Title 56, Motor Vehicles

This chapter may be cited as the "Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility Act".

This chapter shall in no respect be considered as a repeal of any other provision contained in this Title or the motor vehicle laws of this State but shall be construed as supplemental and cumulative thereto.

This chapter shall be so interpreted and construed as to effectuate its general purpose to make uniform the laws of those states which enact substantially identical legislation.

The following words and phrases when used in this chapter shall, for the purposes of this chapter have the meanings respectively ascribed to them in this section, except in those instances where the context clearly indicates a different meaning: (1) "Insured motor vehicle": A mot…

This chapter does not apply with respect to any motor vehicle owned by the United States, this State, or any political subdivision of this State or any municipality therein, nor, except for Section 56-9-590, does it apply with respect to any motor vehicle which is subject to othe…

(1) The Department of Motor Vehicles, upon request and the payment of a fee, shall furnish any person a certified abstract of the operating record of any person subject to the provisions of this chapter, which abstract must also fully designate the motor vehicles, if any, registe…

Any person (a) whose license and registration has been suspended as provided in this chapter, (b) whose policy of insurance or bond, when required under this chapter, has been canceled or terminated, or (c) who has neglected to furnish other proof upon request of the Department o…

The operator or owner of a motor vehicle involved in an accident resulting in property damage of four hundred dollars or more, or in bodily injury or death, must be furnished a written request form at the time of the accident, or as soon after the accident as possible, by the inv…

Within sixty days of receipt of a report of a motor vehicle accident within this State which has resulted in bodily injury or death or damage to the property of any one person in the amount of two hundred dollars or more, the Department of Motor Vehicles shall suspend the license…

Section 56-9-351 shall not apply to any of the following: (1) The operator or owner if the owner had in effect at the time of the accident an automobile liability policy with respect to the motor vehicle involved in the accident; (2) The operator, if not the owner of the motor ve…

No policy or bond shall be effective under Sections 56-9-351 and 56-9-352 unless issued by an insurance company or surety company licensed and authorized by the South Carolina Department of Insurance to do business in this State, except that if the motor vehicle was not registere…

The license and registration and nonresident's operating privilege suspended as provided in Section 56-9-351 shall, except as otherwise provided for in Section 56-9-361, remain suspended and shall not be renewed nor shall any license or registration be issued to him until: (1) He…

In the event the driver or the owner of a vehicle of a type subject to registration under the laws of this State, involved in an accident within this State, has no license or registration in this State, such driver shall not be allowed a license nor shall such owner be allowed to…

When a nonresident's operating privilege is suspended pursuant to Section 56-9-351 or 56-9-354, the Department of Motor Vehicles shall transmit a certified copy of the record of such action to the official in charge of the issuance of licenses and registration certificates in the…

Upon receipt of such certification that the operating privilege of a resident of this State has been suspended or revoked in any such other state pursuant to a law providing for its suspension or revocation for failure to deposit security for the payment of judgments arising out …

The security required under this article shall be in the form and in the amount that the Department of Motor Vehicles may require but in no case in excess of the limits specified in Section 56-9-353 in reference to the acceptable limits of a policy or bond. The person depositing …

The Department of Motor Vehicles may at any time reduce the amount of security ordered in any case if, in its judgment, the amount ordered is excessive. In case the security originally ordered has been deposited, the excess deposited over the reduced amount ordered shall be retur…

Security deposited in compliance with the requirements of this article shall be placed by the Department of Motor Vehicles in the custody of the State Treasurer and shall be applicable only to the payment of judgments rendered against the persons on whose behalf the deposit was m…

Whenever any person whose license would otherwise have been suspended for failure to deposit security required pursuant to this article is, or later becomes, an operator in the employ of another owner, the Department of Motor Vehicles may in its discretion, notwithstanding any pr…

Neither the action taken by the Department of Motor Vehicles pursuant to this article, the findings, if any, of the Department upon which action is based nor the security filed as provided in this article shall be referred to in any way or be any evidence of the negligence of due…

The Department of Motor Vehicles may in the administration of this article prescribe such form as it may deem necessary and require individuals to file sworn affidavits substantiating any claims for damages should the need arise. Any person whose driving privilege becomes subject…

This chapter shall not affect the rights of any conditional vendor, chattel mortgagee, or lessor of a motor vehicle registered in the name of another as owner who becomes subject to the provisions of this chapter.

