S.C. Code Ann. § 56-15-540 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 15 / Article 5 / Section 56-15-540
SECTION 56-15-540. Dealers and persons required by agency or law may purchase or sell at wholesale motor vehicle auction.
Status: in_force

A motor vehicle dealer licensed by this or another jurisdiction may purchase or sell motor vehicles at a wholesale motor vehicle auction. A person may purchase or sell motor vehicles at a wholesale motor vehicle auction if required by an agency of government or by law.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-3-11810 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 3 / Article 118 / Section 56-3-11810
SECTION 56-3-11810. State Flag special license plates.
Status: in_force

(A) The Department of Motor Vehicles may issue special "State Flag" motor vehicle license plates to owners of private passenger carrying motor vehicles, as defined in Section 56-3-630, or motorcycles as defined in Section 56-3-20, registered in their names. The fee for this special license plate is twenty dollars every two years in addition to the regular motor vehicle registration fee set forth in Article 5, Chapter 3, Title 56. This special license plate must be of the same size and general design of regular motor vehicle license plates. This special license plate must be issued or revalidated for a biennial period which expires twenty-four months from the month it is issued. (B) The design of the license plate must replicate the color, layout, and design of the state flag. The blue used for the license plate must be the official state color as established in Section 1-1-710. (C) The fees collected pursuant to this section above the cost of production must be distributed to the general fund. (D) The guidelines for the production, collection and distribution of fees for a special license plate under this section must meet the requirements of Section 56-3-8100.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-3-130 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 3 / Article 3 / Section 56-3-130
SECTION 56-3-130. Exemption of certain boat, farm, and other utility trailers.
Status: in_force

Boat trailers under twenty-five hundred pounds, farm trailers and other utility trailers which are privately owned and not for hire need not be licensed or registered.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-10-210 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 10 / Article 3 / Section 56-10-210
SECTION 56-10-210. Definitions.
Status: in_force

As used in this article: (1) The term "insured motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle as to which there is maintained the security required by Section 56-10-20. (2) The term "operator" means every person who drives or is in actual physical control of a motor vehicle or who is exercising control over or steering a vehicle being towed by a motor vehicle. (3) [Deleted]
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-4010 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 5 / Article 33 / Section 56-5-4010
SECTION 56-5-4010. Size and weight limits not to be exceeded; powers of local authorities.
Status: in_force

(A) It is unlawful for a person to drive or move or for the owner to cause or knowingly to permit to be driven or moved on a highway a vehicle of a size or weight exceeding the limitations stated in this article or otherwise in violation of this article. The maximum size and weight of vehicles herein specified is lawful throughout the State, and local authorities shall have no power or authority to alter these limitations except as express authority may be granted in this article. Provided, that municipalities and their franchisees may operate combinations of vehicles of not more than four units and not more than sixty-five feet in length on city streets within their corporate limits and the operation of these combinations of units is limited to speeds not in excess of twenty miles an hour, and these combination units must be equipped with brakes meeting braking requirements of Section 56-5-4860 and the rear vehicle must be equipped with at least one stoplight. (B) The Transport Police Division of the Department of Public Safety has exclusive authority in this State for enforcement of the commercial motor vehicle carrier laws, which include Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, Hazardous Material Regulations, and size and weight laws and regulations.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-3-2930 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 3 / Article 32 / Section 56-3-2930
SECTION 56-3-2930. False information prohibited.
Status: in_force

It is unlawful for a manufacturer to issue a temporary plate or registration card containing a misstatement of fact, to knowingly insert false information upon the face of it, or to intentionally leave blank any required information.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-9-20 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 9 / Article 1 / Section 56-9-20
SECTION 56-9-20. Definitions.
Status: in_force

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 motor vehicle as to which there is bodily injury liability insurance and property damage liability insurance, meeting all of the requirements of item (5) of this section, or as to which a bond has been given or cash or securities delivered in lieu of such insurance or as to which the owner has qualified as a self-insurer in accordance with the provisions of Section 56-9-60; (2) "Judgment": Any judgment which shall have become final by expiration without appeal of the time within which an appeal might have been perfected or by final affirmation on appeal, rendered by a court of competent jurisdiction of any state of the United States, upon a cause of action arising out of the ownership, maintenance or use of any motor vehicle, for damages, including damages for care and loss of service, because of bodily injury to or death of any person or for damages because of injury to or destruction of property, including the loss of use thereof, or upon a cause of action on an agreement of settlement for such damages; (3) "License": Any license, temporary instruction permit or temporary license issued under the laws of this State pertaining to the licensing of persons to operate vehicles; (4) "Motor vehicle": Every self-propelled vehicle which is designed for use upon a highway, including trailers and semitrailers designed for use with such vehicles but excepting traction engines, road rollers, farm tractors, tractor cranes, power shovels, mopeds, and well drillers, and every vehicle which is propelled by electric power obtained from overhead wires but not operated upon rails;. (5) "Motor vehicle liability policy": An owner's or an operator's policy of liability insurance that fulfills all the requirements of Sections 38-77-140 through 38-77-230, certified as provided in Section 56-9-550 or 56-9-560 as proof of financial responsibility and issued, except as otherwise provided in Section 56-9-560, by an insurance carrier duly authorized to transact business in this State, to or for the benefit of the person or persons named therein as insured, and any other person, as insured, using the vehicle described therein with the express or implied permission of the named insured, and subject to the following special conditions: (a) Contents of motor vehicle liability policy. The motor vehicle liability policy shall state the name and address of the named insured, the coverage afforded by the policy, the premium charged therefor, the policy period, and the limits of liability and shall contain an agreement or be endorsed that insurance is provided thereunder in accordance with the coverage defined in this chapter as respects bodily injury and death or property damage, or both, and is subject to all of the provisions of this chapter. (b) Provisions deemed incorporated in such policy. Every motor vehicle liability policy is subject to the following provisions, which need not be contained therein: (1) The liability of the insurance carrier with respect to the insurance required by this chapter shall become absolute whenever injury or damage covered by the motor vehicle liability policy occurs; (2) The policy may not be cancelled or annulled as to the liability by any agreement between the insurance carrier and the insured after the occurrence of the injury or damage; (3) No Statement made by the insured or on his behalf and no violation of the policy shall defeat or void the policy; (4) The satisfaction by the insured of a judgment for the injury or damage shall not be a condition precedent to the right or duty of the insurance carrier to make payment on account of the injury or damage; (5) The insurance carrier shall have the right to settle any claim covered by the policy, and if the settlement is made in good faith, the amount thereof shall be deductible from the limits of liability specified in Section 38-77-140; and (6) The policy, written application therefor, if any, and any rider or endorsement which does not conflict with the provisions of this chapter shall constitute the entire contract between the parties. (c) What policy need not cover. The motor vehicle liability policy need not insure any liability under the Workers' Compensation Law nor any liability on account of bodily injury to or death of an employee of the insured while engaged in the employment, other than domestic, of the insured, or while engaged in the operation, maintenance, or repair of the motor vehicle, nor any liability for damage to property owned by, rented to, in charge of, or transported by the insured. (d) Additional coverage permitted. Any policy which grants the coverage required for a motor vehicle liability policy may also grant any lawful coverage in excess of or in addition to the coverage specified for a motor vehicle liability policy and the excess or additional coverage shall not be subject to the provisions of this chapter. With respect to a policy which grants this excess or additional coverage, the term "motor vehicle liability policy" shall apply only to that part of the coverage which is required by this article. (e) Additional permissible provisions. Any motor vehicle liability policy may provide: (1) That the insured shall reimburse the insurance carrier for any payment the insurance carrier would not have been obligated to make under the terms of the policy except for the provisions of this chapter; and (2) For the prorating of the insurance thereunder with other valid and collectible insurance. (f) Requirements may be met by several policies. The requirements for a motor vehicle liability policy may be fulfilled by the policies of one or more insurance carriers which policies together meet such requirements. (g) Legal binder deemed to meet requirements. Any legal binder issued pending the issuance of a motor vehicle liability policy shall be considered as fulfilling the requirements for such policy. (h) Notice required to cancel certified policy; cancellation by subsequent policy. When an insurance carrier has certified a motor vehicle liability policy under Sections 56-9-550 or 56-9-560, the insurance so certified shall not be cancelled or terminated until at least ten days after a notice of cancellation or termination of the insurance certified shall be filed with the Department of Motor Vehicles, except that a policy subsequently procured and certified shall at 12:01 A. M., on the effective date of its certification, terminate the insurance previously certified with respect to any motor vehicle designated in both certificates. (i) Other required policies unaffected. This chapter shall not be held to apply to or affect policies of automobile insurance against liability insuring public carriers or policies which may be required by any other law of this State, any law or ordinance of any municipality or any law or regulation of the United States or any of its agencies, and those policies, if they contain an agreement or are endorsed to conform with the requirements of this chapter, may be certified as proof of financial responsibility under this chapter. (j) Chapter inapplicable to policies covering use by employees, etc., of vehicles not owned by insured. This chapter shall not be held to apply to or affect policies insuring solely the insured named in the policy against liability resulting from the maintenance or use by the persons in the insured's employ or on his behalf of motor vehicles not owned by the insured; (6) "Nonresident": Every person who is not a resident of this State; (7) "Nonresident operating privilege": The privilege conferred upon a nonresident by the laws of this State pertaining to the operation by him of a motor vehicle or the use of a motor vehicle owned by him in this State; (8) "Operator": Every person who is in actual physical control of a motor vehicle, whether or not licensed as an operator or chauffeur under the laws of this State; (9) "Owner": A person who holds the legal title of a motor vehicle, or, in the event a motor vehicle is the subject of an agreement for the conditional sale or lease thereof with the right of purchase upon performance of the conditions stated in the agreement and with an immediate right of possession vested in the conditional vendee or lessee or in the event a mortgagor of a vehicle is entitled to possession, then the conditional vendee or lessee or mortgagor shall be considered the owner for the purposes of this chapter; (10) "Person": Every natural person, firm, copartnership, association or corporation; (11) "Proof of financial responsibility": Proof of ability to respond to damages for liability, as provided in Section 38-77-150, or, on account of accidents occurring after the effective date of this proof, arising out of the ownership, maintenance, or use of a motor vehicle in the amount of twenty-five thousand dollars because of bodily injury to or death of one person in any one accident and, subject to this limit for one person, in the amount of fifty thousand dollars because of bodily injury to or death of two or more persons in any one accident and in the amount of twenty-five thousand dollars because of injury to or destruction of property of others in any one accident; (12) "Registration": Registration certificates and registration or license plates issued under the laws of this State pertaining to the license and registration of motor vehicles; (13) "State": Any state, territory or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia or any province of the Dominion of Canada; and (14) "Uninsured motor vehicle": Any motor vehicle which is not an insured motor vehicle as defined in item (1) of this section. (15) "Uninsured Motorist Fund" means a fund established for fees collected by the director of the Department of Motor Vehicles from registration of uninsured vehicles. Effect of Amendment 2023 Act No. 51, SECTION 6, in (1), substituted "item (5)" for "item (7)". 2023 Act No. 51, SECTION 7, in (14), substituted "item (1)" for "item (3)".
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-9-570 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 9 / Article 5 / Section 56-9-570
SECTION 56-9-570. Bond as proof; qualifications of sureties; bond as lien on real estate of individual sureties; action on bond.
Status: in_force

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 least twice the amount of the bond, which real estate shall be scheduled in the bond approved by a judge of a court of record, which bond shall be conditioned for payment of the amounts specified in item (13) of Section 56-9-20. The bond shall be filed with the Department of Motor Vehicles and shall not be cancelable except after ten days' written notice to the Department. The bond shall constitute a lien in favor of the State upon the real estate scheduled of any surety. Such lien shall exist in favor of any holder of a final judgment against the person who has filed the bond for damages, including damages for care and loss of services, because of bodily injury to or death of any person or for damage because of injury to or destruction of property, including the loss of use thereof, resulting from the ownership, maintenance, use or operation of a motor vehicle after the bond was filed, upon the filing of notice to that effect by the Department in the office of the proper clerk of court of the county or city where the real estate shall be located. Any surety scheduling real estate security shall furnish satisfactory evidence of title and the nature and extent of all encumbrances thereon and the value of the surety's interest therein in the manner which the judge of the court of record may require. The notice filed by the Department shall, in addition to other matters which are considered to be pertinent by the Department, contain a legal description of the real estate scheduled, the name of the holder of the record title, the amount for which it stands as security and the name of the person in whose behalf proof is being made. Upon the filing of the notice, the clerk of court shall retain it as part of the records of the court and shall enter upon the record the date and hour of filing, the name of the surety, the name of the titleholder of record, the description of the real estate and a notation that a lien is charged on the real estate pursuant to the notice filed under this section. If a judgment rendered against the principal on the bond shall not be satisfied within sixty days after it has become final, the judgment creditor may for his own use and benefit and at his sole expense bring an action in the name of the State against the company or persons executing the bond, including an action or proceeding to foreclose any lien that may exist upon the real estate of a person who executed the bond. An action to foreclose any lien upon real estate scheduled by any surety under the provisions of this section shall be brought in the same manner as is provided for the foreclosure of real estate mortgages in this State.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-15-47 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 15 / Article 1 / Section 56-15-47
SECTION 56-15-47. Designation of successor to the dealership in the event of death or incapacity of motor vehicle dealer; requirements; burden of proof.
Status: in_force

A manufacturer may not prevent a motor vehicle dealer from designating a successor to the dealership in the event of death or incapacity of the motor vehicle dealer. The designation may be made by the motor vehicle dealer by will or other written instrument or, in the event of his death or incapacity, by the qualified executor or personal representative of the motor vehicle dealer by will or other written instrument. No individual may succeed to a franchise until the franchisor has been given written notice as to the identity, financial ability, and qualifications of the successor in question. The manufacturer or distributor is not required to accept a succession which does not meet the manufacturer's or distributor's written, reasonable, and uniformly applied minimal standard qualifications. The burden of proof shall be on the manufacturer or distributor to show that the succession does not meet the manufacturer's or distributor's written, reasonable, and uniformly applied minimal standard qualifications.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-3160 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 5 / Article 25 / Section 56-5-3160
SECTION 56-5-3160. Pedestrians on highways.
Status: in_force

(a) Where a sidewalk is provided and its use is practicable, it shall be unlawful for any pedestrian to walk along and upon an adjacent roadway. (b) Where a sidewalk is not available any pedestrian walking along and upon a highway shall walk only on a shoulder as far as practicable from the edge of the roadway. (c) Where neither a sidewalk nor a shoulder is available, any pedestrian walking along and upon a highway shall walk as near as practicable to an outside edge of the roadway and, if on a two-way roadway, shall walk only on the left side of the roadway. (d) Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, any pedestrian upon a roadway shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the roadway.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-3-16310 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 3 / Article 154 / Section 56-3-16310
SECTION 56-3-16310. South Carolina Association for Pupil Transportation special license plates.
Status: in_force

(A) The Department of Motor Vehicles may issue "South Carolina Association for Pupil Transportation" special license plates. Each special license plate must be issued or revalidated for a biennial period that expires twenty-four months from the month the special license plate is issued. (B) The South Carolina Association for Pupil Transportation shall submit to the department for approval the design, emblem, seal, logo, or other symbols it desires to be used for this special license plate. The department may issue this special license plate six months following approval of its design. (C) The requirements for production, collection, and distribution of fees for a special license plate under this section must meet the requirements in Section 56-3-8100. (D) The biennial fee for each special license plate is twenty-five dollars plus the regular motor vehicle license fee set forth in Article 5, Chapter 3, Title 56. The twenty-five-dollar fee must be distributed to the South Carolina Association for Pupil Transportation.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-2952 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 5 / Article 23 / Section 56-5-2952
SECTION 56-5-2952. Filing fee to request contested case hearing.
Status: in_force

The filing fee to request a contested case hearing before the Office of Motor Vehicle Hearings of the Administrative Law Court is two hundred dollars, or as otherwise prescribed by the rules of procedure for the Office of Motor Vehicle Hearings. Funds generated from the collection of this fee must be retained by the Administrative Law Court, provided, however, that these funds first must be used to meet the expenses of the Office of Motor Vehicle Hearings, including the salaries of its employees, as directed by the chief judge of the Administrative Law Court. Editor's Note 2005 Act No. 128, SECTION 27, provides as follows: "This act takes effect on July 1, 2005, and applies to all licensing and administrative hearings involving the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs."
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-3-2490 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 3 / Article 27 / Section 56-3-2490
SECTION 56-3-2490. Unlawful to conceal motor vehicle whose serial number has been altered or removed.
Status: in_force

Whoever knowingly conceals any motor vehicle from which the manufacturer's serial number or any other distinguishing number or identification mark has been removed, defaced, covered, altered or destroyed for the purpose of concealing or misrepresenting the identity of the motor vehicle shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-1520 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 5 / Article 11 / Section 56-5-1520
SECTION 56-5-1520. General rules as to maximum speed limits; lower speeds may be required.
Status: in_force

