South Carolina: registration, not a license, for chimney work.

South Carolina BREAKS the license⇄disclosure inverse correlation — and does so on both axes at once. The inverse rule predicts that a state which regulates contractors more (registration reaching chimney masonry) would compensate with a weaker disclosure. SC does the opposite: it has both a real registration regime — masonry is a named residential specialty, licensable from as little as $500 — and a disclosure form that names chimneys with a narrower opt-out (via the form's instructions) than neighboring NC. Two "protections" stacked, not traded off. But the twist that saves the page from over-promising: both protections are hollow at the core. The specialty registration has no competence exam (it verifies signup, not skill), and the CO regime is the weakest in the NC/SC pair — pure IRC new-construction, no rental or existing-home statute at all. So SC breaks the correlation on paper while proving its deeper point: more paperwork ≠ more competence. The buyer's real leverage is SCUTPA treble damages (willful) and the § 37-2 cooling-off window (financed sales; FTC rule for cash) — plus getting your own inspection, because neither the registry nor the disclosure guarantees the flue was ever looked at.

South Carolina is the launch set's clearest example of registration reaching chimney masonry — but with no competence exam. STATE LAW: the SC Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) Residential Builders Commission, under S.C. Code Title 40, Chapter 59, runs a two-tier residential regime. A Residential Builder license is required when "the cost of the undertaking exceeds five thousand dollars" (§ 40-59-20), and a Residential Specialty Contractor registration is required "when the undertakings exceed five hundred dollars" (§ 40-59-20; threshold raised from $200 to $500 by 2022 Act No. 186). "Masons" are a named residential specialty in the statute (§ 40-59-20(7)), and LLR's masonry classification covers "brick, concrete block, and products common to the masonry industry" — so chimney rebuild/reline masonry above $500 needs at least specialty registration. LLR states plainly: "An examination is not required to become a registered specialty contractor" (plumbers, electricians, and HVAC are licensed/examined separately). A specialty registrant may hold at most three classifications (§ 40-59-240) and must post a surety bond when an undertaking for an individual owner exceeds $5,000 (§ 40-59-240). Unlicensed/unregistered work is a misdemeanor (§ 40-59-30(A)), and the unlicensed contractor "may not file a mechanics' lien or bring an action at law or in equity" to enforce the contract (§ 40-59-30(B)). Larger/commercial work runs through the separate LLR Contractor's Licensing Board (S.C. Code Title 40, Chapter 11) — its classifications were not re-verified in this pass. Public lookup: llr.sc.gov/res/.

Wider than it looks. SC's specialty registration for masonry is registration, not qualification — no exam. It attests that the contractor signed up and (for specialty) carries the registration, not that they can diagnose a flue or a spalling crown. Even the Residential Builder exam tests building/business law, not chimney competence. So "registered specialty masonry contractor" verifies existence, not skill — exactly the gap individual certs (NCSG CCP/CCR; CSIA CCS, C-DET) and an independent audit are built to close.

STATE LAW: the Residential Property Condition Disclosure Act (S.C. Code § 27-50-10 et seq.) requires most residential sellers to deliver a disclosure statement; § 27-50-40(A)(2) requires it to cover "the roof, chimneys, floors, foundation, basement, and other structural components." The current LLR Real Estate Commission form (Residential Property Condition Disclosure Statement, effective 6/1/2023) asks in Question 7 about "Foundation, slab, fireplaces, chimneys, wood stoves, floors, basement, windows ..." with Yes / No / No Representation boxes. Precision on the opt-out: the statute (§ 27-50-40(B)) simply requires the form to let the owner indicate actual knowledge or "no representations" — the statute text itself does not forbid a knowing seller from choosing it. The narrowing comes from the official form's instructions: "No Representation" means the owner lacks "the current knowledge necessary to answer," it "should not be selected if the owner simply wishes to not disclose information," and "selecting 'No Representation' does not waive liability if owner is aware or subsequently becomes aware." Liability attaches under § 27-50-65 to an owner who "knowingly violates or fails to perform any duty" or discloses information "he knows to be false, incomplete, or misleading" (actual damages + court costs). So SC's opt-out is narrower in practice than NC's § 47E-4(c) — but the page should attribute that to the form and § 27-50-65, not to § 27-50-40 alone. § 27-50-80 preserves the buyer's obligation to inspect. No inspection is mandated at transfer; NFPA 211 Level 2 stays a NATIONAL STANDARD.