Whenever any person fails within sixty days to satisfy any judgment, it shall be the duty of the clerk of court, or of the judge of a court which has no clerk, in which any judgment is rendered within this State to forward to the Department of Motor Vehicles immediately after the…

If the defendant named in any certified copy of a judgment reported to the Department of Motor Vehicles is a nonresident, the Department shall transmit a certified copy of the judgment to the official in charge of the issuance of licenses and registration certificates of the stat…

(A) The Department of Motor Vehicles upon receipt of a certified copy of judgment shall suspend the license and registration and any nonresident's operating privilege of any person against whom the judgment was rendered, except as otherwise provided in Sections 56-9-440 to 56-9-4…

If the judgment creditor consents in writing, in the form which the Department of Motor Vehicles may prescribe, that the judgment debtor be allowed license and registration or nonresident's operating privilege, this may be allowed by the Department for six months from the date of…

Any person whose license, registration or nonresident's operating privilege has been suspended or is about to be suspended or shall become subject to suspension under the provisions of this article may be relieved from the effect of the judgment as prescribed in this article by f…

Whenever any person whose license would otherwise have been suspended for failure to satisfy a judgment as provided in Section 56-9-430 is, or later becomes, an operator in the employ of another owner, the Department of Motor Vehicles may in its discretion, notwithstanding any pr…

The license, registration and nonresident's operating privilege shall, except as otherwise provided in Section 56-9-460, remain suspended and shall not be renewed nor shall any license or registration be thereafter issued in the name of that person, including that person if not p…

Judgments referred to in this article must, for the purpose of this article only, be considered satisfied: (1) when twenty-five thousand dollars has been credited upon any judgments rendered in excess of that amount because of bodily injury to or death of one person as the result…

A judgment debtor upon due notice to the judgment creditor may apply to the court in which the judgment was rendered for the privilege of paying the judgment in installments, and the court, in its discretion and without prejudice to any other legal remedies which the judgment cre…

This chapter shall not prevent the owner of a motor vehicle, the registration of which has been suspended under this chapter, from effecting a bona fide sale of the motor vehicle to another person whose rights or privileges are not suspended under this chapter nor prevent the reg…

Whenever the Department of Motor Vehicles, under any law of this State, suspends or revokes the license of any person upon receiving a record of conviction or forfeiture of bail and in all cases where the Department suspends or revokes the driver's license of any person under law…

An individual whose driver's license or motor vehicle registration has been suspended for failure to pay property taxes may request that the Department of Motor Vehicle waive the financial responsibility requirements provided for in Chapter 9 of Title 56, upon providing proof to …

Whenever the Department of Motor Vehicles suspends or revokes a nonresident's operating privilege by reason of a conviction or forfeiture of bail, this privilege shall remain suspended or revoked unless that person shall have previously given or shall immediately give and thereaf…

If a person is not licensed but by final order or judgment is convicted of or forfeits any bail or collateral deposited to secure an appearance for trial for any offense requiring the suspension or revocation of license, for operating a motor vehicle upon the highways without bei…

Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, any person who has never been issued a license to operate a motor vehicle on the highways of the State of South Carolina and who has been convicted one time of operating a motor vehicle on the highways of the State without a l…

Proof of financial responsibility when required under this chapter may be given by filing: (1) A certificate of insurance as provided in Section 56-9-550 or Section 56-9-560; (2) A bond as provided in Section 56-9-570; or (3) A certificate of deposit of money or securities as pro…

Proof of financial responsibility may be furnished by filing with the Department of Motor Vehicles the written certificate or notice by magnetic or electronic media in a manner satisfactory to the department of any insurance carrier authorized to do business in this State certify…

The nonresident owner of a motor vehicle not registered in this State may give proof of financial responsibility by filing with the Department of Motor Vehicles written certificates of an insurance carrier authorized to transact business in the state in which the motor vehicle or…

Proof of financial responsibility may be evidenced by the bond of a surety company duly authorized to transact business within this State or a bond with at least two individual sureties, each owning real estate within this State and together having equities equal in value to at l…

Proof of financial responsibility may be evidenced by the certificate of the State Treasurer that the person named therein has deposited with him thirty-five thousand dollars in cash or securities such as may legally be purchased by savings banks or for trust funds of a market va…

Whenever any person required to give proof of financial responsibility under this chapter is, or later becomes, an operator in the employ of any owner or is, or later becomes, a member of the immediate family or household of the owner, the Department of Motor Vehicles shall accep…

(A) A person or company who has more than twenty-five motor vehicles registered in his name may qualify as a self-insurer provided that the department is satisfied that the person or company is able to pay any judgments obtained against the person or company. Upon not less than t…

The Department of Motor Vehicles shall consent to the cancellation of any bond or certificate of insurance or the Department shall direct and the State Treasurer shall return the money or securities to the person entitled thereto upon the substitution and acceptance of other adeq…

Whenever any proof of financial responsibility filed under the provisions of this chapter no longer fulfills the purposes for which required, the Department of Motor Vehicles shall require other proof as required by this chapter and shall suspend the license and registration or t…