(A) A person shall not drive a vehicle on a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under the conditions and having regard to the actual and potential hazards then existing. Speed must be so controlled to avoid colliding with a person, vehicle, or other conveyance on or entering the highway in compliance with legal requirements and the duty of a person to use care. (B) Except when a special hazard exists that requires lower speed for compliance with subsection (A), the limits specified in this section or established as hereinafter authorized are maximum lawful speeds, and a person shall not drive a vehicle on a highway at a speed in excess of these maximum limits: (1) seventy miles an hour on the interstate highway system and other freeways where official signs giving notice of this speed are posted; (2) sixty miles an hour on multilane divided primary highways where official signs giving notice of this speed limit are posted; (3) fifty-five miles an hour in other locations or on other sections of highways and unpaved roads are limited to the speed of forty miles an hour; and (4) manufactured, modular, or mobile homes must not be transported at a speed in excess of ten miles below the maximum posted speed limit when the maximum posted speed limit is in excess of forty-five miles an hour, and never in excess of fifty-five miles an hour. (C) Thirty miles an hour is the maximum speed in an urban district. "Urban district" means the territory contiguous to and including any street which is built up with structures devoted to business, industry, or dwelling houses situated at intervals of less than one hundred feet for a distance of a quarter of a mile or more. (D) A local authority on the basis of an engineering and traffic investigation may determine that the maximum speed limit permitted under this article is less than thirty miles an hour in an urban district. If this determination is made, the maximum speed limit for the urban district is enforceable by all law enforcement officers authorized to enforce the traffic laws in the urban district. However, this subsection does not apply to highways within the state highway system contained in Section 56-5-1530. (E) The maximum speed limits set forth in this section may be altered pursuant to Sections 56-5-1530 and 56-5-1540. (F) The driver of a vehicle shall drive, consistent with the requirements of subsection (A), at an appropriate reduced speed when approaching and crossing an intersection or railway grade crossing, when approaching and going around a curve, approaching a hillcrest, when traveling upon any narrow bridge, narrow or winding roadway, and when special hazard exists with respect to pedestrians or other traffic or by reason of weather or highway conditions. (G) A person violating the speed limits established by this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction for a first offense, must be fined or imprisoned as follows: (1) in excess of the above posted limit but not in excess of ten miles an hour by a fine of not less than fifteen dollars nor more than twenty-five dollars; (2) in excess of ten miles an hour but less than fifteen miles an hour above the posted limit by a fine of not less than twenty-five dollars nor more than fifty dollars; (3) in excess of fifteen miles an hour but less than twenty-five miles an hour above the posted limit by a fine of not less than fifty dollars nor more than seventy-five dollars; and (4) in excess of twenty-five miles an hour above the posted limit by a fine of not less than seventy-five dollars nor more than two hundred dollars or imprisoned for not more than thirty days. (H) A citation for violating the speed limits issued by any authorized officer must note on it the rate of speed for which the citation is issued. (I) In expending the funds credited to the state general fund from fines generated under subsection (G), the Department of Public Safety first shall consider the need for additional highway patrolmen.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-3-211 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 3 / Article 3 / Section 56-3-211
SECTION 56-3-211. Temporary license plates for items registered in a foreign jurisdiction and farm trucks harvesting and transporting seasonal crops.
Status: in_force

The department, licensed dealers, leasing companies, and other entities may issue temporary license plates to operate any item that is purchased in this State that may be registered in a foreign jurisdiction and farm trucks registered in another jurisdiction that are harvesting and transporting seasonal crops. Temporary license plates issued pursuant to this section must meet all standards specified in Section 56-3-210. Editor's Note 2023 Act No. 51, SECTION 40(C)(1), provides as follows: "[SECTION 40.](C)(1) SECTIONS 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 30, 31, 32, and 33 take effect eight months after the approval by the Governor, provided that necessary solicitations are awarded in a timely manner in accordance with the State Consolidated Procurement Code."
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-23-20 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 23 / Section 56-23-20
SECTION 56-23-20. Certain courses exempt.
Status: in_force

Classroom courses offered by state institutions and duly accredited and approved colleges, public, parochial, and private high schools in which classroom driver education is part of the curriculum, instruction offered by an entity described in Section 33-49-160(A) that is providing instruction to employees of its member organizations, or to employers giving instruction to their licensed employees shall be exempt from registration and license under this chapter. Courses offered to adults under adult education programs shall not qualify for the exemption. Effect of Amendment 2022 Act No. 126, SECTION 1, in the first sentence, inserted ", instruction offered by an entity described in Section 33-49-160(A) that is providing instruction to employees of its member organizations," following "part of the curriculum", and made a nonsubstantive change.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-530 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 5 / Article 3 / Section 56-5-530
SECTION 56-5-530. Residence district defined.
Status: in_force

A "residence district" is the territory contiguous to and including a highway not comprising a business district when the property on such highway for a distance of three hundred feet or more is in the main improved with residences or residences and buildings in use for business.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-1-350 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 1 / Article 1 / Section 56-1-350
SECTION 56-1-350. Notice of cancellation, suspension, or revocation of license; surrender of license.
Status: in_force

In all cases of cancellation, suspension, or revocation of drivers' licenses, the Department of Motor Vehicles shall notify the licensee as prescribed in Section 56-1-360 that his license has been canceled, suspended, or revoked, and such licensee shall within ten days after notice of cancellation, suspension, or revocation return his license to the department. Any person wilfully failing to return his license as required by this section may, on conviction thereof, be fined one hundred dollars or imprisoned for thirty days.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-2954 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 5 / Article 23 / Section 56-5-2954
SECTION 56-5-2954. Breath testing sites; records of problems with devices.
Status: in_force

The State Law Enforcement Division and each law enforcement agency with a breath testing site is required to maintain a detailed record of malfunctions, repairs, complaints, or other problems regarding breath testing devices at each site. These records must be electronically recorded. These records, including any and all remarks, must be entered into a breath testing device and subsequently made available on the State Law Enforcement Division web site. The records required by this section are subject to compulsory process issued by any court of competent jurisdiction in this State and are public records under the Freedom of Information Act.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-15-60 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 15 / Article 1 / Section 56-15-60
SECTION 56-15-60. Fulfillment of warranty agreements; dealers' claims for compensation.
Status: in_force

(A) It is unlawful for a new motor vehicle manufacturer to recover any portion of its costs for compensating dealers for recalls or warranty parts and service, either by reduction in the amount due to the dealer, or by separate charge, surcharge, or other imposition. (B) A manufacturer or distributor shall specify in writing to each of its dealers operating in this State the dealer's obligations for preparation, delivery, and warranty services related to the manufacturer or distributor's products. The manufacturer or distributor shall compensate the dealer for the warranty services the manufacturer or distributor requires the dealer to provide, including warranty and recall obligations related to repairing and servicing motor vehicles of the manufacturer or distributor and all parts and components authorized by the manufacturer to be installed in or manufactured for installation in such motor vehicles. (C)(1) The manufacturer or distributor shall provide to the dealer a schedule of compensation that specifies reasonable compensation the manufacturer or distributor will pay to the dealer for the warranty services, including for parts, labor, and diagnostics. For parts and labor warranty reimbursement, reasonable compensation shall not be less than the rate charged by the dealer for like services to nonwarranty customers for nonwarranty parts, service, and repairs if the dealer has submitted a request for retail reimbursement pursuant to item (4). (2) If the dealer has requested retail reimbursement pursuant to item (4), the schedule of compensation for parts must be determined by multiplying the price paid by the dealer for warranty parts by the sum of one and the dealer's average percentage markup. The dealer's average percentage markup is calculated by subtracting one from the result of dividing the total amounts charged by the dealer for parts used in warranty-like repairs by the total cost to the dealer for the parts in the retail service orders submitted pursuant to item (4). (3) If the dealer has requested retail reimbursement pursuant to item (4), the schedule of compensation for labor-related warranty services must be determined by dividing the total amount of retail sales attributable to labor for warranty-like services by the number of hours of labor spent to generate the retail sales in the retail service orders submitted pursuant to item (4). (4)(a) The dealer may establish its retail average percentage markup for parts or its labor rate by submitting to the manufacturer copies of one hundred sequential retail service orders paid by the dealer's customers, or all of the dealer's retail service orders paid by the dealer's customers in a ninety-day period, whichever is less, for services provided within the previous one hundred eighty-day period. The manufacturer or distributor may not consider retail service orders or portions of retail service orders attributable to the following types of repairs: (i) repairs to motor vehicles owned by the dealer; (ii) repairs made pursuant to manufacturer special events and manufacturer discounted service campaigns; (iii) parts sold at wholesale or discounted by a dealer for repairs made to government vehicles or insurance work for which volume discounts have been negotiated; (iv) tires; (v) routine maintenance such as alignments, flushes, oil changes, brake pads or rotors, lightbulbs, fluids, filters, batteries, belts, and hoses; (vi) nuts, bolts, fasteners, and similar items that do not have an individual part number. (b) Within thirty days of receiving the dealer's submission, the manufacturer or distributor may request additional necessary documentation to support the submitted orders. If the manufacturer or distributor requests additional documentation to support the submission, then the time period in which the manufacturer or distributor must approve or deny the establishment of the franchise motor vehicle dealer's average percentage markup must be extended by thirty days. The manufacturer or distributor then shall approve or deny the establishment of the dealer's average percentage markup or labor rate. If the manufacturer or distributor approves the establishment of the dealer's average percentage markup or labor rate, the markup or rate calculated under this subitem goes into effect thirty days after the date of the manufacturer's or distributor's approval. (c) A manufacturer or distributor may not require a dealer to establish an average percentage markup or labor rate by a methodology, or by requiring the submission of information, that is unduly burdensome or time-consuming to the dealer including, but not limited to, requiring part-by-part or transaction-by-transaction calculations. (d) A dealer may not request a change in the dealer's average percentage markup or labor rate more than once in any twelve-month period. (D)(1) If a manufacturer or distributor provides a part or component to a dealer at reduced or no cost for repairs completed because of a recall, campaign service action, or warranty repair, then the manufacturer or distributor shall compensate the dealer for the part or component in the same manner as compensation for warranty parts based on the dealer's average markup less the cost for the part or component as listed in the manufacturer's or distributor's price schedule. (2) A manufacturer may not take or threaten to take any adverse action against a dealer seeking to obtain compensation pursuant to this subsection including, but not limited to, creating or implementing an obstacle or process that is inconsistent with the manufacturer's obligations to the dealer. (3) Within thirty days of receiving a manufacturer's notice of denial of the dealer's parts or labor submission, a new motor vehicle dealer may file a protest with the court of common pleas to protest a manufacturer's denial. If a protest is filed, then the manufacturer possesses the burden of proof to establish that the dealer's submission did not meet the respective submission requirements contained within this subsection or is inaccurate or unreasonable. If a dealer prevails in a protest filed under this subsection, then the dealer's increased parts or labor reimbursement must be provided retroactively as of the date the submission would have been effective but for the manufacturer's denial. (E) It is a violation of this section for any new motor vehicle manufacturer to fail to: (1) perform any warranty obligations; or (2) compensate any new motor vehicle dealer for repairs effected by a recall. (F)(1) All claims made by a new motor vehicle dealer pursuant to this section for labor and parts shall be paid within thirty days following approval; provided, however, that the manufacturer may audit claims for up to one year after payment and charge the dealer for fraudulent claims, work done unnecessarily, or work not properly performed. All claims must be approved or disapproved within thirty days after receipt on forms and in the manner specified by the manufacturer. Any claim not specifically disapproved in writing within thirty days after receipt shall be construed to be approved and payment must follow within thirty days. (2) The manufacturer or distributor shall not disapprove a reimbursement claim if the dealer can substantiate the claim, in accordance with the manufacturer's reasonable policies and procedures. A claim may not be denied or charged back due to a dealer's unintentional administrative error if the claim meets the requirements of this subsection. The one-year limitation on the manufacturer's right to audit a claim shall not be in effect in the case of fraudulent claims. (G)(1) Any audit for warranty or recall parts, service compensation, or compensation for a qualifying used motor vehicle in accordance with subsection (I) only may be conducted once within any twelve-month period and only must be for the twelve-month period immediately following the date of the payment of the claim by the manufacturer, factory branch, distributor, or distributor branch. (2) Any audit for sales incentives, service incentives, rebates, or other forms of incentive compensation only may be conducted once within any twelve-month period and only must be for the twelve-month period immediately following the date of the payment of the claim by the manufacturer, factory branch, distributor, or distributor branch pursuant to a sales incentives program, service incentives program, rebate program, or other form of incentive compensation program. (3) The limitations of this subsection do not apply to fraudulent claims. (H) A manufacturer or distributor shall not charge a dealer back for sales incentives, service incentives, rebates, or other forms of incentive compensation subsequent to the payment of the claim unless it can be shown that the claim was false, fraudulent, or that the dealer failed to reasonably substantiate the claim in accordance with the manufacturer's reasonable written procedures. (I)(1) A manufacturer shall compensate its new motor vehicle dealers for all labor and parts required by the manufacturer to perform recall repairs. Compensation for recall repairs must be reasonable. If parts or a remedy are not reasonably available to perform a recall service or repair on a used vehicle held for sale by a dealer authorized to sell and service new vehicles of the same line make within thirty days of the manufacturer issuing the initial notice of recall, and the manufacturer has issued a Stop-Sale or Do-Not-Drive order on the vehicle, the manufacturer shall compensate the dealer at a prorated rate of at least one percent of the value of the vehicle each month beginning on the date that is thirty days after the date on which the Stop-Sale or Do-Not-Drive order was provided to the dealer until the earlier of either of the following: (a) The date the recall or remedy parts are made available. (b) The date the dealer sells, trades, or otherwise disposes of the affected used motor vehicle. (2) The value of a used vehicle must be the average trade-in value for used vehicles as indicated in an independent third-party guide for the year, make, and model of the recalled vehicle. (3) This subsection only applies to used vehicles subject to safety or emissions recalls pursuant to and recalled in accordance with federal law and regulations and where a Stop-Sale or Do-Not-Drive order has been issued and repair parts or remedy remain unavailable for thirty days or longer. This subsection further applies only to new motor vehicle dealers holding an affected used vehicle for sale: (a) in inventory at the time the Stop-Sale or Do-Not-Drive order was issued; (b) which was taken in the used vehicle inventory of the dealer as a consumer trade in incident to the purchase of a new vehicle from the dealer after the Stop-Sale or Do-Not-Drive order was issued; and (c) that is a line make that the dealer is franchised to sell or on which the dealer is authorized to perform recall repairs. (4) Subject to the audit provisions of subsection (G)(1), it is a violation of this section for a manufacturer to reduce the amount of compensation otherwise owed to an individual new motor vehicle dealer, whether through a chargeback, removal of the individual dealer from an incentive program, or reduction in amount owed under an incentive program solely because the new motor vehicle dealer has submitted a claim for reimbursement under this section. This item does not apply to an action by a manufacturer that is applied uniformly among all dealers of the same line-make in the State. (5) All reimbursement claims made by new motor vehicle dealers pursuant to this section for recall remedies or repairs, or for compensation where no part or repair is reasonably available and the vehicle is subject to a Stop-Sale or Do-Not-Drive order, is subject to the same limitations and requirements as a warranty reimbursement claim made under this section. In the alternative, a manufacturer may compensate its franchised dealers under a national recall compensation program, provided the compensation under the program is equal to or greater than that provided under this subsection; or as the manufacturer and dealer otherwise agree. (6) A manufacturer may direct the manner and method in which a dealer shall demonstrate the inventory status of an affected used motor vehicle to determine eligibility under this section, provided that the manner and method may not be unduly burdensome and may not require information that is unduly burdensome to provide. (7) Nothing in this section requires a manufacturer to provide total compensation to a dealer which would exceed the total average trade-in value of the affected used motor vehicle as originally determined under item (2). (8) Any remedy provided to a dealer under this subsection is exclusive and may not be combined with any other state or federal recall compensation remedy. Editor's Note 2021 Act No. 31, SECTION 14, provides as follows: "SECTION 14. This act takes effect ninety days after approval by the Governor and applies to all current and future franchises and other agreements in existence between any franchisee located in this State and a franchisor as of the effective date of this act." Effect of Amendment 2021 Act No. 31, SECTION 8, rewrote the section.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-6230 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 5 / Article 43 / Section 56-5-6230
SECTION 56-5-6230. Notification of Department of Motor Vehicles upon payment of fine or forfeiture of bond.
Status: in_force

Any magistrate's court, municipal court, or other court of competent jurisdiction must notify the Department of Motor Vehicles when any person charged with a traffic violation in such court, upon conviction, or other plea has paid the fine therefor, or forfeited the bond previously posted.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-19-670 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 19 / Article 5 / Section 56-19-670
SECTION 56-19-670. Assignment of security interest; perfection; filing.
Status: in_force

A lienholder may assign, absolutely or otherwise, his security interest in the vehicle to a person other than the owner without affecting the interest of the owner or the validity of the security interest, but any person without notice of the assignment is protected in dealing with the lienholder as the holder of the security interest, and the lienholder remains liable for any obligations as lienholder until an assignment by the lienholder is delivered to the Department of Motor Vehicles as provided in this section. The assignee may, but need not, to perfect the assignment, deliver to the department an assignment by the lienholder in the form the department prescribes with the required fee. The Department shall file each assignment received by it with the required fee and note the assignee as lienholder upon the record of security interests maintained by the Department pursuant to Section 56-19-660.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-3860 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 5 / Article 31 / Section 56-5-3860
SECTION 56-5-3860. Animals and certain vehicles prohibited on controlled-access highways; exceptions; penalty.
Status: in_force

(A)(1) No person, unless otherwise directed by a law enforcement officer, shall occupy any space within the limits of the roadway and shoulders of the main facility of a freeway with an animal-drawn vehicle, a ridden or led animal, herded animals, a pushcart, a bicycle, a bicycle with motor attached, a motor-driven cycle with a motor which produces not to exceed five brake horsepower, an agricultural tractor or other farm machinery, except in the performance of public works or official duties. (2) The prohibitions imposed by this subsection on the use of freeways do not apply to service roads alongside the highways. (B)(1) A local governing body may authorize a partial exemption from the provisions contained in subsection (A) that would allow bicyclists and pedestrians to use the roadway and shoulders of the main facility of a noninterstate freeway. (2) The local governing body may authorize a partial exemption to subsection (A) for bicyclists and pedestrians if the local governing body: (a) determines that bicyclists and pedestrians have no other reasonably safe or viable alternative route and the use of the freeway route is at least ten percent less than the shortest conventional alternate route; (b) adopts an ordinance allowing bicycle and pedestrian traffic on the shoulder of a main facility of the noninterstate freeway and allowing bicycle and pedestrian traffic on the roadway when utilizing the shoulder is not practicable because of an obstruction or an unpaved shoulder, or when necessary to cross an access ramp in compliance with accepted bicycle safety standards and practices; and (c) notifies the department that the ordinance has been adopted. (3) Upon receiving notice pursuant to item (B)(2)(c), the department shall remove all signs prohibiting pedestrians and bicyclists along the roadway and shoulders of the main facility of the portion of the freeway to which the ordinance applies. (4) The local governing body may request permission from the department to erect appropriate signs and markers along the roadway and shoulders of the main facility of the portion of the freeway to which the partial exemption applies. (5) Two or more local governing bodies that have jurisdiction over portions of a section of a roadway to which a partial exemption from the provisions contained in subsection (A) is proposed may authorize an exemption for the entire section if the local governing bodies affected by the proposed exemption formally agree to granting the exemption and each local jurisdiction completes the exemption procedure contained in this section for the portion of the roadway section that passes through its jurisdiction. (C) A person who violates the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than one hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-5945 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 5 / Article 41 / Section 56-5-5945
SECTION 56-5-5945. Duties of demolishers; disposal of vehicle; title requirements; records; penalties.
Status: in_force

