(A) Local building officials shall enforce the provisions of the Energy Standard.

(B) In areas of the State without a building official, the local jurisdiction may designate its engineer, director of public works, or chief fire inspector to enforce the provisions of the Energy Standard.

Upon request, the State Energy Office shall provide local jurisdictions a brief synopsis of the Energy Standard, the Residential Energy Efficiency Requirements that apply to South Carolina, and penalties.

(C) The building officials are responsible for examination and approval or disapproval of plans and specifications, the issuance and revocation of building permits, licenses, certificates, and similar documents, and the inspection of buildings pursuant to the provisions of the Energy Standard.

(D) Except as otherwise provided in the Energy Standard, the construction of a building must not begin until a building permit is issued. Upon submission of an application to the building official, if the building proposed to be erected will comply with this chapter, a permit must be issued. The building official may suspend or revoke a building permit if the building under construction pursuant to that building permit does not comply with this chapter.

(E) The building official periodically shall inspect, or cause to be inspected, all construction undertaken pursuant to permits issued by the building official to assure compliance with this chapter. If a building is found not to comply with the Energy Standard, the building official shall notify the permit holder in writing to bring the building into compliance with the standard or to secure it from entry or both; if the permit holder fails to comply with the notification, the building official shall revoke the permit.

(F) A building constructed after the effective date of the Energy Standard must not be used or occupied until a certificate of occupancy has been issued.

HISTORY: 1979 Act No. 156, Section 6; 1981 Act No. 125, Section 3; 2009 Act No. 46, Section 1, eff July 1, 2009.

Editor's Note

Under the provisions of Chapter 34, Title 1, an agency is required to adopt the latest edition of a nationally recognized code which it is charged by statute or regulation with enforcing by giving notice in the State Register.

2009 Act No. 46 Section 3, effective July 1, 2009, provides as follows:

"The provisions of this act do not apply to projects which have received the proper permits as required by law before the effective date of this act."

Effect of Amendment

The 2009 amendment rewrote this section.