Title 51, Parks, Recreation, and Tourism

Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, information centers shall be staffed by persons hired and paid by the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism.

The department may contract, be contracted with, use a common seal, and make and adopt regulations. No regulation may be promulgated affecting hunting and fishing except as provided in Section 51-3-145. The department may accept gifts and acquire by gift, purchase, or otherwise r…

All funds allocated to the various state departments for parks, tourism or recreation shall be transferred by the State Fiscal Accountability Authority to the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism.

The Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism is authorized to cooperate and enter into certain contracts with political subdivisions of this State.

All powers, duties, assets, liabilities, and properties of the South Carolina Recreation Commission, as created by Act 1037 of 1966, are transferred to the State Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism to be incorporated into the Department as a separate division thereof. Th…

The Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism may control, supervise, maintain and, wherever practicable, improve all parks belonging to the State, for general recreational, educational, and forestry purposes.

The Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism may in general do any and all things necessary and incident to the furtherance of the use to which such parks are dedicated.

When lands are acquired or leased under Section 51-3-80 the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism may make expenditures from any funds not otherwise obligated for the management, development and utilization of such areas and may sell or otherwise dispose of products from s…

The revenues derived from such lands owned by the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism shall be segregated by the State Treasurer for the use of the Department in the acquisition, management and development and use of such lands until all obligations incurred have been pa…

Obligations for the acquisition of land incurred by the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism under the authority of this chapter shall be paid solely and exclusively from revenues derived from such lands and shall not impose any liability upon the general credit and taxin…

Any person who (a) without permission of the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism, shall remove any shrub or tree or attempt so to do from any State park, (b) shall cut or mutilate any shrub or tree growing in any State park in this State without such permission, (c) shal…

It shall be unlawful for any person to commit any of the following acts at any park or facility under the jurisdiction of the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism: (A) Destroying, defacing, disturbing, disfiguring, or removing any part of any building, sign, structure, or…

Any person violating the provisions of Section 51-3-145 shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be fined not less than twenty-five dollars nor more than two hundred dollars or imprisoned for not more than thirty days.

Park rangers, superintendents and other officials, who shall be designated by the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism and who have been appointed by the Governor as state constables, shall in the exercise of their duties have the following authority: (A) Each designated …

Any person who attempts to use or who uses the facilities of the State parks without the express permission of the State shall be guilty of trespass upon State park property and upon conviction shall be sentenced to pay a fine not to exceed five thousand dollars or to be imprison…

The Department of Corrections and the Department of Natural Resources are hereby authorized to cooperate in the development of public recreation facilities and to exchange funds where mutually beneficial to both departments and accept matching federal funds.

The Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism shall open any state park to public use for such normal recreational, educational, and forestry purposes and uses, and for such hours of operation as it shall deem advisable.

Any South Carolina resident who is over sixty-five years of age or disabled or legally blind as defined in Section 43-25-20 of the 1976 Code may use any facility of a state park except campsites, overnight lodging and recreation buildings without charge. Such residents may also u…

Notwithstanding Section 51-3-60, the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism must maintain adjustments in the fee structure directed by the 2002 study committee and implemented in September 2003 in order to maintain fiscal soundness and continued maintenance and operations o…

The Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism may make such rules and regulations as it deems advisable for the protection, preservation, operation, use and maintenance and for the most beneficial service to the general public of the State parks in this State and as may be nec…

The Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism may accept gifts, donations and contributions of land suitable for park purposes and enter into agreements with the Federal Government or other agencies for acquiring by lease, purchase or otherwise such lands as in the judgment of…

(A) The department may sell, exchange, or lease lands under its jurisdiction when in its judgment it is advantageous to the State to do so in the highest orderly development and management of state parks but such a sale, lease, or exchange must not be contrary to the terms of any…

The Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism may develop Hunting Island, in Beaufort County, as a pleasure and health resort primarily for the benefit of the citizens of this State. It may divide said island into areas and zones and may establish public camping sites, playgro…

No bond, note, coupon or other obligation issued pursuant to the provisions of this chapter shall ever constitute a debt of the State within the meaning of any State constitutional or statutory provision and each bond shall recite on its face that it is payable solely from the re…

In establishing and maintaining the rates, charges, and rentals authorized by the provisions of this chapter, the Department shall give due consideration to the debt service requirements of the bonds or obligations of the Department for the payment of which such rates, charges, a…

The department may construct and maintain streets and roads throughout the island. It also may construct and operate a water supply system within the island.

