South Carolina Code 40-56-80. Investigations; inspections; confiscation of illegal fireworks; board may compel attendance of witnesses
(B) During reasonable business hours, the department or its authorized agent may enter the premises or vehicle of a person engaged in the manufacture, sale, or storage of pyrotechnics to inspect, investigate, or examine the property or installation it considers necessary. When an emergency exists, as declared by the department, the inspector may enter the premises of a person and take necessary action for public safety including, but not limited to, the evacuation of the area where the emergency exists.
Terms Used In South Carolina Code 40-56-80
- Board: means the State Board of Pyrotechnic Safety. See South Carolina Code 40-56-20
- Department: means the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. See South Carolina Code 40-56-20
- Fireworks: means any composition or device designed to produce a visible or an audible effect by combustion, deflagration, or detonation, and which meets the definition of "consumer fireworks" or "display fireworks" as defined by this section. See South Carolina Code 40-56-20
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Pyrotechnics: means any composition or device designed to produce visible or audible effects for entertainment purposes by combustion, deflagration, or detonation. See South Carolina Code 40-56-20
- Testify: Answer questions in court.
(C) A fire chief and his inspector, a sheriff and his deputy, a chief of police and his officer, and an agent of SLED may inspect a building, facility, or vehicle where fireworks may be manufactured, stored, or sold and records of manufacturing, storage, sales, and purchases that must be maintained.
(D) An official named in this section who has the authority to inspect may confiscate illegal fireworks being manufactured, offered for sale, stored, or possessed.
(E) The board may compel the attendance of witnesses to testify in relation to a matter within its jurisdiction.