(A) For purposes of this section, "vehicle" has the same meaning as defined by Section 56-5-120, and includes, but is not limited to, a "trailer", as defined by Section 56-5-240, a "semitrailer", as defined by Section 56-5-250, and a "pole trailer", as defined by Section 56-5-260. (B)(1) Except as provided by subsections (C), (D), and (E), a person or entity may not dispose of a vehicle to a demolisher or secondary metals recycler without a valid title certificate for the vehicle in the person or entity's name. The person or entity shall provide the vehicle's title certificate to the demolisher or secondary metals recycler. (2) The demolisher or secondary metals recycler is not required to obtain a certificate of title for the vehicle in the demolisher or secondary metals recycler's own name. After the vehicle has been demolished, processed, or changed so that the vehicle physically is no longer a vehicle, the demolisher or secondary metals recycler shall surrender the certificate of title to the Department of Motor Vehicles for cancellation. (3) The Department of Motor Vehicles shall issue forms and regulations governing the surrender of certificates of title as appropriate. (4) A demolisher or secondary metals recycler who purchases or otherwise acquires a vehicle with a title certificate pursuant to this subsection may wreck, dismantle, demolish, or otherwise dispose of the vehicle after the transaction has taken place. The demolisher or secondary metals recycler shall report the vehicle to the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System in compliance with federal laws and regulations. (C)(1) A person or entity may dispose of a vehicle to a demolisher or secondary metals recycler with a valid magistrate's order of sale in lieu of a title certificate, if the person or entity purchases the vehicle at a public auction pursuant to Section 56-5-5640. The person or entity shall provide the magistrate's order of sale to the demolisher or secondary metals recycler. (2) The demolisher or secondary metals recycler is not required to obtain a certificate of title for the vehicle in the demolisher or secondary metals recycler's own name. After the vehicle has been demolished, processed, or changed so that the vehicle physically is no longer a vehicle, the demolisher or secondary metals recycler shall surrender the magistrate's order of sale to the Department of Motor Vehicles. (3) The Office of Court Administration shall design a uniform magistrate's order of sale for purposes of this subsection and Section 56-5-5640, and shall make the order available for distribution to the magistrates. The Department of Motor Vehicles shall issue forms and regulations governing the surrender of magistrates' orders of sale as appropriate. (4) A demolisher or secondary metals recycler who purchases or otherwise acquires a vehicle with a magistrate's order of sale pursuant to this subsection may wreck, dismantle, demolish, or otherwise dispose of the vehicle after the transaction has taken place. The demolisher or secondary metals recycler shall report the vehicle to the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System in compliance with federal laws and regulations. (D)(1) A person or entity may dispose of a vehicle to a demolisher or secondary metals recycler with a valid sheriff's disposal authority certificate in lieu of a title certificate, if the vehicle is abandoned upon the person or entity's property or into the person or entity's possession and the vehicle does not meet the requirements of subsection (E)(1). The person or entity shall provide the sheriff's disposal authority certificate to the demolisher or secondary metals recycler. (2) The person or entity shall apply to the sheriff of the jurisdiction in which the vehicle is located for a disposal authority certificate to dispose of the vehicle to a demolisher or secondary metals recycler. The application must provide, at a minimum, the person or entity's name and address, the year, make, model, and identification number of the vehicle, if ascertainable, along with any other identifying features, and must contain a concise statement of the facts surrounding the abandonment. The person or entity shall execute an affidavit stating that the facts alleged are true and that no material fact has been withheld. If the sheriff determines that the application is executed in proper form, and the application demonstrates that the vehicle has been abandoned upon the person or entity's property or into the person or entity's possession, the notification procedures set forth in Section 56-5-5630 must be followed. If the vehicle is not reclaimed pursuant to Section 56-5-5630, the sheriff shall give the applicant a certificate of authority to dispose of the vehicle to a demolisher or secondary metals recycler. A disposal authority certificate may contain multiple listings. (3) The demolisher or secondary metals recycler is not required to obtain a certificate of title for the vehicle in the demolisher or secondary metals recycler's own name. After the vehicle has been demolished, processed, or changed so that the vehicle physically is no longer a vehicle, the demolisher or secondary metals recycler shall surrender the sheriff's disposal authority certificate to the Department of Motor Vehicles. (4) The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division shall design a uniform sheriff's disposal authority certificate for purposes of this subsection and shall make the certificate available for distribution to the sheriffs. The Department of Motor Vehicles shall issue forms and regulations governing the surrender of sheriffs' disposal authority certificates as appropriate. (5) A demolisher or secondary metals recycler who purchases or otherwise acquires a vehicle with a sheriff's disposal authority certificate pursuant to this subsection may wreck, dismantle, demolish, or otherwise dispose of the vehicle after the transaction has taken place. The demolisher or secondary metals recycler shall report the vehicle to the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System in compliance with federal laws and regulations. (E)(1) A person or entity may dispose of a vehicle to a demolisher or secondary metals recycler without a title certificate, magistrate's order of sale, or sheriff's disposal authority certificate, if: (a) the vehicle is abandoned upon the person or entity's property or into the person or entity's possession, or if the person or entity is the owner of the vehicle and the vehicle's title certificate is faulty, lost, or destroyed; and (b) the vehicle: (i) is lawfully in the person or entity's possession; (ii) is twelve model years old or older; (iii) does not have a valid registration plate affixed; and (iv) has no engine or is otherwise totally inoperable. (2) The person or entity shall complete and sign a form affirming that the vehicle complies with the requirements of subsection (E)(1). The demolisher or secondary metals recycler shall maintain the original form affidavit in the transaction records as required by this section. (3) The Department of Motor Vehicles shall develop a form affidavit for purposes of this subsection and shall make the form affidavit available for distribution to the demolishers and secondary metals recyclers. (4) Prior to completion of the transaction, the demolisher or secondary metals recycler shall verify with the Department of Motor Vehicles whether the vehicle has been reported stolen. The Department of Motor Vehicles shall develop an electronic system for demolishers and secondary metals recyclers to use to verify at the time of a transaction whether a vehicle has been reported stolen. The Department of Motor Vehicles shall not charge a demolisher or secondary metals recycler a fee for verifying whether a vehicle has been reported stolen. If the Department of Motor Vehicles indicates to the demolisher or secondary metals recycler that the vehicle has been reported stolen, the demolisher or secondary metals recycler shall not complete the transaction and shall notify the appropriate law enforcement agency. The demolisher or secondary metals recycler is under no obligation to apprehend the person attempting to sell the vehicle. If the Department of Motor Vehicles indicates to the demolisher or secondary metals recycler that the vehicle has not been reported stolen, the demolisher or secondary metals recycler may proceed with the transaction. In such case, the demolisher or secondary metals recycler is not criminally or civilly liable if the vehicle later turns out to be a stolen vehicle, unless the demolisher or secondary metals recycler had some other knowledge that the vehicle was a stolen vehicle. (5) The demolisher or secondary metals recycler shall report the vehicle to the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System in compliance with federal laws and regulations at the time of the transaction or no later than the end of the day of the transaction. A demolisher or secondary metals recycler who reports vehicles to the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System through a third party consolidator and complies with the requirements of this item if the demolisher or secondary metals recycler reports the vehicle to the third party consolidator so that the third party consolidator is able to transmit the vehicle information to the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System in compliance with federal laws and regulations no later than the end of the day of the transaction. (6) A demolisher or secondary metals recycler who purchases or otherwise acquires a vehicle with a form affidavit pursuant to this subsection shall not wreck, dismantle, demolish, or otherwise dispose of the vehicle until at least three business days after the transaction has taken place. (F) A demolisher or secondary metals recycler who purchases or otherwise acquires nonferrous metals, as defined by Section 16-17-680, shall comply with and is subject to the provisions of Section 16-17-680. (G)(1) A demolisher or secondary metals recycler shall keep an accurate and complete record of all vehicles purchased or received by the demolisher or secondary metals recycler in the course of business. A demolisher, but not a secondary metals recycler, also shall keep an accurate and complete record of all vehicle parts with a total weight of twenty-five pounds or more purchased or received by the demolisher in the course of business. These records must contain, at a minimum: (a) the demolisher or secondary metals recycler's name and address; (b) the name of the demolisher or secondary metals recycler's employee entering the information; (c) the name and address of the person or entity from whom the vehicle or vehicle parts, as applicable, were purchased or received; (d) a photo or copy of the person's driver's license or other government issued picture identification card that legibly shows the person's name and address. If the vehicle or vehicle parts, as applicable, are being purchased or received from an entity, the demolisher or secondary metals recycler shall obtain a photo or copy of the entity's agent's driver's license or other government issued picture identification card. If the demolisher or secondary metals recycler has a photo or copy of the person or entity's agent's identification on file, the demolisher or secondary metals recycler may reference the identification on file without making a photocopy for each transaction; (e) the date when the purchases or receipts occurred; (f) the year, make, model, and identification number of the vehicle or vehicle parts, as applicable and if ascertainable, along with any other identifying features; and (g) a copy of the title certificate, magistrate's order of sale, sheriff's disposal authority certificate, or an original form affidavit, as applicable. (2) The records must be kept open for inspection by any law enforcement officer at any time during normal business hours. All vehicles on the demolisher or secondary metals recycler's property or otherwise in the possession of the demolisher or secondary metals recycler must be available for inspection by any law enforcement officer at any time during normal business hours. (3) Records required by this section must be kept by the demolisher or secondary metals recycler for at least one year after the transaction to which it applies. A demolisher or secondary metals recycler may maintain records in an electronic database provided that the information is legible and can be accessed by law enforcement upon request. (H)(1) A person who violates the provisions of this section for a first offense is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than five hundred dollars for each offense not to exceed five thousand dollars for the same set of transactions or occurrences, or imprisoned for not more than sixty days, or both. Each violation constitutes a separate offense. For a second or subsequent offense, the person is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than one thousand dollars for each offense not to exceed ten thousand dollars for the same set of transactions or occurrences, or imprisoned for not more than three years, or both. Each violation constitutes a separate offense. (2) A person who falsifies any information on an application, form, or affidavit required by this section is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be fined not less than one thousand dollars nor more than five thousand dollars, or imprisoned for not less than one year nor more than three years, or both. (3) In lieu of criminal penalties, the Department of Motor Vehicles' director, or the director's designee, may issue an administrative fine not to exceed one thousand dollars for each violation, whenever the director, or the director's designee, after a hearing, determines that a demolisher or secondary metals recycler has unknowingly and unwilfully violated any provisions of this section. The hearing and any administrative review must be conducted in accordance with the procedure for contested cases under the Administrative Procedures Act. The proceeds from the administrative fine must be placed by the Comptroller General into a special restricted account to be used by the Department of Motor Vehicles to defray the expenses of implementing this section. (4) A vehicle used to transport a vehicle or vehicle parts, as applicable, illegally disposed of in violation of this section may be seized by law enforcement and is subject to forfeiture; provided, however, that no vehicle is subject to forfeiture unless it appears that the owner or other person in charge of the vehicle is a consenting party or privy to the commission of the crime, and a forfeiture of the vehicle encumbered by a security interest is subject to the interest of the secured party who had no knowledge of or consented to the act. The seizure and forfeiture must be accomplished in accordance with the provisions of Section 56-29-50. (I) The Department of Motor Vehicles shall convene a working group chaired by the Director of the Department of Motor Vehicles, or the director's designee, for the purpose of assisting in the development of a form affidavit to be used for the disposal of vehicles to demolishers or secondary metals recyclers, the development of an electronic system for demolishers and secondary metals recyclers to use to verify at the time of a transaction whether a vehicle has been reported stolen, and assisting in the development of forms and regulations pursuant to this section. The working group must consist of representatives from the demolishing industry, secondary metals recycling industry, trucking industry, law enforcement agencies, and other relevant agencies, organizations, or industries as determined by the director, or the director's designee.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-3-7330 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 3 / Article 65 / Section 56-3-7330
SECTION 56-3-7330. Boy Scouts of America and Eagle Scout special license plates.
Status: in_force

(A) The Department of Motor Vehicles may issue "Boy Scouts of America" special license plates to owners of private passenger motor vehicles, as defined in Section 56-3-630, or motorcycles as defined in Section 56-3-20, registered in their names. The requirements for production, collection, and distribution of fees for the plate are those set forth in Section 56-3-8100. The biennial fee for this plate is the regular registration fee set forth in Article 5, Chapter 3 of this title plus an additional fee of thirty dollars. Any portion of the additional thirty-dollar fee not set aside by the Comptroller General to defray costs of production and distribution must be distributed to the South Carolina Indian Waters Council, Boy Scouts of America, to then be distributed to the other five Boy Scout councils serving counties in South Carolina. (B)(1) The Department of Motor Vehicles may issue "Eagle Scouts of America" special license plates to owners of private passenger motor vehicles, as defined in Section 56-3-630, or motorcycles as defined in Section 56-3-20, registered in their names who have been awarded the Eagle Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America. The motor vehicle owner must present the department with official documentation that states that he was awarded the Eagle Scout Award, along with his application for this special license plate. The fee for this special license plate is thirty dollars every two years in addition to the regular motor vehicle registration fee set forth in Article 5, Chapter 3, Title 56. This special license plate must be of the same size and general design of regular motor vehicle license plates. This special license plate must be issued or revalidated for a biennial period which expires twenty-four months from the month it is issued. The special license plate must be imprinted with an emblem, seal, symbol, or design agreed to by all of the Boy Scout councils serving counties in South Carolina. (2) Of the fees collected pursuant to this section, the Comptroller General shall place into the State Highway Fund as established by Section 57-11-20, to be distributed as provided in Section 11-43-167, an amount equal to the cost of production. That portion of the fees collected pursuant to this section in excess of the cost of production must be distributed to the South Carolina Indian Waters Council, Boy Scouts of America, to then be distributed to the other five Boy Scout councils serving counties in South Carolina. (3) Section 56-3-8100 requirements met for the production, collection, and distribution of fees for the "Boy Scouts of America" special license plate are deemed to have been met for the "Eagle Scouts of America" special license plate.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-2-3080 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 2 / Article 3 / Section 56-2-3080
SECTION 56-2-3080. Requirements for selling, leasing, or renting mopeds; penalties.
Status: in_force

(A) It is unlawful for a person in the business of selling, leasing or renting mopeds to sell, lease or rent a moped for use on the public highways of this State without: (1) operable pedals, if the moped is equipped with pedals; (2) at least one rearview mirror; (3) operable headlights and running lights; and (4) brake lights which are operable when either brake is deployed. (B) A person who violates the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than two hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-2-3000 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 2 / Article 3 / Section 56-2-3000
SECTION 56-2-3000. Valid moped operator's license required.
Status: in_force

A person operating a moped on a public highway at all times must have in his possession a valid moped operator's license or valid driver's license and moped registration.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-3-920 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 3 / Article 5 / Section 56-3-920
SECTION 56-3-920. Fees additional to public service fees.
Status: in_force

The registration and license fees imposed by this article shall be in addition to any fees required by law to be paid to the Public Service Commission, and nothing in this chapter shall affect or impair the provisions of Chapter 23 of Title 58.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-19-470 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 19 / Article 3 / Section 56-19-470
SECTION 56-19-470. Seizure of suspended or revoked certificate.
Status: in_force

The Department of Motor Vehicles may seize and impound any certificate of title which has been suspended or revoked.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-3310 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 5 / Article 26 / Section 56-5-3310
SECTION 56-5-3310. Electric Personal Assistive Mobility Devices.
Status: in_force

