Title 16, Crimes and Offenses

It is permissible to infer that possession by any person, other than a public officer as such, of any flag, standard, color, or ensign on which is anything made unlawful at any time by Section 16-17-220 or of any article, substance, or thing on which is anything made unlawful at …

As used in Section 16-17-10 the term "person" shall include corporations and unincorporated associations, and the statutes and laws of this State pertaining to criminal liability and enforcement thereof against corporations shall apply to any unincorporated association convicted …

No person, society or organization shall assume, use, adopt, become incorporated under or continue to use the name and style or emblems of any incorporated benevolent, fraternal, social, humane or charitable organization previously existing in this State or a name and style or em…

Whenever there shall be an actual or threatened violation of the provisions of Section 16-17-310, the organization entitled to the exclusive use of the name in question, under the terms of said section, shall have the right to apply to the proper courts for an injunction to restr…

Any corporation or unincorporated association found guilty of the crime of barratry shall be forever barred from doing any business or carrying on any activity within this State, and in the case of a corporation its charter or certificate of domestication shall be summarily revok…

The common law crime known as "conspiracy" is defined as a combination between two or more persons for the purpose of accomplishing an unlawful object or lawful object by unlawful means. A person who commits the crime of conspiracy is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must…

(A) It is unlawful for a person who is not a student to wilfully interfere with, disrupt, or disturb the normal operations of a school or college in this State by: (1) entering upon school or college grounds or property without the permission of the principal or president in char…

(A) It is unlawful for a student of a school or college in this State to make threats to take the life of or to inflict bodily harm upon another by using any form of communication whatsoever. (B) Nothing contained in this section may be construed to repeal, replace, or preclude a…

(A) It is unlawful for a person to: (1) use in a telephonic communication or any other electronic means, any words or language of a profane, vulgar, lewd, lascivious, or an indecent nature, or to communicate or convey by telephonic or other electronic means an obscene, vulgar, in…

Venue for prosecution pursuant to the provisions of Section 16-17-430 shall be either in the county wherein the telephonic communications originated or the county where it was received.

(A) "Adad" means an automatically dialed announcing device which delivers a recorded message without assistance by a live operator for the purpose of making an unsolicited consumer telephone call as defined in Section 16-17-445(A)(3). Adad calls include automatically announced ca…

(1) Any person who shall wilfully refuse to relinquish immediately a party telephone line when informed that such line is needed for an emergency call to a fire department or police department or for medical aid or ambulance service shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conv…

(A) It is unlawful for a person to be an eavesdropper or a peeping tom on or about the premises of another or to go upon the premises of another for the purpose of becoming an eavesdropper or a peeping tom. The term "peeping tom", as used in this section, is defined as a person w…

Nothing in Section 16-17-470 shall prevent duly constituted officers of the law from performing their official duties in ferreting out offenders or suspected offenders against violating the laws of this State or any municipality therein for the purpose of apprehending such suspec…

It shall be unlawful for any person over eighteen years of age to knowingly and wilfully encourage, aid or cause or to do any act which shall cause or influence a minor: (1) To violate any law or any municipal ordinance; (2) To become and be incorrigible or ungovernable or habitu…

(A)(1) When a court of competent jurisdiction in this State or another state has awarded custody of a child under the age of sixteen years or when custody of a child under the age of sixteen years is established pursuant to Section 63-17-20(B), it is unlawful for a person with th…

The provisions of this article are cumulative and shall not be construed as repealing any existing statute or the common law of this State with respect to the subject matter of any of the provisions hereof.

(A) It is unlawful for an individual to sell, furnish, give, distribute, purchase for, or provide a tobacco product to a minor under the age of eighteen years. (B) It is unlawful to sell a tobacco product or an alternative nicotine product to an individual who does not present, u…

As used in this section and Sections 16-17-500, 16-17-502, 16-17-503, 16-17-504, and 16-17-506: (1) "Distribute" means to sell, furnish, give, provide, or attempt to do so, whether gratuitously or for any type of compensation, tobacco products, including tobacco product samples, …

(A) It is unlawful for a person to distribute a tobacco product sample to a person under the age of eighteen years. (B) A person engaged in sampling shall demand proof of age from a prospective recipient if an ordinary person would conclude on the basis of appearance that the pro…

(A) The State Law Enforcement Division may conduct unannounced compliance checks for violations of Sections 16-17-500, 16-17-502, and 16-17-506. A person under the age of eighteen may be recruited and authorized by the State Law Enforcement Division to test the tobacco retail est…

(A) Sections 16-17-500, 16-17-502, 16-17-503, and 16-17-506 must be enforced to ensure the eligibility for and receipt of federal funds or grants the State receives or may receive relating to the sections. Any laws, ordinances, or rules enacted pertaining to tobacco products may …

