary fireworks sales at two sales events per calendar year per location, with…

Consumer fireworks are legal statewide in South Carolina and permitted inside Simpsonville, but the city limits you to…

There is no statewide defensible-space mandate, but if you burn cleared brush you must follow SC Regulation 61-62.2…

South Carolina has no statewide defensible-space clearance mandate like California. In Greenville County brush is…

Horry County has no ordinance requiring residents to clear brush for wildfire prevention; the only local rule that…

South Carolina law requires anyone burning yard debris outdoors to notify the SC Forestry Commission before ignition…

Charleston bans open burning citywide unless a fire falls into one of seven listed exceptions in City Code Section…

Rock Hill bans open burning citywide by default. City Code Sec. 16-7 states flatly that "all open burning is prohibited…

Anderson County authorizes the county forest ranger, part of the state forestry commission, to declare a fire state of…

Beaufort County bans open burning in the unincorporated county except limited yard-debris burning on residential land…

In unincorporated Cherokee County, South Carolina, no one can kindle or maintain open burning except as Article III of…

Columbia bans all open burning within city limits unless the pollution control officer issues a special permit with…

Unincorporated Georgetown County bans open burning within 50 feet of any structure and prohibits burning rubbish…

Unincorporated Lancaster County bans open burning outright unless it fits an exception in Code Article V. Section…

Lexington County's fire chief or designee can prohibit all open burning countywide whenever weather or local conditions…

The Town of Mount Pleasant bans burning leaves, debris, trash, or bonfires outside any structure unless the fire is…

Unincorporated Sumter County bans open burning on or within 200 feet of any residential property except under the…

York County bans open burning of waste, debris, stumps and construction materials at new commercial, industrial and…

Open burning is prohibited statewide under SC Regulation 61-62.2, except that residents may burn leaves, tree branches…

Unincorporated Darlington County allows residents and businesses to burn leaves, tree branches and yard trimmings on…

You may burn leaves, branches, and yard trimmings from your own residence under SC Regulation 61-62.2, but state law…

Unincorporated Horry County bans open burning within 50 feet of any structure or property line under Code § 20-451…

North Charleston bans open burning citywide except for narrow categories listed in Code of Ordinances § 8-5(c), such as…

Oconee County has no standalone open-burning ordinance in its own words. Instead, Section 6-43 adopts the 2021…

Pageland requires a permit before anyone burns trash or holds a bonfire inside town limits. The fire chief issues it…

Richland County Code Sec. 10-2 prohibits open burning of leaves and yard trimmings on private residences in residential…

South Carolina prohibits open burning statewide except for listed exceptions. You may burn leaves, tree branches, and…

You may burn yard debris (leaves, limbs, branches) in unincorporated areas, but state law requires notifying the SC…

The South Carolina Forestry Commission has statewide authority to declare wildfire emergencies, issue burn bans, and…

Aiken County requires every used mobile home moved into or within the unincorporated county to include a working smoke…

Every dwelling unit in unincorporated Charleston County must have an approved, listed smoke detector installed per the…

Every mobile and manufactured home in unincorporated Darlington County must have a listed, working smoke detector…

Georgetown County no longer has a standalone smoke detector ordinance. Ordinance 2008-26 repealed the county's 1992…

South Carolina law requires smoke detectors in every one- and two-family rental dwelling in Greenville County, and a…

Lexington County requires smoke detectors to be tested during the final building inspection before any new structure…

Orangeburg County enforces the 2024 International Fire Code, and its local amendment to Section 1103.5.3 gives owners…

Every Tiny House unit built under Pageland's Article 13 development standards must have a smoke alarm in each sleeping…

Rock Hill, South Carolina requires every registered residential rental unit to have a working smoke alarm in each area…

South Carolina law requires approved, working smoke detectors in one- and two-family rental dwellings. The landlord…

Every dwelling in unincorporated Spartanburg County, regardless of age, must have at least one smoke detector per floor…

South Carolina regulates LP-gas (propane) storage, transport, and installation under Title 40 Chapter 82. The LP-Gas…

Greenville County caps liquefied petroleum gas storage at any one installation at 2,000 gallons of water capacity…

In the Town of Mount Pleasant, a residential propane or heating oil tank is not exempt from yard setbacks: §…