(A) As used in this article, "Electric Personal Assistive Mobility Device" or "EPAMD" means a self-balancing two nontandem wheeled device designed to transport one person, with an electric propulsion system with average power of seven hundred fifty watts (one horsepower), whose maximum speed on a paved level surface, when powered solely by this propulsion system while ridden by an operator weighing one hundred seventy pounds, is less than twenty miles an hour. (B) The operation of an EPAMD is governed by the provisions of this article. Notwithstanding another provision of law, an EPAMD is not considered a "vehicle" or "motor vehicle" within the meaning of the laws of this State and no provisions of law relating to vehicles or motor vehicles apply to an EPAMD unless specified in this article. (C) A person may operate an EPAMD upon sidewalks, roadways, bicycle routes, paths, or trails as contained in this article. (D) A person operating an EPAMD on a sidewalk, roadway, bicycle route, path, or trail shall exercise due care to avoid colliding with, and shall yield the right-of-way to, pedestrians and human powered devices. A person operating an EPAMD also shall give an audible signal before overtaking and passing a pedestrian or person operating a human powered device. (E) An EPAMD must not be operated at a speed greater than fifteen miles an hour. (F) A person operating an EPAMD shall obey the instructions of an official traffic control device specifically applicable to him unless otherwise directed by a police officer. A person operating an EPAMD is subject to traffic and pedestrian control signals as provided in Sections 56-5-970 and 56-5-990. At all other places a person operating an EPAMD must be accorded the privileges and is subject to the restrictions contained in this article. (G) Local authorities by ordinance may require that a person operating an EPAMD strictly comply with the directions of an official traffic control signal and by ordinance may prohibit a person operating an EPAMD from crossing a roadway in a business district or a designated highway except in a crosswalk. (H) When traffic control signals are not in place or not in operation, the driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way, slow down, or stop to yield to a person operating an EPAMD crossing a roadway within a crosswalk when the person operating the EPAMD is upon or approaching the portion of the roadway on which the vehicle is traveling. A person operating an EPAMD shall not leave a curb suddenly, or another place of safety, move into the path of a vehicle and create an immediate hazard. When a vehicle is stopped at a marked crosswalk or at an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection to permit an EPAMD to cross the roadway, the driver of another vehicle approaching from the rear shall not overtake and pass the stopped vehicle. (I) A person operating an EPAMD shall move, whenever practicable, upon the right portion of a crosswalk. (J) A person operating an EPAMD while crossing a roadway at a point other than within a marked crosswalk or within an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the roadway. A person operating an EPAMD crossing a roadway at a point where a pedestrian tunnel or overhead pedestrian crossing has been provided shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the roadway. Between adjacent intersections at which traffic control signals are in operation a person operating an EPAMD shall cross only at an intersection marked crosswalk. A person operating an EPAMD shall not cross a roadway intersection diagonally unless authorized by official traffic control devices. When authorized to cross a roadway diagonally, a person operating an EPAMD shall cross only in accordance with the official traffic control devices pertaining to these crossing movements. (K) Where a sidewalk is provided and its use is practicable, it is unlawful for a person to operate an EPAMD along and upon an adjacent roadway. Where a sidewalk is not available, a person operating an EPAMD along and upon a highway shall operate only on a shoulder as far as practicable from the edge of the roadway. Where neither a sidewalk nor a shoulder is available, a person operating an EPAMD along and upon a highway shall operate it as near as practicable to an outside edge of the roadway and, if on a two-way roadway, shall operate only on the left side of the roadway. Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, a person operating an EPAMD upon a roadway shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the roadway. (L) A person operating an EPAMD, unless otherwise directed by a law enforcement officer, shall not occupy a space within the limits of the roadway and shoulder of the main facility of a freeway, except to perform public works or official duties, resulting from an emergency caused by an accident or breakdown of a motor vehicle, or to obtain assistance. The prohibitions imposed by this subsection on the use of freeways do not apply to service roads alongside the highways. A person who violates the provisions contained in this subsection is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than one hundred dollars or be imprisoned for not more than thirty days. (M) Notwithstanding a local ordinance, every driver of a vehicle shall exercise due care to avoid colliding with a person operating an EPAMD and shall give an audible signal when necessary. (N) Upon the immediate approach of an authorized emergency vehicle making use of an audible signal meeting the requirements of Section 56-5-4970 and visual signals meeting the requirements of Section 56-5-4700, or of a police vehicle properly and lawfully making use of an audible signal only, a person operating an EPAMD shall yield the right-of-way to the authorized emergency vehicle. This subsection shall not relieve the driver of an authorized emergency vehicle from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons using the highway nor from the duty to exercise due care to avoid colliding with a person operating an EPAMD. (O) An EPAMD must not be used to carry more persons than it is designed and equipped to carry. (P) A person operating an EPAMD shall not enter or remain upon a bridge or an approach to it beyond the bridge signal, gate, or barrier after a bridge operation signal indication has been given. A person operating an EPAMD shall not pass through, around, over, or under a crossing gate or a barrier at a railroad grade crossing or bridge while the gate or barrier is closed or is being opened or closed. (Q) An EPAMD must be equipped with a stopping mechanism which will enable the operator to bring the EPAMD to a controlled stop. A person shall not operate an EPAMD unless it is equipped with a bell or other device capable of giving a signal audible for a distance of at least one hundred feet. However, an EPAMD shall not be equipped with, nor shall a person use, a siren or whistle on an EPAMD, except as provided in subsection (R). An EPAMD when in use at nighttime must be equipped with a lamp on the front which shall emit a white light visible from a distance of at least five hundred feet to the front and with front, rear, and side reflectors which must be visible from at least three hundred feet. (R) An authorized police patrol EPAMD used as a part of a police EPAMD patrol may exercise the privileges of an emergency vehicle as provided in Section 56-5-760. An authorized police patrol EPAMD may be equipped with a siren. An officer utilizing a police patrol EPAMD may use his whistle or deploy the vehicle's siren for law enforcement purposes. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 56-5-760(C), an authorized police patrol EPAMD acting as an emergency vehicle is entitled to the exemptions of an authorized emergency vehicle if it makes use of an audible signal meeting the requirements of Section 56-5-4970 or visual signals meeting the requirements of Section 56-5-4700. (S) An operator of an EPAMD who violates a provision contained in this article, unless specified in a subsection, is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than twenty-five dollars.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-2140 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 5 / Article 15 / Section 56-5-2140
SECTION 56-5-2140. Limitations on turning around.
Status: in_force

(a) The driver of any vehicle shall not turn such vehicle so as to proceed in the opposite direction unless such movement can be made in safety and without interfering with other traffic. (b) No vehicle shall be turned so as to proceed in the opposite direction upon any curve or upon the approach to or near the crest of a grade where such vehicle cannot be seen by the driver of any other vehicle approaching from either direction within five hundred feet.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-3-9400 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 3 / Article 94 / Section 56-3-9400
SECTION 56-3-9400. "Morris Island Lighthouse" license plates; fees; special fund for restoration and preservation of the Morris Island Lighthouse.
Status: in_force

(A) The Department of Motor Vehicles may issue "Morris Island Lighthouse" special motor vehicle license plates to owners of private passenger motor vehicles as defined in Section 56-3-630 registered in their names, which may have imprinted on the plate an emblem, a seal, or other symbol of the Morris Island Lighthouse. Save the Light, Inc. shall submit to the department for its approval the emblem, seal, or other symbol it desires to be used for this special license plate. Save the Light, Inc. may request a change in the emblem, seal, or other symbol not more than once every five years. The special license plate must be issued or revalidated for a biennial period which expires twenty-four months from the month it is issued. The fee for this special license plate is the regular motor vehicle registration fee contained in Article 5, Chapter 3 of this title and a special motor vehicle license fee of one hundred dollars. (B) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, from the fees collected pursuant to this section, the Comptroller General shall place into the State Highway Fund as established by Section 57-11-20, to be distributed as provided in Section 11-43-167, an amount equal to the expenses of the Department of Motor Vehicles in producing and administering the special license plates. The remaining funds collected from the special motor vehicle license fee must be distributed to Save the Light, Inc., or another nonprofit fund designated by Save the Light, Inc., for the restoration and preservation of the Morris Island Lighthouse. Any remaining funds must be administered by Save the Light, Inc., used only for efforts to restore and preserve the Morris Island Lighthouse, and deposited in an appropriate nonprofit account designated by Save the Light, Inc. (C) The department shall reserve the first twelve license plates for use by Save the Light, Inc. (D) Before the department produces and distributes a plate authorized under this section, it must receive: (1) four hundred or more prepaid applications for the special license plate or a deposit of four thousand dollars from the individual or organization seeking issuance of the license plate. If a deposit of four thousand dollars is made by an individual or organization pursuant to this section, the department must refund the four thousand dollars once an equivalent amount of license plate fees is collected for that organization's license plate. If the equivalent amount is not collected within four years of the first issuance of the license plate, then the department must retain the deposit; and (2) a plan to market the sale of the special license plate that must be approved by the department. (E) If the department receives less than three hundred biennial applications and renewals for a particular special license plate authorized under this section, it shall not produce additional special license plates in that series. The department shall continue to issue special license plates of that series until the existing inventory is exhausted.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-1220 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 5 / Article 9 / Section 56-5-1220
SECTION 56-5-1220. Duties of driver involved in accident resulting in damage to attended vehicles.
Status: in_force

(A) The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting only in damage to a vehicle which is driven or attended by a person immediately shall stop the vehicle at the scene of the accident or as close to it as possible, but shall return to and in every event shall remain at the scene of the accident until he has fulfilled the requirements of Section 56-5-1230. However, he may temporarily leave the scene to report the accident to the proper authorities. A person who fails to stop or comply with the requirements of this subsection is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be imprisoned not more than one year or fined not less than one hundred dollars nor more than five thousand dollars, or both. (B) If a disabled vehicle or a vehicle involved in an accident resulting only in damage to a vehicle is obstructing traffic, the driver of the vehicle shall make every reasonable effort to move any vehicle that is capable of being driven safely off the roadway as defined by Section 56-5-460 so as not to block the flow of traffic. The driver or any other person who has moved a motor vehicle to facilitate the flow of traffic as provided in this subsection before the arrival of a law enforcement officer shall not be considered liable or at fault regarding the cause of the accident solely by reason of moving the vehicle pursuant to this section. (C) State and local authorities may erect signs along highways and streets that instruct the public that the driver of a disabled vehicle or a vehicle involved in an accident resulting only in damage to vehicles shall make every reasonable effort to move any vehicle that is capable of being driven off the roadway.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-1350 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 5 / Article 9 / Section 56-5-1350
SECTION 56-5-1350. Tabulation and analysis of reports; publication of statistical information.
Status: in_force

The Department of Public Safety must tabulate and may analyze all accident reports as required in Section 56-5-1270 and shall publish annually or at more frequent intervals statistical information based thereon as to the number and circumstances of traffic accidents.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-1970 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 5 / Article 13 / Section 56-5-1970
SECTION 56-5-1970. Restricted access.
Status: in_force

No person shall drive a vehicle onto or from any controlled-access roadway except at such entrances and exits as are established by public authority.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-3-4920 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 3 / Article 49 / Section 56-3-4920
SECTION 56-3-4920. Display of plate limited to authorized vehicle; transfer to different vehicle.
Status: in_force

The license plate issued pursuant to this article may be transferred to another vehicle of the same weight class owned by the same person upon application being made and approved by the Department of Motor Vehicles. It is unlawful for any person to whom the special plate has been issued knowingly to permit it to be displayed on a vehicle except the one authorized by the department.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-11-220 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 11 / Article 3 / Section 56-11-220
SECTION 56-11-220. Temporary permit; requirements; Department of Motor Vehicles authority to promulgate regulations respecting temporary permits.
Status: in_force

(A) A motor carrier having infrequent trips into and through the State may obtain a temporary permit good for one motor vehicle for ten consecutive days beginning and ending on the dates specified on the face of the permit. No reports are required of motor carriers only using temporary permits. Temporary permits may be issued in lieu of biennial registration required under this chapter and highway use taxes incurred during this period. The temporary permit must be carried in the vehicle for which it was issued at all times when the vehicle is in this State. The Department of Motor Vehicles may issue a temporary permit by facsimile message, letter, or telegram. (B) The department may engage a person to issue the temporary permits if he receives the permits from the department. No person may issue the permits unless the permits are available to the public on a twenty-four hour basis. (C) The department shall promulgate the regulations necessary for the proper administration of this section.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-4075 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 5 / Article 33 / Section 56-5-4075
SECTION 56-5-4075. Promulgation of regulations; cooperation with United States Government; petition for removal of federally designated highway.
Status: in_force

The Department of Public Safety and the Department of Transportation may promulgate regulations as necessary to implement the provisions of this article. Regulations may be promulgated to make designations as are necessary to provide for those vehicles which operate on the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways and "other qualifying highways" pursuant to Sections 56-5-4030 and 56-5-4070 reasonable access to: (a) terminals, facilities for food, fuel, repairs, and rest; (b) points of loading and unloading for household goods carriers and auto transporters; and (c) specific industrial, commercial, warehousing, and similar sites, only after consulting with and considering the views of the local governments through whose jurisdictions such specific site access would pass. The Department of Transportation may cooperate with the United States Government by providing information to accomplish uniformity in designating "other qualifying highways". The information may only be provided after safety and operational requirements of the citizens of this State have been studied by the Department of Transportation. Any proposals by the Department of Transportation to add highways, other than those provided for in (a), (b), and (c) of this section, to the network of "qualifying highways" designated by the U. S. Secretary of Transportation must be approved by the General Assembly before they become effective. The Governor may petition the Secretary of Transportation of the United States to remove any highway federally designated under the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 [49 USCS Appx Sections 2301 et seq.], as amended by Congress, and not considered safe.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-14-30 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 14 / Section 56-14-30
SECTION 56-14-30. Recreational vehicle dealer licenses; complaints; exhibition license; fees; penalties.
Status: in_force

(A) Before engaging in business as a recreational vehicle dealer in this State, a person first must apply to the Department of Motor Vehicles for a license. Each license issued expires on the last day of the month thirty-six months from the date of issue, the "licensing period", and must be displayed prominently at the established place of business. The fee for the license is one hundred fifty dollars. The license applies to only one place of business of the applicant and is not transferable to another person or place of business. (B)(1) During the dealer license application process, the department shall provide all information that would be needed in an audit or a review by its agents. Upon issuing a license, the department shall be reasonable in its requests to inspect or copy a dealer's records. If a complaint has been filed against a dealer, the department must present that complaint to the dealer in writing and allow the dealer the opportunity to cure before proceeding with punitive or enforcement action. Complaints arising from alleged violations of: (a) Section 56-37-30(B) must be cured by the dealer within sixty days of being notified of the complaint; (b) Section 56-37-30(C) must be cured by the dealer within forty-five days of being notified of the complaint; or (c) Section 56-37-30(D) must be cured by the dealer within thirty days of being notified of the complaint. (2) If the department determines that the same dealer has received a similar type of complaint within twelve months of a previous complaint, the department may proceed with an enforcement action against that dealer without regard to the time period provided in this subsection. (C) A licensed South Carolina recreational vehicle dealer may exhibit and sell recreational vehicles, as defined by Section 56-14-10, at fairs, recreational or sports shows, vacation shows, and other similar events or shows upon obtaining a temporary dealer's license in the manner required by this section. No other exhibitions may be allowed, except as may be permitted by this section. Any recreational vehicle displayed must be owned by the dealer holding the temporary license. Before exhibiting and selling recreational vehicles at temporary locations, the dealer shall first apply to the department for a license. To be eligible for a temporary license, a dealer shall hold a valid recreational vehicle dealer's license issued pursuant to this chapter. Every temporary dealer's license issued is valid for a period not to exceed ten consecutive days and must be prominently displayed at the temporary place of business. No dealer may purchase more than six temporary licenses every twelve months. The fee for each temporary license issued is twenty dollars. A temporary license applies to only one dealer operating in a temporary location and is not transferable to any other dealer or location. (D) The provisions of this section may not be construed as allowing the sale of any type of motor vehicles other than recreational vehicles at authorized temporary locations. (E) A person who fails to secure either a temporary or a permanent license as required in this chapter and sells a recreational vehicle is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined: (1) not less than one hundred dollars or more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned for not more than thirty days for the first offense; (2) five hundred dollars or imprisoned for not more than thirty days, or both, for the second offense; and (3) not less than two thousand dollars or more than ten thousand dollars or imprisoned for not more than two years, or both, for the third or any subsequent offense. (F) For purposes of this section, each unauthorized sale of a recreational vehicle where the dealer has not applied for and received a license from the department appropriate for that sale constitutes a separate offense. Nothing in this chapter may be construed to prohibit any law enforcement agency from enforcing the provisions relating to non-licensed dealers within the law enforcement agency's jurisdiction. The ticketing agency shall retain fifty percent of all fines collected pursuant to this section. (G) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent a licensed recreational vehicle dealer from providing vehicles for demonstration or test driving purposes. Editor's Note 2017 Act No. 51,SECTIONS 6, 7, provide: "SECTION 6. The department is authorized to promulgate regulations for the enforcement of the provisions of Chapter 14, Title 56. "SECTION 7. This act takes effect six months after approval by the Governor and applies to manufacturer/dealer agreements entered into on or after July 1, 2018." 2023 Act No. 51, SECTION 40(D), provides as follows: "[SECTION 40.](D) SECTIONS 15 through 28 take effect on January 1, 2024. Any dealership applying for or renewing licenses, or operating on a currently issued license on or after January 1, 2024, is subject to the provisions of SECTIONS 15 through 28." Effect of Amendment 2023 Act No. 51, SECTION 15, rewrote the section.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-2-4000 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 2 / Article 4 / Section 56-2-4000
SECTION 56-2-4000. Violations of chapter; penalties.
Status: in_force

It is a misdemeanor for any person to violate any of the provisions of this chapter unless such violation is by this chapter or other law of this State declared to be a felony. A person convicted of a misdemeanor for a violation of any of the provisions of this chapter for which another penalty is not provided shall be punished by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars or by imprisonment for not more than thirty days.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-3-627 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 3 / Article 5 / Section 56-3-627
SECTION 56-3-627. Infrastructure maintenance fee.
Status: in_force

