Title 50, Fish, Game and Watercraft

A person shall not operate a vessel displaying or using a rotating, strobing, flashing, or intermittently reflecting blue light unless a duly commissioned law enforcement officer is on board. The operator of a vessel being approached by a vessel flashing a blue light shall stop o…

(A) No person may water ski or ride on any object being towed by a motorized watercraft unless he is wearing a United States Coast Guard approved personal flotation device, Type I, Type II, Type III, or Type V. Each personal flotation device must be fastened properly, in good and…

Notwithstanding any other provision of law or Regulation 123.1 of the department, the department may not enforce any regulation requiring windsurfers and sailboarders to wear or carry personal flotation devices.

As used in this section, "airboat" means a watercraft propelled by air pressure caused by a motor mounted on the watercraft aboveboard. (A) It is unlawful for a person to operate an airboat on the public waters of this State from the freshwater-saltwater dividing line, establishe…

(A) A person may not operate a vessel within fifty feet of another vessel when a diver is displaying a diver down flag (red with a diagonal white stripe) to mark the location of the diver. When the flag is being displayed in a water body too narrow to allow passage of another ves…

(A) As used in this section: (1) "Class 'A' boat" means a motorboat which is less than sixteen feet in length. (2) "Floating device" includes kneeboards, aqua planes, surfboards, saucers, inner tubes, and other similar equipment. (B) No person may: (1)(a) operate, be in possessio…

(A) The department must administer a boating safety education course and may approve of additional boating safety education courses. A list of approved courses must be provided on the department's website. (B) The following persons must be issued a South Carolina boating safety c…

(A) It is unlawful for a person to operate upon the waters of this State a vessel powered by an engine of ten horsepower or greater or equivalent to ten horsepower or greater, a personal watercraft, or a specialty propcraft unless the person: (1) was born on or before July 1, 200…

Section effective until January 1, 2027. See, also, section 50-23-10 effective January 1, 2027. Each entity desiring to be a marine dealer shall apply for a permit each year. A permit is valid from January first to December thirty-first. The permit cost is ten dollars. Applicatio…

Editor's Note Former SECTION 50-23-100 was entitled "Certificates issued in duplicate" and was derived from 1962 Code SECTION 70-295.110; 1971 (57) 915; 1993 Act No. 181, SECTION 1270.

(A) Dealer demonstration numbers are limited to watercraft that are: (1) held for sale by the dealership or assigned to the dealership, including customer watercraft in for service and watercraft being ferried by the dealership; (2) being operated for limited demonstration rides …

Section effective January 1, 2027. See, also, section 50-23-110 effective until January 1, 2027. (A) No dealer shall acquire a new watercraft or outboard motor without obtaining from the seller a manufacturer's or importer's statement of origin. (B) No manufacturer, importer, dea…

Section effective until January 1, 2027. See, also, section 50-23-12 effective January 1, 2027. A permitted marine dealer that accepts any watercraft or outboard motor as a trade-in must obtain from the owner a completed change in status form indicating the trade-in. The dealer m…

Section effective until January 1, 2027. See, also, section 50-23-120 effective January 1, 2027. (a) The owner at the time of delivery of the watercraft or outboard motor shall execute the assignment and warranty of title to the transferee in the space provided on the back of the…

Section effective until January 1, 2027. See, also, section 50-23-125 effective January 1, 2027. (A) In lieu of paper documents, the department is authorized to transmit and receive the following information through secure electronic means for a certificate of title: (1) the titl…

Section effective until January 1, 2027. See, also, section 50-23-130 effective January 1, 2027. (a) If the ownership of a watercraft or outboard motor is transferred by operation of law, such as by inheritance, Transfer on Death, devise or bequest, order in bankruptcy, insolvenc…

Editor's Note Former SECTION 50-23-135 was entitled "Notice of possession of abandoned, junked, or similar watercraft" and was derived from 1989 Act No. 190, SECTION 10; 1993 Act No. 181, SECTION 1270.

Section effective until January 1, 2027. See, also, section 50-23-140 effective January 1, 2027. (a) If a lien or encumbrance is first created at the time of transfer, the certificate of title must be retained by or delivered to the lienholder or retained electronically or delive…

Editor's Note Former SECTION 50-23-15 was entitled "Review when dealer fails to meet minimum requirements for permit; renewal for good cause" and was derived from 1993 Act No. 128, SECTION 19.

Section effective January 1, 2027. See, also, section 50-23-150 effective until January 1, 2027. (A) If a certificate of title is lost, stolen, mutilated or destroyed or becomes illegible, the first lienholder or, if none, the owner or legal representative of the owner named in t…

Editor's Note Former SECTION 50-23-160 was entitled "Cancellation of certificate when watercraft or outboard motor is destroyed" and was derived from 1962 Code SECTION 70-295.116; 1971 (57) 915; 1993 Act No. 181, SECTION 1270.

