Richland County Fire Marshal

Fire Marshal Inspection and Approval of Commercial Locations (unincorporated Richland County)

The county's Business License page lists the "Fire Marshal – commercial locations" among the approvals a business may need before the Business Service Center issues the license, and Step 3 of the Clearance Form carries a Fire Marshal sign-off marked "Meet onsite for inspection", with approval or disapproval recorded on the form or in the Fire Marshal's report. Code §16-6(5) requires that the premises comply with applicable fire codes before a business license application is submitted. The Fire Marshal's Fire Inspections page says the office conducts fire and life safety inspections for new and existing structures and reviews fire plans; an inspection is requested at least 48 hours in advance by phone or through the eTrakit portal. For new commercial buildings the inspector checks exit signs and emergency lights, fire alarm and sprinkler systems, extinguishers, fire-rated walls, address numbers at least 4 inches tall and fire truck access, and the owner receives a written report; "If everything is in order, you'll be Approved for Occupancy." A fee is not published on that page or on the Clearance Form; contact the Fire Marshal (803-576-3400) for any amount due.