(A) In order to account for the necessary road maintenance caused by each item traversing the roads of this State, in addition to the registration fees imposed by this chapter, the owner or lessee of each vehicle or other item that is required to be registered pursuant to this chapter must pay an infrastructure maintenance fee upon first titling or registering the vehicle or other item. Also, the owner or lessee of each trailer or semitrailer must pay the fee upon first titling or registering the trailer or semitrailer. The Department of Motor Vehicles may not issue a title or registration until the infrastructure maintenance fee has been collected. The infrastructure maintenance fee must be credited to the Infrastructure Maintenance Trust Fund. (B) If upon purchasing or leasing the item from a dealer, the owner or lessee first registers the item in this State, then the fee equals five percent, not to exceed five hundred dollars, of the gross proceeds of sales, or sales price, as those terms are defined in Chapter 36, Title 12. If the dealer holds a South Carolina retail license or offers to license, title, or register the item, then the dealer must collect the fee and remit it to the Department of Motor Vehicles. If the dealer does not license, title, or register the item, the customer must pay the infrastructure maintenance fee to the department when titling or registering the vehicle. (C)(1) If upon purchasing or leasing the item from a person other than a dealer, the owner or lessee first registers the item in this State, then the fee equals five percent, not to exceed five hundred dollars, of the fair market value of the item. If the lessee purchases the vehicle he originally leased and the registrant of the vehicle remains the same, the person does not owe an additional infrastructure maintenance fee. (2) Excluded from the fee imposed pursuant to this subsection are: (a) items transferred: (i) to members of the immediate family; (ii) to a legal heir, legatee, or distributee; (iii) from an individual to a partnership upon formation of a partnership, or from a stockholder to a corporation upon formation of a corporation; (iv) to a licensed motor vehicle or motorcycle dealer for the purpose of resale; (v) to a financial institution for the purpose of resale; (vi) as a result of repossession to any other secured party, for the purpose of resale; (vii) to an insurer for the purpose of applying for a salvage title; (b) the fair market value of an item transferred to the seller or secured party in partial payment; (c) gross proceeds of transfers of items specifically exempted by Section 12-36-2120 from the sales or use tax; (d) items where a sales or use tax has been paid on the transaction necessitating the transfer. (3) The Department of Motor Vehicles shall require every applicant for a certificate of title to supply information it considers necessary as to the time of purchase, the purchase price, and other information relative to the determination of fair market value. If the fee is based upon total purchase price as defined in this subsection, the department shall require a submission of a bill of sale and the signature of the owner subject to the perjury statutes of this State. (4) For purposes of this subsection: (a) "Fair market value" means the total purchase price less any trade-in, or the valuation shown in a national publication of used values adopted by the department, less any trade-in. (b) "Immediate family" means spouse, parents, children, sisters, brothers, grandparents, and grandchildren. (c) "Total purchase price" means the price of an item agreed upon by the buyer and seller with an allowance for a trade-in, if applicable. (D)(1) If upon purchasing or leasing the item, the owner or lessee first titles or registers the item in another state, and subsequently registers the item in this State, then the fee equals two hundred fifty dollars. (2) This subsection does not apply if the owner or lessee of the item is serving on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States. The exclusion allowed by this item also extends to items owned by the spouse or dependent of a person serving on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States. (3) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, until after December 31, 2022, the revenue collected pursuant to this subsection must be credited to the Safety Maintenance Account established pursuant to Section 11-11-240. After December 31, 2022, the revenue collected pursuant to this subsection must be credited to the Infrastructure Maintenance Trust Fund. (E)(1)(a) The Department of Motor Vehicles shall transfer eighty percent of every fee collected on motor vehicles pursuant to subsections (B) and (C), but not to exceed two hundred forty dollars, to the Department of Transportation to be allocated to the state-funded resurfacing program. The Department of Transportation shall develop and implement a needs-based methodology to distribute revenue within the state-funded resurfacing program, which shall include consideration of pavement condition on a county-by-county basis, to ensure that each county in the State is guaranteed funding for resurfacing. (b) The Department of Motor Vehicles shall transfer twenty percent of every fee collected on motor vehicles pursuant to subsections (B) and (C), but not to exceed sixty dollars, to the South Carolina Education Improvement Act of 1984 Fund. (2) The Department of Transportation shall reduce the allocation to the state-funded resurfacing program required in item (1) in proportion to the amounts transferred to the South Carolina Transportation Infrastructure Bank pursuant to subsection (F) and in proportion to the amounts required by the Department of Transportation to fund repairs, maintenance, and improvements to the existing transportation system. (F)(1) The Department of Transportation shall identify bridge and road projects to be financed utilizing nontax revenue transferred to the bank by the Department of Transportation in an amount equal to the financing requirements related to projects selected pursuant to this section, provided that: (a) Fifty million dollars in revenue utilized by the bank shall be used to finance bridge replacement, rehabilitation projects, and expansion and improvements on existing roads in the State Highway System. (b) Funds in excess of fifty million dollars utilized by the bank shall be used to finance expansion and improvements to existing mainline interstates. (2) Funds transferred to the bank pursuant to this section may not be used to finance projects approved by the bank before July 1, 2013. The bank shall submit all projects proposed to be financed pursuant to subsection (B) to the Joint Bond Review Committee as provided in Section 11-43-180, before approving a project for financing. (3) Following consideration by the Joint Bond Review Committee, the bank shall approve the projects to be financed. Upon approval, the bank shall provide the Department of Transportation with written notice that identifies each project selected, the amount of nontax revenue that must be transferred to the bank for financing each project, a schedule for the transfers, and any other information necessary to carrying out the financing of each project. (4) Upon receipt of the notice provided in item (3), the Department of Transportation shall transfer nontax revenue to the bank in the amounts and upon the schedule provided in the notice. The department shall take any other action identified in the notice that is necessary for financing each project. (5) Projects financed utilizing funds transferred pursuant to this subsection shall not require a local match. (G) The Secretary of Transportation shall apply funds supplanted by the operation of this section to prioritized bridge and resurfacing needs. (H) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, any transaction exempt pursuant to Section 12-36-2120(25), is also exempt from the infrastructure maintenance fee. Effect of Amendment 2021 Act No. 70, SECTION 1, in (A), in the first and second sentences, inserted "or lessee" following "the owner" and "titling or" following "upon first", and in the third sentence, inserted "title or" following "issue a"; in (B), in the first sentence, inserted "or lessee" following "the owner", in the second sentence, substituted ", title, or register" for "and register", and added the third sentence; in (C), in (1), inserted "or lessee" following "the owner", and added the second sentence, in (2)(a), added (vii); and in (D), in (1), substituted "or lessee first titles or registers" for "first registers", and in (2), in the first sentence, inserted "or lessee" following "the owner", and made nonsubstantive changes.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-4800 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 5 / Article 35 / Section 56-5-4800
SECTION 56-5-4800. Road-lighting equipment on motor-driven cycles.
Status: reserved

The head lamp or head lamps upon every motor-driven cycle may be of the single-beam or multiple-beam type but in either event shall comply with the requirements and limitations as follows: (1) Every such head lamp or head lamps on a motor-driven cycle shall be of sufficient intensity to reveal a person or a vehicle at a distance of not less than one hundred feet when the motor-driven cycle is operated at any speed less than twenty-five miles per hour and at a distance of not less than two hundred feet when the motor-driven cycle is operated at a speed of twenty-five or more miles per hour, and any such motor-driven cycle shall be subject to the speed limitations in Section 56-5-1550; (2) In the event the motor-driven cycle is equipped with a multiple-beam head lamp or head lamps, the upper beam shall meet the minimum requirements set forth above and the lowermost beam shall meet the requirements applicable to a lowermost distribution of light as set forth in item (2) of Section 56-5-4770; and (3) In the event the motor-driven cycle is equipped with a single-beam lamp or lamps, such lamp or lamps shall be so aimed that when the vehicle is loaded none of the high-intensity portion of light, at a distance of twenty-five feet ahead, shall project higher than the level of the center of the lamp from which it comes. Editor's Note Section 56-5-1550 was reserved by 2017 Act No. 89, SECTION 25, effective November 19, 2018.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-3-3950 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 3 / Article 40 / Section 56-3-3950
SECTION 56-3-3950. "Keep It Beautiful" license plates; special fund for road enhancement.
Status: in_force

The department may issue a special commemorative "Keep It Beautiful" motor vehicle license plate for use by owners on their private passenger motor vehicles to establish a special fund to be used by the Department of Transportation for the purposes of enhancing the state's roads and highways. These enhancements may include landscaping, wildflower plantings, scenic easements, or other highway enhancement projects. The Department of Transportation, in implementing this program, may not expend beautification funds for wildflowers without prior approval of the South Carolina Department of Agriculture. The Department of Agriculture shall ensure, before granting approval, that the varieties of wildflowers used in beautification are not harmful to agriculture at or near a proposed project. The biennial fee for the commemorative license plate is fifty-four dollars. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, of the fees collected for this special license plate, the Comptroller General shall place into the State Highway Fund as established by Section 57-11-20, to be distributed as provided in Section 11-43-167, an amount equal to the department's expenses in producing and administering this special license plate. Any remaining funds must be placed in a special "Highway Beautification Fund" established within and administered by the Department of Transportation. This biennial fee is in addition to the regular motor vehicle registration fee set forth in Article 5, Chapter 7 of this title. The commemorative plate must be of the same size and general design of regular motor vehicle license plates and must be imprinted with the words "Keep It Beautiful". The plates must be issued or revalidated for a biennial period which expires twenty-four months from the month they are issued.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-4650 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 5 / Article 35 / Section 56-5-4650
SECTION 56-5-4650. Lamps on other vehicles and equipment.
Status: in_force

All vehicles, including animal-drawn vehicles and implements of husbandry, road machinery or farm tractors and other vehicles not otherwise specifically required to be equipped with lamps, shall at the times specified in Section 56-5-4450 be equipped with at least one lighted lamp or lantern exhibiting a white light visible from a distance of five hundred feet to the front of such vehicle and with a lamp or lantern or reflector exhibiting a red light visible from a distance of five hundred feet to the rear.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-3-13810 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 3 / Article 138 / Section 56-3-13810
SECTION 56-3-13810. Chase Away Childhood Cancer special license plates; fees.
Status: in_force

(A) The Department of Motor Vehicles may issue "Chase Away Childhood Cancer" motor vehicle license plates to owners of private passenger carrying motor vehicles, as defined in Section 56-3-630 and motorcycles as defined in Section 56-3-20 registered in their names. The fee for this special license plate is fifty dollars every two years in addition to the regular motor vehicle registration fee contained in Article 5, Chapter 3, Title 56. This special license plate must be of the same size and shape of regular motor vehicle license plates. This special license plate must be issued or revalidated for a biennial period which expires twenty-four months from the month it is issued. (B) The fees collected pursuant to this section above the cost of producing the license plates must be distributed to Chase After a Cure. (C) The requirements for production, collection, and distribution of fees for this license plate are those set forth in Section 56-3-8100.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-19-460 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 19 / Article 3 / Section 56-19-460
SECTION 56-19-460. Surrender of suspended or revoked certificate.
Status: in_force

When the Department of Motor Vehicles suspends or revokes a certificate of title, the owner or person in possession of it shall, immediately upon receiving notice of the suspension or revocation, mail or deliver the certificate to the Department.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-3-663 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 3 / Article 5 / Section 56-3-663
SECTION 56-3-663. Reciprocal agreements.
Status: in_force

The Department of Motor Vehicles is authorized to enter into reciprocal agreements with the regulatory agencies of other states having jurisdiction and authority over motor carriers to provide for base state agreements in which the registration of interstate carriers operating in participating states may be accomplished by registration in one base state. Carriers registering in this State under these agreements are subject to the jurisdiction and authority of the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Motor Vehicles for enforcement purposes. When the carrier's base state is South Carolina, the Department of Motor Vehicles may require further filings of certificates of insurance, surety bonds, and other documents to show the carrier's qualifications to operate. Participating carriers shall register their authority directly with the Department of Motor Vehicles and not with other state or local agencies.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-1-25 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 1 / Article 1 / Section 56-1-25
SECTION 56-1-25. Disclosure of confidential information during transfer of power to Department of Motor Vehicles.
Status: in_force

It is unlawful for a person to disclose any confidential information which belongs to the Department of Public Safety Motor Vehicle Division to an individual or entity that is not permitted to have access to the information during or after the transfer of the confidential information from the Motor Vehicle Division to the Department of Motor Vehicles. A person who violates a provision contained in this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be imprisoned for not more than one year and fined not less than one thousand dollars.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-16-70 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 16 / Section 56-16-70
SECTION 56-16-70. Dealer's voluntary cancellation, nonrenewal, or termination of franchise agreement.
Status: in_force

The provisions of paragraphs (d) and (e) of Section 56-16-40 are not applicable when the termination, nonrenewal, or cancellation of the franchise agreement is the result of the voluntary act of the dealer.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-3-200 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 3 / Article 3 / Section 56-3-200
SECTION 56-3-200. Certificate of title or application as prerequisite to registration.
Status: in_force

Except in the case of a moped or as otherwise provided for in Chapter 19 of this title, the department shall not register or renew the registration of a vehicle unless a certificate of title has been issued by the department to the owner or an application has been delivered by the owner to the department. Effect of Amendment 2017 Act No. 89, SECTION 13, substituted "Except in the case of a moped" for "Except" and "department" for "Department of Motor Vehicles", and made nonsubstantive changes.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-3-7010 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 3 / Article 58 / Section 56-3-7010
SECTION 56-3-7010. Size, design, and contents of license plates; revalidation.
Status: in_force

The special plates must be of the same size and general design as a regular motor vehicle license plate. The Department of Motor Vehicles shall imprint the special license plate with the words County Veterans Affairs Officer" together with numbers the department may determine necessary. The plate must be issued or revalidated biennially for the regular registration and licensing period.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-1-230 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 1 / Article 1 / Section 56-1-230
SECTION 56-1-230. Notification of change of address or name.
Status: in_force

Whenever any person after applying for or receiving a driver's license shall move permanently from the address named in such application or in the license issued to him or when the name of a licensee is changed by marriage or otherwise, such person shall within ten days thereafter notify the Department of Motor Vehicles in writing of his old and new address or of such former and new name and of the number of any license then held by him.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-3-1220 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 3 / Article 9 / Section 56-3-1220
SECTION 56-3-1220. Municipalities and counties shall not issue license plates.
Status: in_force

No county or municipality shall issue a municipal or county license plate.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-4715 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 5 / Article 35 / Section 56-5-4715
SECTION 56-5-4715. Forestry Commission vehicles authorized to use flashing red lights in fire emergencies.
Status: in_force

Notwithstanding Section 56-5-4700, emergency and fire fighting vehicles of the South Carolina Forestry Commission may but not need be equipped with oscillating, rotating, or flashing red lights for use during any fire emergency. If a red light is used, it must be visible for a distance of five hundred feet in all directions in normal sunlight. The State Forestry Commission shall determine which vehicles should have red, yellow, white, or amber lights, or a combination thereof, and determine when a fire emergency exists. A forestry vehicle equipped with a red light is not required to have a siren or any other audible signal pursuant to Section 56-5-4700(a).
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-1-1760 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 1 / Article 9 / Section 56-1-1760
SECTION 56-1-1760. Requirement that license be in immediate possession of operator of moped and that it be displayed upon demand of certain state officers.
Status: in_force

Every licensee shall have his license in his immediate possession at all times when operating a moped and shall display it upon demand of any officer or agent of the Department of Public Safety or any police officer of the State.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-2720 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 5 / Article 21 / Section 56-5-2720
SECTION 56-5-2720. Vehicles required to stop at railroad grade crossings; exceptions.
Status: in_force

(A) Except as provided in subsection (B), the driver or operator of every bus transporting passengers, or a vehicle permitted by the Department of Health and Environmental Control to carry hazardous waste, or any vehicle required by 49 C.F.R. Section 392.10 to stop at a railroad grade crossing, before crossing at grade any tracks of a railroad, shall stop the vehicle within fifty feet, but not less than fifteen feet, from the nearest rail of the railroad and while stopped shall listen and look in both directions along the track for an approaching train and for signals indicating the approach of a train and shall not proceed until he can do so safely. After stopping and upon proceeding when it is safe to do so, the driver of the vehicle shall cross only in the gear of the vehicle that there is no necessity for manually changing gears while traversing the crossing and the driver shall not manually shift gears while crossing the tracks. (B) The provisions of this section do not apply at: (1) a streetcar crossing, or railroad tracks used exclusively for industrial switching purposes, within a business district; (2) a railroad grade crossing when a police officer or crossing flagman directs traffic to proceed; (3) a railroad grade crossing controlled by a functioning highway traffic signal transmitting a green indication which, under local law, permits the commercial motor vehicle to proceed across the railroad tracks without slowing or stopping; (4) an abandoned railroad grade crossing which is marked with a sign indicating that the rail line is abandoned; and (5) an industrial or spur line railroad grade crossing marked with a sign reading "Exempt". "Exempt" signs shall be erected only by or with the consent of the appropriate state or local authority. (C) For purposes of the section, "business district" means the territory contiguous to and including a highway when within any six hundred feet along a highway where there are buildings in use for business or industrial purposes including, but not limited to, hotels, banks, or office buildings which occupy at least three hundred feet of frontage on one side or three hundred feet collectively on both sides of the highway. (D) For purposes of this section, a "bus" means: (1) a motor vehicle designed or used to transport more than eight passengers, including the driver, for compensation; or (2) a motor vehicle designed or used to transport more than fifteen passengers, including the driver, and is not used to transport passengers for compensation. (E) The provisions of Section 59-67-230 apply to school buses as defined in Section 56-5-190. Effect of Amendment 2022 Act No. 134, SECTION 1, rewrote the section.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-1-610 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 1 / Article 2 / Section 56-1-610
SECTION 56-1-610. Short title.
Status: in_force

This article is known and may be cited as the Driver License Compact.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-4145 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 5 / Article 33 / Section 56-5-4145
SECTION 56-5-4145. Limitations as to weight, width, and vehicle combinations on Grace Memorial Bridge.
Status: in_force

(a) The weights stated in Sections 56-5-4070, 56-5-4075 and 56-5-4140 are applicable to all roads and bridges as designated except the Grace Memorial Bridge in Charleston County on which trucks of no greater weight than ten tons are allowed. (b) The Grace Memorial Bridge (U.S. Route 17 over the Cooper River in Charleston County) is not a designated route in accordance with the provisions of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 [49 USCS Appx Sections 2301 et seq.]. Vehicles being operated or used on such segment of highway may not exceed a width of ninety-six inches nor exceed the gross weight limit as posted by the Department of Transportation, except during emergency conditions as determined by the Department of Transportation. Vehicle combinations of a truck-tractor, trailer or a truck-tractor, semitrailer or a truck-tractor, semitrailer, trailer or a truck-tractor, trailer-trailer are prohibited from being operated or used on this segment of highway.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-6210 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 5 / Article 43 / Section 56-5-6210
SECTION 56-5-6210. Officers shall receive no part of fines or forfeitures.
Status: in_force

No municipal police officer, rural policeman, magistrate's constable, sheriff, deputy sheriff, highway patrolman or other police officer shall receive as compensation any portion of any fine imposed or bond or bail forfeiture for violations of the highway traffic laws of the State.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-2590 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 5 / Article 19 / Section 56-5-2590
SECTION 56-5-2590. Unlawful for certain cities to place meters or time limit on streets abutting county property.
Status: in_force

It shall be unlawful for any municipality of this State, having a population of between six thousand three hundred and fifty and six thousand eight hundred inhabitants according to the last official United States census, to require any person to pay a fee of any kind for parking an automobile or other vehicle on the abutting side of any street abutting and adjacent to property owned by the county in which such municipality is situate or located and used in connection with the county courthouse or county office building or on the abutting side of any street abutting or adjacent to any sidewalk which is adjacent to or abutting on such property owned by such county by the use of any device known as a parking meter or otherwise or to place a time limit on parking in such areas except such as may be authorized by the governing body of the county.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-3-12110 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 3 / Article 121 / Section 56-3-12110
SECTION 56-3-12110. South Carolina Educator special license plates.
Status: in_force

(A) The Department of Motor Vehicles may issue special motor vehicle license plates to owners of private passenger carrying motor vehicles, as defined in Section 56-3-630, or motorcycles as defined in Section 56-3-20, registered in their names which must have imprinted on the plate "South Carolina Educator". The application for this special license plate must include proof that the applicant is a public or private kindergarten through twelfth grade school teacher. This special license plate must be of the same size and general design of regular motor vehicle license plates. This special license plate must be issued or revalidated for a biennial period which expires twenty-four months from the month it is issued. (B) The fees collected pursuant to this section above the cost of the production must be distributed to the general fund. (C) The guidelines for the production, collection and distribution of fees for a special license plate under this section must meet the requirements of Section 56-3-8100.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-19-40 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 19 / Article 1 / Section 56-19-40
SECTION 56-19-40. Department of Motor Vehicles shall examine all applications; investigations; rejections.
Status: in_force

