South Carolina H 4266: Building codes

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 4266 Text of Previous Version (Mar. 27, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 4266

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 
6-9-6 SO AS TO DEFINE TERMS; BY AMENDING SECTION 6-9-55, RELATING TO THE 
REQUIREMENT OF COUNCIL TO PROMULGATE REGULATIONS, SO AS TO REQUIRE REGULATIONS 
ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE PROVISIONS OF CHAPTER 9, TITLE 6; BY AMENDING SECTION 
6-9-63, RELATING TO THE SOUTH CAROLINA BUILDING CODES COUNCIL, SO AS TO REQUIRE 
THE COUNCIL TO GRANT MODIFICATIONS PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 
6-9-105; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 6-9-105, RELATING TO VARIATIONS BASED ON 
PHYSICAL OR CLIMATOLOGICAL CONDITIONS, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT A LOCAL 
MODIFICATION MUST BE GRANTED WHEN CERTAIN CONDITIONS ARE MET.

Be it enacted by the 
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Chapter 9, Title 6 of the S.C. Code is amended by 
adding:

 Section 6-9-6. For purposes of this chapter:

 (1) 
"Climatological" means the susceptibility of specific unusual reoccurring 
weather or atmospheric conditions for a local jurisdiction, including 
hurricanes, tornadoes, damaging wind, lightning, or floods due to rainfall.

 (2) 
"Code" means any one or more of the building codes referenced in Section 6-9-50 
and adopted pursuant to Section 6-9-40, including any amendments or 
modifications codified as provided for in Section 1-23-90.

 (3) 
"Council" means the South Carolina Building Codes Council.

 (4) 
"Physical" means the natural stable and unstable characteristics and conditions 
of the land area within a local jurisdiction, including topography, geography, 
geology, water table, and seismic activity.

SECTION 2. Section 6-9-55 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 
6-9-55. (A) The council shall 
promulgate as regulations, in accordance with the procedure and requirements 
contained in Article 1, Chapter 23, Title 1, and 
consistent with the provision of this chapter, any provision of or 
amendment to any building code that would affect 
construction requirements for one-family or two-family dwellings. No building code provision that would otherwise become 
effective after the effective date of this section concerning construction 
requirements for one-family or two-family dwellings shall be enforced until the 
effective date of the regulations required to be promulgated by this section.

 (B) 
Notwithstanding subsection (A), a regulation mandating the installation of an 
automatic residential fire sprinkler system in one-family or two-family 
dwellings shall not become effective at any time before July 1, 2015.

 (C) 
Notwithstanding subsection (A), Section 501.3 of the 2012 International 
Residential Code must not be enforced.

SECTION 3. Section 6-9-63(C) and (E) of the S.C. Code is amended 
to read:

 (C) The primary function of the council 
is to accept all requests for variation from the series of codes listed in this 
chapter and to determine which variations, if any, are justified by local 
conditions and can be enacted after a finding on the 
record that the modification provides a reasonable degree of public health, 
safety, and welfare. The council must grant local 
modifications to any of the codes pursuant to the provisions of Section 
6-9-105.

 (E) The council shall elect from its 
members a chairman and vice chairman. The council shall adoptpromulgate regulations consistent with the provisions of this chapter. A meeting may be called 
by the chairman on his own initiative and must be called by him at the request 
of three or more members of the council. Each member must be notified by the 
chairman in writing of the time and place of the meeting at least seven days 
before the meeting. Nine members constitute a quorum. Each meeting is open to 
the public. An official decision of the council may be made only by a vote of 
at least two-thirds of those members in attendance at the meeting.

SECTION 4. Section 6-9-105 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 
6-9-105. (A) If When a municipality or county contends that the codes 
authorized by this chapter do not meet its needs due to local physical or 
climatological conditions, the proposed variations and 
modifications must be submitted to the council it 
may submit a request for local modifications to the council with the proposed 
variations and modifications.

 (B) 
The council may issue an approval after a finding on the 
record that the variation or modification provides a reasonable standard of 
public health, safety, and welfare must review and 
grant local modifications to any of the codes at the request of a local 
jurisdiction, for application strictly within that jurisdiction, where the 
conditions of subsection (D) are met. The council 
must give deference to