Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Elevators Amusement Rides Fees topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee approves higher inspection fees, code updates for elevators and amusement rides
Summary
The committee approved Document 53-53, which updates the Office of Elevators and Amusement Rides regulations to align with current codes, incorporate manufacturer requirements and raise inspection billing to better cover travel and re-inspection costs, after agency testimony that many final inspections fail.
The House Regulations Administrative Procedures Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity Committee approved Document 53-53, updating rules for the Office of Elevators and Amusement Rides and increasing certain fees to cover inspection and travel costs.
The Office told the committee it frequently travels long distances within the state for final inspections and that about 90% of final inspections fail, requiring return visits. Dwayne Scott, program administrator for the Office of Elevators and Amusement Rides, said increasing the inspector hourly/travel billing to $150 per hour (from about $75) would help the office cover the time spent on inspections and travel.
Why it matters: The fee change aims to reduce repeated site visits and recover agency costs from inspection activity. The regulation also updates references to applicable codes and adds manufacturer requirements for amusement rides; agency testimony stated those code references apply to new installations rather than retroactive upgrades.
Key details - Agency: South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, Office of Elevators and Amusement Rides. - Change: Update code references, incorporate amusement ride manufacturer requirements, delete obsolete language and increase certain fees; proposed increase in inspector hourly/travel billing from approximately $75 to $150 per hour was discussed as necessary to cover travel and repeated re-inspections. - Rationale: High failure rate on final inspections and lengthy travel times for inspectors (examples cited: Columbia to Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head).
Quotes "The initial inspection actually usually fails. So this regulation is definitely necessary because of the high failure rate every time the elevator contractor calls us for the final inspection, it fails 90% of the time," said Dwayne Scott, program administrator, Office of Elevators and Amusement Rides.
Committee action The committee approved Document 53-53 by recorded roll call (7–0). The chair and agency staff confirmed the code changes apply to new installations and that the fee changes are intended to change contractor behavior and help the agency recover costs.
Next steps LLR will implement the updated fee schedule and code references per the approved regulation and the agency's usual administrative procedures.