The Department of Motor Vehicles shall examine and determine the genuineness, regularity and legality of every application for registration of a vehicle or for a certificate of title therefor and of any other application lawfully made to the Department and may in all cases make investigations as may be deemed necessary or require additional information and shall reject any such application if not satisfied of the genuineness, regularity or legality thereof or the truth of any statement contained therein, or for any other reason, when authorized by law.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-3-640 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 3 / Article 5 / Section 56-3-640
SECTION 56-3-640. Fees for common carrier passenger vehicles; vehicles so classified; determining vehicle weight.
Status: in_force

(A) For every common carrier passenger vehicle the biennial registration and license fee is according to weight: (1) not over 2000 pounds: $18.00; (2) 2001 to 2500 pounds: $24.00; (3) 2501 to 3000 pounds: $30.00; (4) 3001 to 3500 pounds: $36.00; (5) 3501 to 4000 pounds: $42.00; (6) 4001 to 4500 pounds: $48.00; (7) 4501 to 5000 pounds: $54.00; (8) over 5000 pounds: $54.00 plus $6.00 for each 500 pounds' weight or fraction over 5000 pounds. (B) The Department of Motor Vehicles must include in this classification every motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer designed, used, or maintained for the transportation of persons for compensation as a regular business. This classification does not include a trackless trolley bus. (C) The manufacturer's rating on the weight of a vehicle must be accepted as the weight of the vehicle for the purpose of fixing the license fee under this section.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-9-352 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 9 / Article 4 / Section 56-9-352
SECTION 56-9-352. Exceptions.
Status: in_force

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 vehicle, if there was in effect at the time of the accident an automobile liability policy or bond with respect to his operation of motor vehicles not owned by him; (3) The operator or owner if the liability of the operator or owner for damages resulting from the accident is, in the judgment of the Department of Motor Vehicles, covered by any other form of liability insurance policy or bond; (4) Any person qualifying as a self-insurer under Section 56-9-60 of this chapter; (5) The operator or owner of a motor vehicle involved in an accident wherein no injury or damage was caused to the person or property of any one other than such owner or operator; (6) The owner of a motor vehicle if at the time of the accident the vehicle was being operated without his permission, express or implied, or was parked by a person who had been operating the motor vehicle without his permission, express or implied; (7) If, before the date that the Department would otherwise suspend the license and registration or nonresident's operating privilege under Section 56-9-351, there shall be filed with the Department evidence satisfactory to it that the person who would otherwise have to file security (a) has been released from liability, (b) has been finally adjudicated not to be liable, (c) has executed a warrant for confession of judgment, payable when and in such installments as the parties have agreed to or (d) has executed a duly acknowledged written agreement, providing for the payment of an agreed amount in installments, with respect to all claims for injuries or damages resulting from the accidents; (8) The owner of any legally parked vehicle when struck by another vehicle; (9) Any person operating a motor vehicle owned by his employer while he is operating the vehicle in the scope of his employment.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-225 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 5 / Article 3 / Section 56-5-225
SECTION 56-5-225. Farm truck defined.
Status: in_force

"Farm truck" is defined as a truck used exclusively by the owner for agricultural, horticultural, dairying, livestock, and poultry operations and includes transporting farm processed horticultural products, including soil amendments and mulches owned by the truck's owner or another person, including first market. However, farm trucks with an empty weight of less than twenty-six thousand and one pounds may be used for ordinary domestic purposes and general transportation, but must not be used to transport persons or property for hire. No part of this definition may be interpreted to exempt any commercial motor vehicle less than 26,001 pounds GVW/GVWR/GCW/GCWR from all or part of state laws or regulations applicable to intrastate commerce if the vehicle: (1) transports hazardous materials requiring a placard; or (2) is designed or used to transport sixteen or more people, including the driver.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-10-540 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 10 / Article 5 / Section 56-10-540
SECTION 56-10-540. Suspension and return of driver's license, registration, certificates, and license plates and decals.
Status: in_force

A person whose driver's license or registration certificates, or license plates and decals have been suspended as provided in this chapter and have not been reinstated shall immediately return, either in person or electronically, every such license, registration certificate, and set of license plates and decals held by him to the department. A person failing to comply with this requirement shall be guilty of a traffic infraction and, upon conviction, shall be punished as provided in Section 56-9-340, et seq. Editor's Note 2023 Act No. 51, SECTION 40(B), provides as follows: "[SECTION 40.](B) SECTION 5 takes effect on the first day of the fiscal year following twelve months after approval by the Governor." Effect of Amendment 2023 Act No. 51, SECTION 5, deleted the first undesignated paragraph, which related to proof of financial responsibility, and in the second undesignated paragraph, in the first sentence, inserted ", either in person or electronically," and substituted "department" for "director", and in the second sentence, substituted "Section 56-9-340" for "Section 56-9-310".
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-5080 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 5 / Article 35 / Section 56-5-5080
SECTION 56-5-5080. Alternative warning device; portable reflector units.
Status: in_force

As an alternative it shall be deemed a compliance with Sections 56-5-5060 and 56-5-5070 in the event the person operating any motor vehicle described therein shall carry in such vehicle three portable reflector units on standards of a type approved by the Department of Public Safety. No portable reflector unit shall be approved unless it is so designed and constructed as to include two reflectors, one above the other, each of which shall be capable of reflecting red light clearly visible from all distances within five hundred to fifty feet under normal atmospheric conditions at nighttime when directly in front of lawful upper beams of head lamps.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-9-357 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 9 / Article 4 / Section 56-9-357
SECTION 56-9-357. Suspension of resident's license and registration upon notice of suspension in another state.
Status: in_force

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 of a motor vehicle accident under circumstances which would require the Department of Motor Vehicles to suspend a nonresident's operating privilege had the accident occurred in this State, the Department shall suspend the license of such resident if he was the driver and all of his registrations if he was the owner of a motor vehicle involved in such accident. Such suspension shall continue until such resident furnishes evidence of his compliance with the law of such other state relating to the deposit of such security.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-1-286 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 1 / Article 1 / Section 56-1-286
SECTION 56-1-286. Suspension of license or permit or denial of issuance of license or permit to persons under the age of twenty-one who drive motor vehicles with certain amount of alcohol concentration.
Status: in_force

(A) The Department of Motor Vehicles shall suspend the driver's license, permit, or nonresident operating privilege of, or deny the issuance of a license or permit to a person under the age of twenty-one who drives a motor vehicle and has an alcohol concentration of two one-hundredths of one percent or more. In cases in which a law enforcement officer initiates suspension proceedings for a violation of this section, the officer has elected to pursue a violation of this section and is subsequently prohibited from prosecuting the person for a violation of Section 63-19-2440, 63-19-2450, 56-5-2930, or 56-5-2933, arising from the same incident. (B) A person under the age of twenty-one who drives a motor vehicle in this State is considered to have given consent to chemical tests of the person's breath or blood for the purpose of determining the presence of alcohol. (C)(1) A law enforcement officer who has arrested a person under the age of twenty-one for a violation of Chapter 5 of this title (Uniform Act Regulating Traffic on Highways), or any other traffic offense established by a political subdivision of this State, and has reasonable suspicion that the person under the age of twenty-one has consumed alcoholic beverages and driven a motor vehicle may order the testing of the person arrested to determine the person's alcohol concentration. (2) A law enforcement officer may detain and order the testing of a person to determine the person's alcohol concentration if the officer has reasonable suspicion that a motor vehicle is being driven by a person under the age of twenty-one who has consumed alcoholic beverages. (D)(1) A test must be administered at the direction of the primary investigating law enforcement officer. At the officer's direction, the person first must be offered a breath test to determine the person's alcohol concentration. If the person physically is unable to provide an acceptable breath sample because the person has an injured mouth or is unconscious or dead, or for any other reason considered acceptable by licensed medical personnel, a blood sample may be taken. The breath test must be administered by a person trained and certified by the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy, pursuant to the State Law Enforcement Division's policies. The primary investigating officer may administer the test. Blood samples must be obtained by physicians licensed by the State Board of Medical Examiners, registered nurses licensed by the State Board of Nursing, or other medical personnel trained to obtain these samples in a licensed medical facility. Blood samples must be obtained and handled in accordance with procedures approved by the division. The division shall administer the provisions of this subsection and shall promulgate regulations necessary to carry out the subsection's provisions. The costs of the tests administered at the officer's direction must be paid from the state's general fund. However, if the person is subsequently convicted of violating Section 56-5-2930, 56-5-2933, or 56-5-2945, then, upon conviction, the person shall pay twenty-five dollars for the costs of the tests. The twenty-five dollars must be placed by the Comptroller General into a special restricted account to be used by the State Law Enforcement Division to offset the costs of administration of the breath testing devices, breath testing site video program, and toxicology laboratory. (2) The person tested or giving samples for testing may have a qualified person of the person's choice conduct additional tests at the person's expense and must be notified in writing of that right. A person's request or failure to request additional blood tests is not admissible against the person in any proceeding. The person's failure or inability to obtain additional tests does not preclude the admission of evidence relating to the tests or samples taken at the officer's direction. The officer shall provide affirmative assistance to the person to contact a qualified person to conduct and obtain additional tests. Affirmative assistance shall, at a minimum, include providing transportation for the person to the nearest medical facility which provides blood tests to determine a person's alcohol concentration. If the medical facility obtains the blood sample but refuses or fails to test the blood to determine the person's alcohol concentration, the State Law Enforcement Division shall test the blood and provide the result to the person and to the officer. Failure to provide affirmative assistance upon request to obtain additional tests bars the admissibility of the breath test result in a judicial or administrative proceeding. (E) A qualified person and the person's employer who obtain samples or administer the tests or assist in obtaining samples or administering of tests at the primary investigating officer's direction are immune from civil and criminal liability unless the obtaining of samples or the administering of tests is performed in a negligent, reckless, or fraudulent manner. A person may not be required by the officer ordering the tests to obtain or take any sample of blood or urine. (F) If a person refuses upon the primary investigating officer's request to submit to chemical tests as provided in subsection (C), the department shall suspend the person's license, permit, or nonresident operating privilege, or deny the issuance of a license or permit to the person for: (1) six months; or (2) one year, if the person, within the three years preceding the violation of this section, has been previously convicted of violating Section 56-5-2930, 56-5-2933, 56-5-2945, or a law of another state that prohibits a person from driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, or the person has had a previous suspension imposed pursuant to Section 56-1-286, 56-5-2951, or 56-5-2990. (G) If a person submits to a chemical test and the test result indicates an alcohol concentration of two one-hundredths of one percent or more, the department shall suspend the person's license, permit, or nonresident operating privilege, or deny the issuance of a license or permit to the person for: (1) three months; or (2) six months, if the person, within the three years preceding the violation of this section, has been previously convicted of violating Section 56-5-2930, 56-5-2933, 56-5-2945, or a law of another state that prohibits a person from driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, or the person has had a previous suspension imposed pursuant to Section 56-1-286, 56-5-2951, or 56-5-2990. (H)(1) In lieu of serving the remainder of a suspension or denial of the issuance of a license or permit, a person may enroll in the Ignition Interlock Device Program pursuant to Section 56-5-2941, end the suspension or denial of the issuance of a license or permit, and obtain an ignition interlock restricted license pursuant to Section 56-1-400. The ignition interlock device is required to be affixed to the motor vehicle equal to the length of time remaining on the person's suspension or denial of the issuance of a license or permit. If the length of time remaining is less than three months, the ignition interlock device is required to be affixed to the motor vehicle for three months. (2) The person must receive credit for the number of days the person maintained an ignition interlock restriction on the temporary alcohol license. (3) Once a person has enrolled in the Ignition Interlock Device Program and obtained an ignition interlock restricted license, the person is subject to Section 56-5-2941 and cannot subsequently choose to serve the suspension. (I) A person's driver's license, permit, or nonresident operating privilege must be restored when the person's period of suspension or ignition interlock restricted license requirement pursuant to subsection (F) or (G) has concluded, even if the person has not yet completed the Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program. After the person's driving privilege is restored, the person shall continue the services of the Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program. If the person withdraws from or in any way stops making satisfactory progress toward the completion of the Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program, the person's license must be suspended until completion of the Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program. A person shall be attending or have completed an Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program pursuant to Section 56-5-2990 before the person's driving privilege can be restored at the conclusion of the suspension period or ignition interlock restricted license requirement. (J)(1) A test may not be administered or samples taken unless, upon activation of the video recording equipment and prior to the commencement of the testing procedure, the person has been given a written copy of and verbally informed that: (a) the person does not have to take the test or give the samples but that the person's privilege to drive must be suspended or denied for at least six months if the person refuses to submit to the tests, and that the person's refusal may be used against the person in court; (b) the person's privilege to drive must be suspended for at least three months if the person takes the test or gives the samples and has an alcohol concentration of two one-hundredths of one percent or more; (c) the person has the right to have a qualified person of the person's own choosing conduct additional independent tests at the person's expense; (d) the person has the right to request a contested case hearing within thirty days of the issuance of the notice of suspension; and (e) the person shall enroll in an Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program within thirty days of the issuance of the notice of suspension if the person does not request a contested case hearing or within thirty days of the issuance of notice that the suspension has been upheld at the contested case hearing. (2) The primary investigating officer promptly shall notify the department of a person's refusal to submit to a test requested pursuant to this section as well as the test result of a person who submits to a test pursuant to this section and registers an alcohol concentration of two one-hundredths of one percent or more. The notification must be in a manner prescribed by the department. (K) If the test registers an alcohol concentration of two one-hundredths of one percent or more or if the person refuses to be tested, the primary investigating officer shall issue a notice of suspension, and the suspension is effective beginning on the date of the alleged violation of this section. The person, within thirty days of the issuance of the notice of suspension, shall enroll in an Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program pursuant to Section 56-5-2990 if the person does not request an administrative hearing. If the person does not request an administrative hearing and does not enroll in an Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program within thirty days, the suspension remains in effect, and a temporary alcohol license must not be issued. If the person drives a motor vehicle during the period of suspension without a temporary alcohol license, the person must be penalized for driving while the person's license is suspended pursuant to Section 56-1-460. (L)(1) Within thirty days of the issuance of the notice of suspension the person may: (a) request a contested case hearing before the Office of Motor Vehicle Hearings pursuant to its rules of procedure; and, either: (b) enroll in the Ignition Interlock Device Program pursuant to Section 56-5-2941; or (c) obtain a temporary alcohol license from the Department of Motor Vehicles. A one hundred dollar fee must be assessed for obtaining a temporary alcohol license. Twenty-five dollars of the fee must be distributed to the Department of Public Safety for supplying and maintaining all necessary vehicle videotaping equipment. The remaining seventy-five dollars must be placed by the Comptroller General into the State Highway Fund as established by Section 57-11-20, to be distributed as provided in Section 11-43-167. The temporary alcohol license allows the person to drive a motor vehicle pending the outcome of the contested case hearing provided for in this section or the final decision or disposition of the matter. (2) The ignition interlock restriction must be maintained on the temporary alcohol license for three months. If the contested case hearing has not reached a final disposition by the time the ignition interlock restriction has been removed, then the person can obtain a temporary alcohol license without an ignition interlock restriction. (3) At the contested case hearing, if: (a) the suspension is upheld, the person shall enroll in an Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program and the person's driver's license, permit, or nonresident operating privilege must be suspended or the person must be denied the issuance of a license or permit for the remainder of the suspension periods provided for in subsections (F) and (G); and (b) the person must enroll in the Ignition Device Program pursuant to Section 56-5-2941. (4) If the suspension is overturned, the person's driver's license, permit, or nonresident operating privilege must be reinstated. (M) The periods of suspension provided for in subsections (F) and (G) begin on the day the notice of suspension is issued, or at the expiration of any other suspensions, and continue until the person applies for a temporary alcohol license and requests an administrative hearing. (N) If a person does not request a contested case hearing, the person has waived the person's right to the hearing and the person's suspension must not be stayed but shall continue for the periods provided for in subsections (F) and (G). (O) The notice of suspension must advise the person of the requirement to enroll in an Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program and of the person's right to obtain a temporary alcohol license and to request a contested case hearing. The notice of suspension also must advise the person that, if the person does not request a contested case hearing within thirty days of the issuance of the notice of suspension, the person shall enroll in an Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program, and the person waives the person's right to the contested case hearing, and the suspension continues for the periods provided for in subsections (F) and (G). (P) A contested case hearing must be held after the request for the hearing is received by the Office of Motor Vehicle Hearings. (1) The scope of the hearing is limited to whether the person: (a) was lawfully arrested or detained; (b) was given a written copy of and verbally informed of the rights enumerated in subsection (J); (c) refused to submit to a test pursuant to this section; or (d) consented to taking a test pursuant to this section, and the: (i) reported alcohol concentration at the time of testing was two one-hundredths of one percent or more; (ii) individual who administered the test or took samples was qualified pursuant to this section; (iii) test administered and samples taken were conducted pursuant to this section; and (iv) the machine was operating properly. (2) Nothing in this section prohibits the introduction of evidence at the contested case hearing on the issue of the accuracy of the breath test result. (3) The Department of Motor Vehicles and the arresting officer shall have the burden of proof in contested case hearings conducted pursuant to this section. If neither the Department of Motor Vehicles nor the arresting officer appears at the contested case hearing, the hearing officer shall rescind the suspension of the person's license, permit, or nonresident's operating privilege regardless of whether the person requesting the contested case hearing or the person's attorney appears at the contested case hearing. (4) A written order must be issued to all parties either reversing or upholding the suspension of the person's license, permit, or nonresident's operating privilege, or denying the issuance of a license or permit. If the suspension is upheld, the person must receive credit for the number of days the person's license was suspended before the person received a temporary alcohol license and requested the contested case hearing and must receive credit for the number of days the person maintained an ignition interlock restriction on the temporary alcohol license. (Q) A contested case hearing is a contested proceeding under the Administrative Procedures Act, and a person has a right to appeal the decision of the hearing officer pursuant to that act to the Administrative Law Court in accordance with its appellate rules. The filing of an appeal shall stay the suspension until a final decision is issued. (R) A person who is unconscious or otherwise in a condition rendering him incapable of refusal is considered to be informed and not to have withdrawn the consent provided for in subsection (B) of this section. (S) When a nonresident's privilege to drive a motor vehicle in this State has been suspended under the procedures of this section, the department shall give written notice of the action taken to the motor vehicle administrator of the state of the person's residence and of any state in which he has a license or permit. (T) A person required to submit to a test must be provided with a written report including the time of arrest, the time of the tests, and the results of the tests before any proceeding in which the results of the tests are used as evidence. A person who obtains additional tests shall furnish a copy of the time, method, and results of any additional tests to the officer before any trial, hearing, or other proceeding in which the person attempts to use the results of the additional tests as evidence. (U) A person whose driver's license or permit is suspended under this section is not required to file proof of financial responsibility. (V) The department shall administer the provisions of this section, not including subsection (D), and shall promulgate regulations necessary to carry out its provisions. (W) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no suspension imposed pursuant to this section is counted as a demerit or result in any insurance penalty for automobile insurance purposes if at the time the person was stopped, the person whose license is suspended had an alcohol concentration that was less than eight one-hundredths of one percent. Effect of Amendment 2023 Act No. 55, SECTION 1, rewrote the section. 2024 Act No. 130, SECTION 1, in (L), in (1)(a), inserted "and, either:" at the end, in (3)(b), substituted "the person must enroll in the Ignition Device Program" for "enroll in the Ignition Interlock Device Program", and made a nonsubstantive change.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-3-1910 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 3 / Article 17 / Section 56-3-1910
SECTION 56-3-1910. License plates for handicapped persons; certification forms; duplication or forgery.
Status: repealed