STATE LAW: the SC Unfair Trade Practices Act (SCUTPA), S.C. Code § 39-5-10 et seq. A private plaintiff who suffers ascertainable loss may sue for actual damages (§ 39-5-140(a)); "if the court finds that the use or employment of the unfair or deceptive method, act or practice was a willful or knowing violation ... the court shall award three times the actual damages" (trebling only on willful/knowing, unlike NC's automatic § 75-16), and attorney's fees and costs are mandatory on any violation finding. Three-day cancel — scope matters: the SC Consumer Protection Code, S.C. Code § 37-2-501 defines a home solicitation sale as "a consumer credit sale of goods or services" solicited at a residence, and § 37-2-502 lets the buyer cancel "until midnight of the third business day after the day on which the buyer signs" (with an emergency-repair waiver exception). So the state right covers financed doorstep deals; a cash doorstep chimney sale of $25+ at the home falls under the federal FTC Cooling-Off Rule (16 CFR Part 429) — NATIONAL, not SC law. Complaints: SC Dept. of Consumer Affairs (SCDCA) and the SC Attorney General (scag.gov).

The SC AG and SCDCA both handle home-repair and door-to-door complaints, and door-knock "we noticed your chimney" pitches are textbook SCUTPA matters (plus § 37-2-502 cancel rights if financed, or the FTC Cooling-Off Rule if cash). The national bait-and-switch pattern applies (a cheap "special" — e.g. a $49 sweep — then manufactured "structural damage"). Hiring an unregistered specialty contractor over $500 also means that contractor cannot lien or sue to enforce (§ 40-59-30(B)). No SC chimney-sweep-specific enforcement action located — pattern language only; name no businesses.

STATE LAW: the 2021 South Carolina Residential Code (2021 IRC with SC modifications), adopted by the SC Building Codes Council on Oct 6, 2021 with an effective date of Jan 1, 2023 — still the code in effect per LLR's Building Code Adoption page (Sep 2026). The Council has posted a Notice of Intent to Modify and Adopt the 2024 Building Codes, but no 2024-cycle effective date was confirmed on a primary source in this pass — say "2021 codes in effect; 2024 update pending." Chimney/fireplace provisions track IRC Chapter 10. Relines, rebuilds, crowns, and solid-fuel appliance installs are generally permit work through the local building department; routine sweeps and like-for-like caps generally are not.

No statewide burn-ban or stove-emission program. Geography: the Upstate (Greenville/Spartanburg) and the Blue Ridge escarpment counties have real wood-heat and chimney density, while the Midlands and Lowcountry (Charleston/coast) are milder with lighter wood use. Content should say so honestly rather than treat SC as uniformly warm.

Finding: no SC statute mandating CO detectors in existing homes or rentals was located — protection rests on IRC code adoption. The SC Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (S.C. Code Title 27, Chapter 40) text contains no "carbon monoxide" or "smoke detector" provision (checked Sep 2026). NATIONAL STANDARD via STATE code: the 2021 SC Residential Code (IRC) carries the IRC CO-alarm requirement for new construction dwelling units with a fuel-fired appliance or attached garage (IRC section and any SC modification not re-verified this pass). No pre-sale CO certificate. Local jurisdictions may add their own. This is materially weaker than NC's landlord statute (§ 42-42(a)(7)) — a real contrast point for the page.