Section effective until January 1, 2027. See, also, section 50-23-170 effective January 1, 2027. (A) If a watercraft contains a permanent identification number placed on it by the manufacturer, the manufacturer's serial number must be used as the builder's hull number. If there i…

Section effective until January 1, 2027. See, also, section 50-23-180 effective January 1, 2027. (a) Every law enforcement agency, peace officer, owner, or insurer in the State, having knowledge of a stolen or converted watercraft or outboard motor, immediately shall furnish the …

Section effective until January 1, 2027. See, also, section 50-23-185 effective January 1, 2027. Any law enforcement officer may inspect a junkyard, scrap metal processing facility, salvage yard, marina, repair shop, boat yard, dry dock, licensed business buying, selling, display…

Section effective until January 1, 2027. See, also, section 50-23-190 effective January 1, 2027. No person may: (1) be in possession of or operate on the waters of this State a watercraft or an outboard motor for which a certificate of title is required unless a certificate of ti…

Section effective until January 1, 2027. See, also, section 50-23-20 effective January 1, 2027. Any watercraft or outboard motor, or both, held or principally used in this State must be titled by the department. An owner of a watercraft or outboard motor titled in this State must…

Section effective until January 1, 2027. See, also, section 50-23-200 effective January 1, 2027. No person may: (1) alter, forge, or counterfeit a certificate of title or manufacturer's or importer's statement of origin for a watercraft or for an outboard motor; (2) alter or fals…

Section effective until January 1, 2027. See, also, section 50-23-201 effective January 1, 2027. (A) Any person or entity that attempts to obtain a certificate of title, certificate of number or decals by fraud or misrepresentation or who obtains a certificate of title or certifi…

Section effective January 1, 2027. See, also, section 50-23-210 effective until January 1, 2027. (A) The department shall have the authority to suspend or revoke a certificate of title to a watercraft, or registration of an outboard motor, upon reasonable notice and hearing, when…

Section effective January 1, 2027. See, also, section 50-23-220 effective until January 1, 2027. (A) Except as provided in subsection (B), all fees received and money collected under the provisions of this chapter must be deposited in the State Treasury and set apart in a special…

Section effective until January 1, 2027. See, also, section 50-23-230 effective January 1, 2027. The department is authorized and empowered to make, adopt, promulgate, amend, and repeal all rules and regulations necessary, or convenient for the carrying out of the duties and obli…

Section effective until January 1, 2027. See, also, section 50-23-24 effective January 1, 2027. Neither the owner of a boat livery nor his agent or employees may permit any of his vessels to depart from his premises unless it is registered properly, numbered, and titled.

Section effective until January 1, 2027. See, also, section 50-23-240 effective January 1, 2027. A copy of the regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter, and of any amendments thereto, shall be filed in the office of the board and in the office of the official State record-kee…

Section effective until January 1, 2027. See, also, section 50-23-250 effective January 1, 2027. The director, for the purpose of more effectively carrying out the provisions of this chapter, shall have the power to employ and appoint the necessary enforcement officers for enforc…

The department shall annually, between January first and January thirty-first, furnish to each county auditor a list of motors and watercraft registered and titled pursuant to this chapter in the previous year to residents of such auditor's county, which list shall include the na…

Section effective until January 1, 2027. See, also, section 50-23-270 effective January 1, 2027. A transfer of a watercraft or outboard motor is subject to this chapter. A person making a false statement in a document or other submission to the department is guilty of a misdemean…

A watercraft not previously required to be titled for which a title is required by this chapter must be titled at the time of renewal of the registration of the watercraft or transfer of the watercraft whichever occurs first. An owner of such a watercraft must secure a title for …

Section effective until January 1, 2027. See, also, section 50-23-280 effective January 1, 2027. (A) Unless otherwise specified, a person violating this chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not less than twenty-five nor more than five hundred dol…

Section effective January 1, 2027. See, also, section 50-23-290 effective until January 1, 2027. Any person coming into possession of a watercraft or outboard motor without proper proof of ownership must apply to the department for a title, or outboard motor registration, as appl…

Section effective January 1, 2027. See, also, section 50-23-295 effective until January 1, 2027. (A) A certificate of title to watercraft or an outboard motor registration may not be transferred if the department has notice that property taxes for property tax years beginning aft…

Section effective January 1, 2027. See, also, section 50-23-30 effective until January 1, 2027. The following are not required to be titled: (1) watercraft documented by the United States Coast Guard or its predecessor or successor agency; (2) outboard motors for watercraft; (3) …

Every vessel using the waters of this State shall be numbered except those exempt by Section 50-23-320. No person shall operate or give permission for the operation of any such vessel on such waters unless the vessel is numbered in accordance with this chapter or in accordance wi…

(A) A vessel is not required to be numbered under this chapter if it is: (1) covered by a certificate of number in effect which has been issued to it pursuant to federal law; Text of (A)(2) effective until January 1, 2027. (2) a federally approved numbering system of another stat…

In the event that an agency of the United States Government shall have in force an overall system of identification (numbering) for vessels within the United States, the numbering system employed pursuant to this chapter by the department shall be in conformity therewith.

The owner of each motorboat requiring numbering by this chapter shall file an application for a number with the department on forms approved by it. The application shall be signed by the owner of the motorboat and shall be accompanied by a fee of ten dollars. Upon receipt of the …

Text of (A) effective until January 1, 2027. (A) A transferee shall utilize the temporary certificate of number on the department's application form as a temporary certificate of number to permit the use of watercraft while applications for certificates of number are processed. T…