(A) As used in this article, "handicapped" means a person who has one or more of the following conditions: (1) an inability to ordinarily walk one hundred feet nonstop without aggravating an existing medical condition, including the increase of pain; (2) an inability to ordinarily walk without the use of, or assistance from a brace, cane, crutch, another person, prosthetic device, wheelchair, or other assistive device; (3) a restriction by lung disease to the extent that the person's forced expiratory volume for one second when measured by spirometry is less than one liter, or the arterial oxygen tension is less than sixty mm/hg on room air at rest; (4) requires use of portable oxygen; (5) a cardiac condition to the extent that the person's functional limitations are classified in severity as Class III or Class IV according to standards established by the American Heart Association. If the person's status improves to a higher level, for example as a result of bypass surgery or transplantation, he no longer meets this criteria; (6) a substantial limitation in the ability to walk due to an arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition, for example, coordination problems and muscle spasticity due to conditions that include Parkinson's disease, cerebral palsy, or multiple sclerosis; or (7) blindness. (B) Upon payment of the regular motor vehicle license fee, the department may issue a license plate with a special number or identification indicating that the license plate was issued to a person certified as permanently handicapped. A license plate issued pursuant to this section must be accompanied by a certification form completed by a licensed physician. (C)(1) The department must develop a standardized certification form designed to capture criteria related information relating to persons considered handicapped. The form shall indicate whether the applicant meets one or more of the criteria, whether the condition is permanent or temporary, and if temporary, the expected duration. (2) All persons that have been issued a handicapped license plate as of the effective date of this section will be issued a certificate upon renewal of the license plate. To renew the plate and receive the certificate, the person must be certified as permanently handicapped as provided in this section. Failure to carry a certificate as required by this section by a person that has been issued a handicapped license plate as of the effective date of this section is not a violation of the provisions of this section until after the person renews his license plate. (D) Forms must be completed by physicians licensed to practice in South Carolina as defined in Section 40-47-5. (E) The special license plate authorized by this section also may be issued for a vehicle of special design and equipment designed to transport a disabled person who meets the requirements of this section if the vehicle is owned and titled in the name of the disabled person or in the name of a member of his immediate family. (F) The special license plate authorized by this section also may be issued for a vehicle of special design and equipment designed to transport a disabled person who is certified as meeting the requirements of this section for a vehicle used by an agency, organization, or facility. Proof that the agency, organization, or facility transports a handicapped or disabled person must be in a manner prescribed by the department. A certificate from a licensed physician is not required to apply for the special license plate issued to the agency, organization, or facility. (G) When processing applications for special license plates pursuant to this section, the department also shall issue a license plate registration certificate that must be carried at all times in the vehicle driven by or transporting the disabled individual. The certificate must display the name of the individual or organization to which the plate was issued. (H) Vehicles displaying a special handicapped license plate only may park in designated handicapped parking spaces if that vehicle is driven by or transporting the disabled individual whose name appears on the license plate registration certificate, or if the certificate lists the name of the agency, organization, or facility authorized under subsection (G). The driver of the vehicle displaying the plate must present the registration when requested by law enforcement entities or their duly authorized agents. (I) A person who qualifies for a license plate under this section and also qualifies as a disabled veteran under Section 56-3-1110 must be issued the license plate provided for in this section free of charge. (J)(1) Except as provided in item (2), a person violating the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not less than five hundred dollars and not more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned for not more than thirty days for each offense. (2) A person who illegally duplicates, forges, or sells a handicapped license plate or a person who falsifies information on an application form for a handicapped license plate is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be imprisoned for thirty days and fined not less than five hundred dollars and not more than one thousand dollars. Editor's Note Section 56-3-1110, referenced in (I), was repealed by 2021 Act No. 38, SECTION 2, effective May 6, 2022. See, now, Section 56-3-14940.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-3-2020 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 3 / Article 19 / Section 56-3-2020
SECTION 56-3-2020. Amount and disposition of fee.
Status: in_force

The fee for the issue of special personalized motor vehicle license plates is thirty dollars biennially in addition to the regular motor vehicle registration fee set forth in Article 5, Chapter 3 of this title. This revenue must be deposited to the state general fund. The fee is due and payable upon application. The Department of Motor Vehicles may not refund the fee if the personalized plate has been manufactured.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-3-2480 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 3 / Article 27 / Section 56-3-2480
SECTION 56-3-2480. Destruction of obsolete records.
Status: in_force

The Department of Motor Vehicles may destroy any records accumulated by it in connection with the administration of this chapter which have been maintained on file for three years or more and which may be deemed by the Department to be obsolete and of no further service in connection with the administration of this chapter or other use by the Department.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-16-140 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 16 / Section 56-16-140
SECTION 56-16-140. License for dealer or wholesaler; exhibition license; complaints; fees; penalties for noncompliance.
Status: in_force

(A)(1) Before engaging in business as a motorcycle dealer or motorcycle wholesaler in this State, every person must first apply to the Department of Motor Vehicles for a license. Every license issued expires thirty-six months from the date of issue and must be prominently displayed at the established place of business. The fee for the license is one hundred fifty dollars. The license applies to only one place of business of the applicant and is not transferable to any other person or place of business, except as provided in item (2). (2)(a) A licensed dealer may exhibit motorcycles and their related products at fairs, recreational or sports shows, vacation shows, and other similar events or shows upon obtaining a dealer's exhibition license. Before exhibiting motorcycles and their related products as provided in this item, the dealer shall first apply to the department for an exhibition license. The applicant shall provide the department with the name, location, and dates of the particular exhibition for which he is seeking an exhibition license. (b) A dealer must hold a valid dealer's license pursuant to this section to be issued an exhibition license. Exhibition licenses are valid for a period not to exceed ten consecutive days, must be prominently displayed at the exhibition site, apply to only the licensee, and may not be transferred to another dealer or exhibition location. A dealer may not purchase more than six exhibition licenses every twelve months. (B)(1) During the dealer license application process, the department shall provide all information that would be needed in an audit or a review by its agents. Upon issuing a license, the department shall be reasonable in its requests to inspect or copy a dealer's records. If a complaint has been filed against a dealer, the department must present that complaint to the dealer in writing and allow the dealer the opportunity to cure before proceeding with punitive or enforcement action. Complaints arising from alleged violations of: (a) Section 56-37-30(B) must be cured by the dealer within sixty days of being notified of the complaint; (b) Section 56-37-30(C) must be cured by the dealer within forty-five days of being notified of the complaint; or (c) Section 56-37-30(D) must be cured by the dealer within thirty days of being notified of the complaint. (2) If the department determines that the same dealer has received a similar type of complaint within twelve months of a previous complaint, the department may proceed with an enforcement action against that dealer without regard to the time period provided in this subsection. (C) A person who fails to secure a license as required in this chapter has facilitated an unauthorized sale of a motorcycle and is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined: (1) not less than one hundred dollars nor more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned for not more than thirty days for the first offense; (2) five hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned for not more than thirty days, or both, for the second offense; and (3) not less than one thousand dollars nor more than ten thousand dollars or imprisoned for not more than two years, or both, for the third or any subsequent offense. (D) For purposes of this section, each instance of an unauthorized sale of a motorcycle where the dealer has not applied for and received a license from the department appropriate to the sale is conclusively deemed to be a separate and distinct offense. This provision does not apply to instances where a rightfully licensed retail dealer, pursuant to Chapter 15 of this title, accepts a motorcycle on trade to then sell at his retail location. Nothing in this chapter may be construed to prohibit any law enforcement agency from enforcing the provisions relating to nonlicensed dealers within the law enforcement agency's jurisdiction. The ticketing entity shall retain fifty percent of any fines collected under this section. Editor's Note 2023 Act No. 51, SECTION 40(D), provides as follows: "[SECTION 40.](D) SECTIONS 15 through 28 take effect on January 1, 2024. Any dealership applying for or renewing licenses, or operating on a currently issued license on or after January 1, 2024, is subject to the provisions of SECTIONS 15 through 28." Effect of Amendment 2023 Act No. 51, SECTION 24, rewrote the section.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-9-520 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 9 / Article 5 / Section 56-9-520
SECTION 56-9-520. Denial of license or registration upon certain convictions until financial responsibility proved.
Status: in_force

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 being licensed to do so or for operating an unregistered motor vehicle upon the highways, no license shall be thereafter issued to that person and no motor vehicle shall continue to be registered or thereafter be registered in his name until he shall give and thereafter maintain proof of financial responsibility.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-3-8000 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 3 / Article 81 / Section 56-3-8000
SECTION 56-3-8000. Special motor vehicle license plates for nonprofit organizations.
Status: in_force

(A) An organization which has obtained certification pursuant to either Section 501(C)(3), 501(C)(6), 501(C)(7), or 501(C)(8) of the federal Internal Revenue Code and maintained this certification for a period of five years may apply to the Department of Motor Vehicles for a special license plate. The department may issue special motor vehicle license plates to owners of private passenger motor vehicles as defined in Section 56-3-630, and motorcycles, as defined in Section 56-3-20, registered in their names. (B) The department must develop a basic license plate design that will be used for all special organizational license plates. The plate must be the same size and general design of regular motor vehicle license plates but may be imprinted on the plate in an area specified by the department with an emblem, seal, insignia, or other identifying symbol of the sponsoring organization that the department considers appropriate. No text or slogans may be added to the plate design unless they are part of the approved emblem, seal, insignia, or other identifying symbol. The name of the organization may be imprinted across the top of the license plate. The standard plate design must be issued for all organizational license plates newly requested after July 1, 2013. Organizational license plate designs in production as of that date must be changed when the license plate, or license plate class, is replaced. (C) The license plates must be issued or revalidated for a biennial period which expires twenty-four months from the month it is issued. The biennial fee for this special license plate is the regular registration fee set forth in Article 5, Chapter 3 of this title plus an additional fee to be requested by the individual or organization seeking issuance of the license plate. The initial fee amount requested may be changed only every five years from the first year the license plate is issued. Of the additional fee collected pursuant to this section, the Comptroller General shall place into the State Highway Fund as established by Section 57-11-20, to be distributed as provided in Section 11-43-167, an amount equal to the expenses of producing and administering special license plates. Any of the remaining fee not placed in the restricted account must be distributed to an organization designated by the individual or organization seeking issuance of the license plate. (D) If the organization seeking issuance of the plate does not request an additional fee above the regular registration fee, the department may collect an additional fee of ten dollars. (E) Of the additional fee collected pursuant to subsections (A) and (D), the Comptroller General shall place sufficient funds into a special restricted account to be used by the Department of Motor Vehicles to defray the expenses of producing and administering special license plates. (F) Any of the remaining additional fee collected pursuant to subsection (D) not placed in the restricted account must be distributed to an organization designated by the individual or organization seeking issuance of the license plate, or to the general fund, if no additional fee is requested by the organization. (G) Before the department produces and distributes a plate pursuant to this section, it must receive: (1) six thousand eight hundred dollars from the individual or organization seeking issuance of the license plate; and (2) a plan to market the sale of the special license plate which must be approved by the department. (H) The Comptroller General shall place the six thousand eight hundred dollar application fee pursuant to subsection (G)(1) into a restricted account to be used by the department to defray the initial cost of producing the special license plate. (I) If the department receives less than three hundred biennial applications and renewals for a particular plate authorized under this section, it shall not produce additional plates in that series. The department shall continue to issue license plates of that series until the existing inventory is exhausted. (J) License plates issued pursuant to this section shall not contain a reference to a private or public college or university in this State or use symbols, designs, or logos of these institutions without the institution's written authorization. (K) Before a design is approved, the organization must submit to the department written authorization of legal authority for the use of any copyrighted or registered logo, trademark, or design, and the organization's acceptance of legal responsibility for the use. (L) The department may alter, modify, or refuse to produce any special license plate that it deems offensive or fails to meet community standards. If the department alters, modifies, or refuses to produce a special license plate, the organization or individual applying for the license plate may appeal the department's decision to a special joint legislative committee. This committee shall be comprised of two members from the House Education and Public Works Committee and two members from the Senate Transportation Committee. Appointments to the joint legislative committee shall be made by the Chairmen of the House Education and Public Works Committee and the Senate Transportation Committee. The department's decision may be reversed by a majority of the joint legislative committee. If the committee reverses the department's decision, the department must issue the license plate pursuant to the committee's decision. However, the provision contained in subsection (G) also must be met. The joint legislative committee may also review all license plates issued by the department and instruct the department to cease issuing or renewing a plate it deems offensive or fails to meet community standards. (M) Each new classification of special vehicle license plates including, but not limited to, motorcycle license plates, created pursuant to this section must meet the requirements of Articles 81 and 82, Chapter 3, Title 56, as appropriate. (N) The fee required in subsection (G)(1) must be reviewed by the General Assembly during the 2013 legislative session, and every two years thereafter. The department must provide a detailed, comprehensive justification to increase the fee. Any fee increase must be introduced in a separate bill separate and apart from any other matter.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-380 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 5 / Article 3 / Section 56-5-380
SECTION 56-5-380. Local authority defined.
Status: in_force

Every county and municipality in this State and any other local board or body having authority to maintain any public highways or to regulate the traffic thereon, but not including the Department of Public Safety, is a "local authority."
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-9-590 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 9 / Article 5 / Section 56-9-590
SECTION 56-9-590. Owner may give proof for employee or member of household; restrictions on license.
Status: in_force

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 accept proof given by the owner in lieu of proof by the other person to permit that person to operate a motor vehicle for which the owner has given proof as provided in this chapter. The Department shall designate the restrictions imposed by this section on that person's license.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-1-2080 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 1 / Article 13 / Section 56-1-2080
SECTION 56-1-2080. Qualifications for license; administration of skills test; persons to whom license may not be issued; commercial driver instruction permit.
Status: in_force

(A)(1) A person may not be issued a commercial driver's license unless that person is a resident of this State and has passed a knowledge and skills test for driving a commercial motor vehicle which complies with the minimum federal standards established by 49 C.F.R. Part 383, subparts F, G, and H and has satisfied all other requirements of the CMVSA as well as any other requirements imposed by state law or federal regulation. The tests must be prescribed and conducted by the department. The first commercial driver's license skills test administered by the department to an individual is free of charge; thereafter, the Department of Motor Vehicles is authorized to charge a fee of twenty-five dollars for each subsequent commercial driver's license skills test administered to that individual. State agency and school district employees who are required to possess a commercial driver's license in the course of their normal job duties are exempt from this requirement. This fee must be placed into the State Highway Fund as established by Section 57-11-20, to be distributed as provided in Section 11-43-167 by the Comptroller General. (2) The department may authorize a person, including an agency of this or another state, an employer, a private driver training facility or other private institutions, or a department, agency, or instrumentality of local government, to administer the skills test required by this subsection if: (a) the test is the same which otherwise would be administered by the department; and (b) the third party has entered into an agreement with the department which contains at least the following provisions: (i) authorization for the department or the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration or its representatives to conduct random examinations, inspections, and audits without prior notice and randomly test commercial driver's license applicants or holders at least annually. An applicant or holder who fails retesting shall lose his commercial driver's license; (ii) permission for the department or its representative to conduct onsite inspections at least annually; (iii) requirement that all third-party examiners meet the same qualifications and training standards as the department's examiners to the extent necessary to conduct the driving skill tests; (iv) authorization for the department to charge a fee, as determined by the department, which is sufficient to defray the actual costs incurred by the department for administering and evaluating the employer testing program and for carrying out any other activities considered necessary by the department to assure sufficient training for the persons participating in the program. (B) A commercial driver license or commercial driver instructional permit may not be issued to a person while the person is subject to a disqualification from driving a commercial motor vehicle or while the person's driver's license is suspended, revoked, or canceled in any state, nor may a commercial driver license be issued to a person who has a commercial driver license issued by any other state unless the person first surrenders all those licenses, each of which must be returned to the issuing state for cancellation. (C)(1) A commercial driver instruction permit may be issued to an individual who holds a valid Class "D" license and who has passed the appropriate vision and written test for the type of commercial driver license sought. (2) The holder of a commercial driver instruction permit, unless otherwise disqualified, may drive a commercial motor vehicle but only when accompanied by the holder of a commercial driver license with applicable endorsements which is valid for the type of vehicle driven, and who occupies a seat beside the individual for the purpose of giving instruction in driving the commercial motor vehicle. (3) The commercial driver instruction permit may not be issued for longer than one year. Effect of Amendment 2019 Act No. 86, SECTION 7, substituted "one year" for "six months" and deleted the second sentence, which provided that only one renewal or reissuance may be granted within a two-year period.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-210 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 5 / Article 3 / Section 56-5-210
SECTION 56-5-210. Truck tractor defined.
Status: in_force