The Department may set aside such portion of the island as it deems proper for recreation centers, may establish camping areas and may provide suitable facilities for the proper development of those areas. Reasonable rates and charges may be made for the services and facilities a…

In order to obtain funds to construct streets and roads on said island, to construct a water supply system, to lay out and subdivide the island, to develop it for the purposes herein set forth and to provide any service or facilities herein authorized, the Department may from tim…

Any such obligations may be issued in one or more series, may bear such date or dates, mature at such time or times, not exceeding forty years from their respective dates, bear interest at such rate or rates, not to exceed six per cent per annum, payable semiannually, be in such …

In order to secure the payment of any obligations issued pursuant to the provisions of this chapter and such interest as may accrue thereon, the department may: (1) Pledge all or any part of its revenues derived from the operation of said island or any facility or service furnish…

In addition to all other rights and remedies, any holders of the revenue bonds of the Department, including their trustee or trustees, may by mandamus or other suit, action or proceeding require the Department to fix and collect such rates, charges and rentals as will be sufficie…

The bonds and interest coupons issued under the provisions of this chapter shall be exempt from all taxes levied by the State or any municipal corporation therein.

The Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism shall acquire by purchase, lease or gift approximately two acres of land, more or less, in the area of Fort Watson on the banks of Lake Francis Marion, four miles north of the intersection of U. S. Highway No. 15 and South Carolina…

The property and area when acquired and improved shall be known as the "Fort Watson Memorial."

The Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism shall improve, protect, and maintain the area as a memorial to the heroic men of General Francis Marion whose successful efforts in the battle of Fort Watson on April 23, 1781 aided so much in the final independence of the United S…

There is hereby created the Recreation Land Trust Fund, hereafter referred to as the trust fund, which shall be kept separate from any other funds of the State. The trust fund shall be under the control of and administered by the Director of the Department of Parks, Recreation, a…

The Director of the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism may make grants to local governments from the Recreation Land Trust Fund for the acquisition of recreational lands in accordance with guidelines to be promulgated by the department.

No funds provided for in this chapter shall be expended to acquire property by eminent domain nor shall such funds be expended for any property without the approval of the State Fiscal Accountability Authority or Department of Administration, as applicable. The moneys in the trus…

The State Treasurer shall transfer to the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism that portion of the former Tricentennial Fund consisting of nine hundred eighty-two thousand, seven dollars and fifty cents recovered in litigation as a result of defects in certain buildings o…

The department shall file a copy of its South Carolina Outdoor Recreation Plan of 1970 with the Secretary of State. The plan, and amendments thereto, and such formulas and priorities promulgated by the department for the purpose of administering it, shall serve as a guide for the…

No funds provided for in this chapter shall be expended without prior approval of the State Fiscal Accountability Authority.

The Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism shall report by letter to the General Assembly not later than January fifteenth of each year all funds expended pursuant to this chapter for the previous year, including the amount of such funds expended and the uses to which such …

There is hereby created and established the Riverbanks Parks Commission for the purpose of providing an agency through which recreational facilities may be provided for the citizens of the State through the joint participation of any other commissions, counties, municipalities, p…

There is hereby created the Old Ninety Six Tourism Commission (commission) for the purpose of promoting the economic development through a formal program of tourism promotion in the following counties: Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick and Saluda. The commission…

The commission shall: (1) Take such action as necessary to establish the Old Ninety Six Tourism Region as a major center of tourism. (2) Bring together the abilities and interests of private industry, chambers of commerce, development organizations and historical and cultural int…

The commission shall meet as soon after the appointment of its members as may be practicable and shall organize by electing one of its members as chairman and one as secretary and such other officers as it may deem desirable. The commission shall meet thereafter upon the call of …