LOCAL RULES

South Carolina fire extinguisher inspection report requirements

Your South Carolina fire extinguisher inspection report has 7 rules to meet. ReportDraft puts every one on your checklist and checks your draft before you sign.

  • Unmaintainable units removed from service and replaced
  • A visual inspection every month
  • An annual maintenance check, with its date recorded
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South Carolina's Office of State Fire Marshal licenses fire equipment dealers and permits their technicians under S.C. Code Regs. 71-8303 and S.C. Code 23-9-45. The rules set who may service extinguishers, how tamper seals are dated, and what happens to a unit that cannot be maintained. Here is each rule with a link to the official text, and what a South Carolina extinguisher report should record.

Last reviewed October 15, 2026 against the official sources listed below.

Fire extinguisher inspectionSOUTH CAROLINA / SAMPLE

Sample notes, 100 words

Building: Riverside Plaza, 410 Market St
Date: 10/06/2026, monthly check
Inspected by: Dana Cole, facilities
Lobby by front doors: 10 lb ABC, serial A44120, gauge in green, pin and seal OK, tag current
Kitchen: class K 6 L, gauge OK, tag punched
...
FREE PREVIEW OF THESE NOTES
46%of your draft is ready from these notes

We sorted 17 items into 2 sections and flagged 1 to fix soon.

  • Fix soonInspection items (all units)

    Tamper seal missing

7 South Carolina rules on your checklist, including unmaintainable units removed from service and replaced.

Still to add

  • South Carolina lawDealer's OSFM license number
  • South Carolina lawTechnician's OSFM permit number and class
  • NeededType of inspection

Filled in for you

Building or facilityRiverside Plaza, 410 Market St
Address410 Market St
Inspection dateOct 6, 2026
Permitted technicianDana Cole, facilities
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What South Carolina requires

  • Each dealer testing or maintaining portable fire extinguishers holds a license from the Office of State Fire Marshal for its class (Class A covers all portables, including recharging carbon dioxide units and, with a DOT retester number, hydrostatic tests), displayed at its place of business, renewed every three years, backed by at least one million dollars of liability insurance and a permitted primary qualifying party; no one may advertise as a Fire Equipment Dealer without itS.C. Code Regs. 71-8303.4 (A), (C), (D); 71-8303.6 (A) · S.C. Code 23-9-45
  • Each individual who maintains, recharges, repairs or tests portable extinguishers holds an OSFM permit for that class, based on a current ICC/NAFED Certified Portable Fire Extinguisher Technician certification; the permit is carried while working, shown to any authority having jurisdiction on request, limited to the work its class covers, and invalid on leaving the dealer until transferredS.C. Code Regs. 71-8303.4 (B); 71-8303.6 (B)
  • Tamper seals are imprinted with the year (handwritten dates are not acceptable), and the year on the seal matches the date on the maintenance tag on the extinguisherS.C. Code Regs. 71-8303.8 (C)
  • A portable fire extinguisher that cannot be maintained per the manufacturer's manuals or the applicable NFPA standards is removed from service and replacedS.C. Code Regs. 71-8303.8 (B)
  • Portable extinguishers are installed, inspected, tested and serviced per the applicable NFPA standards and the manufacturer's manuals; the International Fire Code adopted by the South Carolina Building Codes Council sets the minimum fire and life safety standardsS.C. Code Regs. 71-8303.8 (A) · S.C. Code Regs. 71-8300.2 (B)
  • A dealer hydrostatically testing DOT-specification extinguishers holds a valid US Department of Transportation license, tests to DOT and NFPA standards, and each employee who tests keeps DOT certification and shows it to the OSFM on requestS.C. Code Regs. 71-8303.7
  • The OSFM may cite and fine both the company and the permit holder for each failure to inspect, maintain or test fire equipment to the applicable codes, and may issue a stop work order to anyone working without a license or permitS.C. Code Regs. 71-8303.15, 71-8303.18

Dealer licenses and technician permits

The company needs an OSFM fire equipment dealer license for its class (Class A for portables), at least one million dollars of liability insurance, a permitted qualifying party and the license on display. Each technician needs an OSFM permit based on a current ICC/NAFED portable extinguisher technician certification, carried on the job and shown to the authority having jurisdiction on request.

Tamper seals and the maintenance tag

Every tamper seal carries an imprinted year, never a handwritten one, and that year must match the date on the maintenance tag. Recording the seal year by serial number in the report makes the match easy to show.

Units that cannot be maintained

Service follows NFPA standards and the manufacturer's manuals. A unit that cannot be maintained to them comes out of service and is replaced. Hydrostatic testing needs a DOT license, and the OSFM can fine both the company and the technician for work not done to code.

From the walkthrough to a finished South Carolina report

Note each unit's serial number, the work done and the seal year, and anything that has to come out of service. ReportDraft puts your dealer license and permit numbers in the header and lists the work by serial number.

Common mistakes

  • Writing the year on a tamper seal by hand.
  • A seal year that does not match the maintenance tag.
  • Leaving an unmaintainable unit in service.
  • Working without the permit in hand.
  • Servicing equipment the permit class does not cover.

Sources

Last reviewed October 15, 2026. Next review due January 15, 2027. This page explains published rules to help you write your report. It is not legal advice; the official text linked above governs.