Every motor vehicle designed and used primarily for drawing other vehicles and not so constructed as to carry a load other than a part of the weight of the vehicle and the load so drawn is a "truck tractor."
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-3-11430 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 3 / Article 114 / Section 56-3-11430
SECTION 56-3-11430. Transfer of Historic special license plate.
Status: in_force

A license plate issued pursuant to this article may be transferred to another vehicle or motorcycle that meets the requirements of Section 56-3-1240, and is owned by the same person upon application being made and being approved by the Department of Motor Vehicles. It is unlawful for any person to whom the plate has been issued to knowingly permit it to be displayed on any vehicle or motorcycle except the one authorized by the department.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-3-520 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 3 / Article 4 / Section 56-3-520
SECTION 56-3-520. Retention of forms.
Status: in_force

(A) The Department of Motor Vehicles must retain a request made pursuant to Section 56-3-510 for five years from the date of its submission. (B) Upon a person's written request, the department must release a copy of all request forms relating to the person's records.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-4160 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 5 / Article 33 / Section 56-5-4160
SECTION 56-5-4160. Weighing vehicles and loads; unloading excess weight; penalties.
Status: in_force

(A) An officer or agent of the Department of Public Safety having reason to believe that the weight of a vehicle and load is unlawful may require the driver to stop and submit to a weighing of the vehicle and load either by means of portable or stationary scales and may require that the vehicle be driven to the nearest public scales. Whenever an officer upon weighing a vehicle and load determines that the weight is unlawful, he may require the driver to stop the vehicle in a suitable place and remain standing until the portion of the load necessary to reduce the axle weight, or gross weight of the vehicle, or both, to the limits permitted under this chapter is removed. All material unloaded must be cared for by the owner or operator of the vehicle at his own risk. In determining whether the limits established by Section 56-5-4130 or 56-5-4140 have been exceeded, the scaled weights of the gross weight of vehicles and combinations of vehicles are considered to be not closer than ten percent to the true gross weight, except as otherwise provided in Section 56-5-4140. (B) A person who operates a vehicle on a public highway whose axle weight is in excess of the limits imposed by Section 56-5-4130 or 56-5-4140 is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined five cents per pound or imprisoned not more than thirty days, or both. If a vehicle does not exceed the gross weight limits provided for by this article, and the axle weight limits are not exceeded by more than five percent including enforcement tolerances, the fine imposed is reduced by fifty percent with a minimum fine of twenty-five dollars. (C) A person who operates a vehicle found to exceed the excess gross weight limitations imposed by Section 56-5-4130 or 56-5-4140 is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall pay to the Department of Public Safety a fine based on the following scale: (1) 500-3,500 pounds: four cents per pound over weight limit; (2) 3,501-6000 pounds: six cents per pound over weight limit, beginning with the first pound in excess; (3) 6,001 pounds and over: ten cents per pound over weight limit, beginning with the first pound in excess. The fine imposed pursuant to items (1) and (2) must be equal to one-half the rate for vehicles transporting raw farm or forest products from the farm or forest to the first market, or by fully enclosed motor vehicles designed specifically for collecting, compacting, and hauling garbage from residences or from garbage dumpsters, or by motor vehicles operating open top trailers used for hauling recyclables, scrap, and waste materials from sites without facilities for weighing, when operating for those purposes. If an operator is found to be in violation of both gross and axle limits, only one citation may be issued, the fine being for the greater of the two, for that load. No fine may be issued for violation of the vehicle registration statutes if that vehicle is registered for the maximum allowable weight for that class of vehicle as provided in Section 56-5-4140. If the operator of the vehicle, upon conviction, fails to remit the fine imposed by this subsection to the Department of Public Safety, the owner of the vehicle is responsible for remitting the fine. The court is prohibited from suspending any portion of this fine. (D)(1) A person who operates a vehicle found to have out-of-service violations, other than violations of brakes out of adjustment and lighting violations which can be repaired at the scene, detected during a roadside inspection, is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall pay to the Department of Public Safety a fine of two hundred dollars. (2)(a) An individual who operates a commercial motor vehicle on a public highway whose vehicle or driver is in violation of the out-of-service order as defined in 49 CFR 390.5 is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined five hundred dollars. (b) A company or individual who operates or allows a commercial motor vehicle to be operated on a public highway in violation of a motor carrier operation out-of-service order, or order to cease operation, is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined one thousand dollars. (3) If the operator of the vehicle, upon conviction, fails to remit the fine imposed by this subsection to the Department of Public Safety, the owner of the vehicle is responsible for remitting the fine. The court is prohibited from suspending any portion of this fine. (E) At the time that a uniform size, weight, and safety citation is issued pursuant to this section, the officer or agent who is authorized to issue the citation must inform the individual receiving the citation that he has the option, at that time, to elect to pay his fine directly to the Department of Public Safety or to receive a hearing in magistrate's court. If the individual at the time the citation is issued elects to pay his fine directly to the department within twenty-eight days, as specified on the citation, no assessments may be added to the original fine pursuant to this section. The fine may be deposited with the arresting officer or a person the department may designate. The fine must be deposited in full or other arrangements satisfactory to the department for payment must be made before the operator is allowed to move the vehicle. (F) Magistrates have jurisdiction of all contested violations of this section. All monies collected pursuant to Section 56-5-4160 must be forwarded to the Department of Public Safety as provided for in this section. A magistrate, within forty-five days, must forward all monies collected to the department for deposit in the account established in this section. The department shall use these monies to establish and maintain automated data bases, to upgrade and refurbish existing weigh stations, to purchase and maintain portable scales, to hire additional State Transport Police Officers, to purchase equipment for State Transport Police Officers, and to procure other commercial motor vehicle safety measures, and fund other commercial motor vehicle safety programs that the department considers necessary. The fine may be deposited with the arresting officer or a person the department may designate. The fine must be deposited in full or other arrangements satisfactory to the department for payment must be made before the operator is allowed to move the vehicle. If there is no conviction, the fine must be returned to the owner promptly. "Conviction", as used in this section, also includes the entry of a plea of guilty or nolo contendere and the forfeiture of bail or collateral deposited to secure a defendant's presence in the court. If the fine is not paid in full to the Department of Public Safety within forty-five days after conviction, the license and registration of the vehicle found to violate Section 58-23-1120 or Regulations 38-423 et seq. or exceed the limits imposed by Section 56-5-4130 or 56-5-4140 must be suspended. The owner of the vehicles immediately shall return the license and registration of the vehicle to the Department of Motor Vehicles. If a person fails to return them as provided in this section, the Department of Motor Vehicles may secure possession of them by a commissioned trooper or officer. The suspension continues until the fine is paid in full. (G) The Department of Public Safety shall provide a separate uniform citation to be used by the State Transport Police Division of the Department of Public Safety. The uniform citation must be used for all size, weight, idling, and safety violations which the State Transport Police Division of the Department of Public Safety is primarily responsible for enforcing. (H) The issuance of a uniform citation to the operator of a vehicle for a violation of this section, Section 58-23-1120, or Regulation 38-423, et seq., constitutes notice to the owner of the violation. The uniform citation must include the following language in bold letters to be printed across the bottom of the citation "THE ISSUANCE OF A UNIFORM CITATION NOTICE TO THE OPERATOR OF A VEHICLE CONSTITUTES NOTICE TO THE OWNER OF A SIZE, WEIGHT, IDLING, OR SAFETY VIOLATION". (I) An individual who fails to conduct a safety inspection of a vehicle as required by Part 396 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations or fails to have in his possession documentation that an inspection has been performed must be fined one hundred dollars per vehicle operated in violation of this subsection. (J) Motor carriers, officers, or agents in charge of them, who fail or refuse to permit authorized State Transport Police representatives or employees to examine and inspect their books, records, accounts, and documents, or their plants, property, or facilities, as provided by law and with reasonable notice, are guilty of a misdemeanor. Each day of such failure or refusal constitutes a separate offense and each offense is punishable by a fine of one thousand dollars. (K) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, all fines collected pursuant to this section must be deposited into an account in the Office of the State Treasurer and called the "Size, Weight, and Safety Revitalization Program Fund for Permanent Improvements". Monies credited to the fund may only be expended as authorized in item (F) of this section. (L) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the maximum gross vehicle weight and axle weight limit for a vehicle or combination of vehicles equipped with an idle reduction system, as provided for in 23 U.S.C. 127, may be increased by an amount equal to the weight of the system, not to exceed five hundred fifty pounds. Upon request by a law enforcement officer, the vehicle operator must provide proof that the system is fully functional and that the vehicle's gross weight increase allowed pursuant to this section is attributable only to the system. (M) Any motor vehicle that is fueled primarily by natural gas shall be allowed to exceed the gross, single axle, tandem axle, or bridge formula weight limits, including tolerances, by no more than two thousand pounds each individually weighed, up to a maximum gross vehicle weight of eighty-two thousand pounds on the interstate, by an amount that is equal to the difference between: the weight of the vehicle attributable to the natural gas tank and fueling system carried by that vehicle; and the weight of a comparable diesel tank and fueling system. To be eligible for this exception, the operator of the vehicle must be able to demonstrate that the vehicle is a natural gas vehicle, a biofuel vehicle using natural gas, or a vehicle that has been converted to a natural gas vehicle. The operator shall provide documentation which certifies the difference between: the weight of the vehicle attributable to the natural gas tank and fueling system carried by that vehicle; and the weight of a comparable diesel tank and fueling system.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-3-2335 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 3 / Article 25 / Section 56-3-2335
SECTION 56-3-2335. Research and development license plates.
Status: in_force

(A) As used in this section: (1) "Research and development business" or "business" means a person who manufacturers tires or transmissions in this State for use as original or replacement equipment on motor vehicles and who conducts research and development activities on tires or transmissions in conjunction with the person's manufacturing activities in South Carolina. (2) "Contracted fleet owner" or "contractor" means a person or company in the business of operating a group of vehicles driven by their employees for the purpose of testing and evaluating the performance of a research and development business' tires or transmissions. (3) "Tires" includes tires and tire replacement parts. (4) "Transmissions" includes transmissions and transmission parts. (B)(1) Upon application and payment of the required fee, the Department of Motor Vehicles may issue research and development license plates to a research and development business. The license plates must be used exclusively on motor vehicles, including motorcycles, provided by a motor vehicle manufacturer to the research and development business for the purpose of testing and evaluating the performance of the research and development business' tires or transmissions on the motor vehicle. (2) Application for research and development license plates must be made by the research and development business on a form prescribed by the department and submitted with proof of the applicant's status as a bona fide research and development business. The cost of each research and development license plate issued is two hundred dollars, of which one hundred sixty dollars must be remitted by the department to the county in which the testing facility of the business is located. Forty dollars of the fee must be placed by the Comptroller General into the State Highway Fund as established by Section 57-11-20, to be distributed as provided in Section 11-43-167. Each plate is valid for two years. A maximum of one hundred research and development license plates may be issued for the two-year period. (C)(1) Upon application and payment of the required fee, the Department of Motor Vehicles may issue fleet research and development plates to a research and development business or to a contracted fleet owner. The license plates will be registered to a specific vehicle owned by the research and development business, or owned by a contracted fleet owner under contract with the research and development business. (2) Application for fleet research and development license plates must be made by the contractor on a form prescribed by the department and submitted with certification from the research and development business establishing the applicant's status as a bona fide contracted fleet owner under contract with the research and development business. The cost of each fleet research and development license plate is two hundred dollars, of which one hundred sixty dollars must be remitted by the department to the county in which the vehicle is sited, as evidenced by the address on the registration card. Each plate is valid for two years. A maximum of one hundred fleet research and development license plates may be issued to a contracted fleet owner for the two-year period. (D) Vehicles with research and development plates or fleet research and development plates may be operated on the state's streets and highways or another state's streets and highways pursuant to a reciprocity agreement with that state. The vehicles may be operated pursuant to this section only for the purpose of testing and evaluating the performance of the research and development business' tires or transmissions on the motor vehicle. (E) The Department of Motor Vehicles may enter into reciprocal agreements with other states concerning the registration and operation of vehicles owned by a research and development business, provided to the research and development business by a contractor under contract with the research and development business, or provided by a motor vehicle manufacturer to the research and development business for the purpose of testing and evaluating the performance of the research and development business' tires or transmissions. (F) It is the sole responsibility of the research and development business, or contracted fleet owner, to take any other actions required by another state that are necessary for the research and development business, or contracted fleet owner, to legally test and evaluate the performance of the research and development business' tires or transmissions in that state. The research and development business must comply with any other requirements associated with the operation of the vehicle on the other state's roads and highways.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-720 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 5 / Article 5 / Section 56-5-720
SECTION 56-5-720. Notice of local regulations required.
Status: in_force

No ordinances or regulations enacted under items (4), (5), (6), (7), (9) or (10) of Section 56-5-710 shall be effective until signs giving notice of such local traffic regulations are posted upon or at the entrances to the highway or part thereof affected as may be most appropriate.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-1-148 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 1 / Article 1 / Section 56-1-148
SECTION 56-1-148. Identifying code affixed on driver's license of person convicted of certain crimes.
Status: in_force

(A) As used in this chapter "identifying code" means a symbol, number, or letter of the alphabet developed by the department to identify a person convicted of or pleading guilty or nolo contendere to a crime of violence as defined in Section 16-23-10(3) on or after July 1, 2011. The symbol, number, or letter of the alphabet shall not be defined on the driver's license or special identification card. (B) In addition to the contents of a driver's license provided for in Section 56-1-140 or a special identification card provided for in Section 56-1-3350, a person who has been convicted of or pled guilty or nolo contendere to a crime of violence as defined in Section 16-23-10(3) on or after July 1, 2011, must have an identifying code determined by the department affixed to the reverse side of his driver's license or special identification card. The code must identify the person as having been convicted of a violent crime. The code must be developed by the department and made known to the appropriate law enforcement officers and judicial officials of this State. (C) The presence of a special identifying code on a person's driver's license or special identification card may not be used as a grounds to extend the detention of the person by a law enforcement officer or grounds for a search of the person or his vehicle. (D) A person whose driver's license or special identification card has been canceled pursuant to Section 56-1-146 may apply for a new license or special identification card in a manner prescribed by the department. The department must issue by mail or in person a new license or special identification card with the identifying code required by this section. The department must not issue a new driver's license to a person during any period of suspension or revocation for any reason other than Section 56-1-146 and a driver's license may only be issued after the period of suspension or revocation has ended and the person is otherwise eligible to be issued a license. (E) The intent of placing an identifying code on a driver's license or special identification card that identifies a person who has been convicted of a crime of violence as defined in Section 16-23-10(3) is to promote the state's fundamental right to provide for the public health, welfare, and safety of its citizens and law enforcement officers. Notwithstanding this legitimate stated purpose, this provision is not intended to violate the guaranteed constitutional rights of persons who have violated our state's laws. (F) If a person's conviction or guilty plea for a crime of violence as defined in Section 16-23-10(3) is reversed on appeal, or if the person is subsequently pardoned, then the person may apply for a driver's license or special identification card that does not have the identifying code affixed. (G) A person who is not convicted of a subsequent crime of violence as defined in Section 16-23-10(3) for five years after he has completely satisfied the terms of his sentence or during the term of the person's probation or parole, whichever the sentencing judge determines is appropriate, may file an application with the department to have the identifying code affixed to his driver's license or special identification card removed. (H) A person must provide appropriate supporting documentation prescribed by the department to verify his eligibility to have the identifying code removed pursuant to subsection (F) or (G). Upon verification and payment of the fee provided in Section 56-1-140, the person must be issued a new driver's license or special identification card. Editor's Note 2010 Act No. 277, SECTION 7, provides: "This act takes effect July 1, 2011, and applies to all persons convicted of a crime of violence as defined in Section 16-23-10(3)." Effect of Amendment 2018 Act No. 159, SECTION 1, deleted (D), which related to a fifty-dollar fee associated with placing the identifying code on a driver's license; redesignated (E) to (I) as (D) to (H); and in (D), in the second sentence, deleted "after payment of the fifty-dollar fee provided in subsection (C)" following "required by this section".
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-4435 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 5 / Article 35 / Section 56-5-4435
SECTION 56-5-4435. Safety equipment required for motor vehicles used in vending food.
Status: in_force

A motor vehicle which performs business in a residential or abundant housing area and makes frequent or unscheduled stops for the purpose of vendor sales of frozen dairy products or other types of snack foods must be equipped with the following safety features: (1) an audible alarm signal device when the vehicle is in reverse gear, but the signal must not emit an unreasonably loud or harsh sound; (2) signal lamps mounted on the front and on the rear as high and as widely spaced laterally as practicable, which are capable of displaying two alternately flashing red lights at the same level. These lights must have sufficient intensity to be visible at five hundred feet in normal sunlight; (3) an extended mirror outside on both the right and left side of the vehicle to reflect to the driver a view of the street or highway for a distance of at least two hundred feet behind the vehicle; (4) a rear mirror situated to provide the operator a view of the area immediately behind the vehicle; and (5) a swing arm located on the front and rear of the vehicle that prohibits a person from walking directly in front of or behind the vehicle. The swing arm must be engaged when the vehicle is stopped for the purpose of vending products. This section does not apply to a vehicle that delivers or distributes foods to commercial properties or construction sites only.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-2-3070 — SC Code / Title 56 / Chapter 2 / Article 3 / Section 56-2-3070
SECTION 56-2-3070. Moped operation.
Status: in_force

(A) A person may not ride upon a moped other than upon or astride a permanent and regular seat attached to the moped. A moped may not be used to carry more persons at one time than the number for which it is designed and equipped by the manufacturer to carry. (B) A moped, while traveling along a multilane highway, must be operated in the farthest right lane except when making a left turn or when travel in the farthest right lane is unsafe. (C) A person under the age of twenty-one may not operate or ride upon a moped unless he wears a protective helmet identical to underage motorcycle helmet requirements provided in Section 56-5-3660. (D) A person may not operate a moped at a speed in excess of thirty-five miles per hour. (E) A person may not operate a moped on a public highway that has a speed limit of greater than fifty-five miles per hour. A person operating a moped may cross an intersection at a public highway that has a speed limit of greater than fifty-five miles per hour. (F) The operator of a moped must have turned on and in operation the operational lights and the headlight at all times while the moped is in operation. (G) A person who violates the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than two hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days.