(1) For purposes of this section, "package" means a pack, carton, or container of any kind in which cigarettes are offered for sale, sold, or otherwise distributed, or intended for distribution to consumers. (2) It is unlawful to sell, hold for sale, or distribute a package of ci…

(A) For purposes of this section, "container" means a bottle or other container of any kind that contains e-liquid and is offered for sale, sold, or otherwise distributed, or intended for distribution to consumers, but that does not include a cartridge that is prefilled and seale…

It is unlawful for a person to encourage, entice, or conspire to encourage or entice a child enrolled in any public or private elementary or secondary school of this State from attendance in the school or school program or transport or provide transportation in aid to encourage o…

Any person who shall (a) wilfully and maliciously disturb or interrupt any meeting, society, assembly or congregation convened for the purpose of religious worship, (b) enter such meeting while in a state of intoxication or (c) use or sell spirituous liquors, or use blasphemous, …

(A) It is unlawful for a person to wilfully, knowingly, or maliciously disturb or interrupt a funeral service. A person who violates this subsection is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than thir…

(A) A person who is: (1) found on any highway or at any public place or public gathering in a grossly intoxicated condition or otherwise conducts himself in a disorderly or boisterous manner; (2) uses obscene or profane language on any highway or at any public place or gathering …

Any: (1) Person who corruptly gives, offers or promises to an agent, employee or servant any gift or gratuity whatever, with intent to influence his action in relation to his principal's, employer's or master's business; (2) Agent, employee or servant who corruptly requests or ac…

(1) Unlawful to bribe athletes or athletic officials or to accept such bribes. —It shall be unlawful to bribe or offer to bribe any player, manager, coach, referee, umpire or any other participant or official of any athletic contest with intent to influence the play, action, cond…

It is unlawful for a person to assault or intimidate a citizen, discharge a citizen from employment or occupation, or eject a citizen from a rented house, land, or other property because of political opinions or the exercise of political rights and privileges guaranteed to every …

Any person who shall wilfully, maliciously or mischievously interfere with, cut or injure any pole, wire, insulator or alarm box, give a false alarm from such box or by use of a telephone or break the glass in such box of any fire or police alarm system in this State or any of th…

Any person who shall deface, disturb or remove any granite post or marking, whether wood, stone or metal, duly placed by competent authority on the State line of this State shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and, on conviction, shall be fined not less than one hundred dollar…

(A) It is unlawful for a person wilfully and knowingly, and without proper legal authority to: (1) destroy or damage the remains of a deceased human being; (2) remove a portion of the remains of a deceased human being from a burial ground where human skeletal remains are buried, …

No person other than the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce shall carry on the business of emigrant agent in this State without having first obtained a license therefor from the State Treasurer and the county treasurer of each county in which he solicits emigra…

The provisions of Section 16-17-610 shall not be applicable to any person soliciting or hiring laborers in this State to be employed in agricultural work in any state bordering on this State when such adjacent state places no limitation on the solicitation or employment of farm l…

Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 16-17-610 it shall be lawful for any person to solicit without a license household or domestic employees for out-of-State employment.

Any person who verbally or by printing or writing or by electronic communications: (1) accuses another of a crime or offense; (2) exposes or publishes any of another's personal or business acts, infirmities, or failings; or (3) compels any person to do any act, or to refrain from…

(A) A person who engages in or is present at cockfighting or game fowl fighting or illegal game fowl testing is guilty of a: (1) misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than one year for a first offense; or (2) mis…

It shall be a misdemeanor for any person to keep, maintain or use a dry well or other wells or privy vaults into which sewerage matter is discharged or received in any city, town or village having a population of not less than five hundred, whether incorporated or unincorporated,…

Any person within this State dealing in crossties shall keep a book of record which shall be open to the public and in which shall be legibly written the name of the party or parties from whom crossties are purchased, the number of crossties purchased and the lands or premises fr…

(A) For purposes of this section: (1) "Coil" means a copper, aluminum, or aluminum-copper condensing coil or evaporation coil. The term includes, but is not limited to, coil from a commercial or residential heating or air-conditioning system. The term does not include coil from a…

It shall be unlawful to engage in the business, trade or profession of fortunetelling, palmistry, phrenology, clairvoyance or the prediction of future events by cards or other means or to offer to tell fortunes or predict future events by palmistry, astrology, clairvoyance, cards…

It is unlawful for a person to tattoo any part of the body of another person unless the tattoo artist meets the requirements of Chapter 34 of Title 44. However, it is not unlawful for a licensed physician or surgeon to tattoo part of the body of a person of any age if in the phys…

(A) A person or entity who offers for resale or resells a ticket for admission to an event must request or receive no more than one dollar above the price charged by the original ticket seller. (B) This section does not apply to an open market event ticket offered for resale thro…

It shall be unlawful for any person other than a duly authorized law enforcement officer to represent to any person that he is a law enforcement officer and, acting upon such representation, to arrest or detain any person, search any building or automobile or in any way impersona…