South Carolina · Through 2025 Session of the General Assembly

S.C. Code Ann. § 16-13-110: Shoplifting.

(A) A person is guilty of shoplifting if he:
(1) takes possession of, carries away, transfers from one person to another or from one area of a store or other retail mercantile establishment to another area, or causes to be carried away or transferred any merchandise displayed, held, stored, or offered for sale by any store or other retail mercantile establishment with the intention of depriving the merchant of the possession, use, or benefit of the merchandise without paying the full retail value;
(2) alters, transfers, or removes any label, price tag marking, indicia of value, or any other markings which aid in determining value affixed to any merchandise displayed, held, stored, or offered for sale in a store or other retail mercantile establishment and attempts to purchase the merchandise personally or in consort with another at less than the full retail value with the intention of depriving the merchant of the full retail value of the merchandise;
(3) transfers any merchandise displayed, held, stored, or offered for sale by any store or other retail mercantile establishment from the container in which it is displayed to any other container with intent to deprive the merchant of the full retail value.
(B) A person who violates the provisions of this section is guilty of a:
(1) misdemeanor triable in magistrates court or municipal court, notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 22-3-540, 22-3-545, 22-3-550, and 14-25-65, and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days if the value of the shoplifted merchandise is two thousand dollars or less;
(2) felony and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than five years, or both, if the value of the shoplifted merchandise is more than two thousand dollars but less than ten thousand dollars;
(3) felony and, upon conviction, must be imprisoned not more than ten years if the value of the shoplifted merchandise is ten thousand dollars or more.

Where this section sits in the code

Title 16 - CRIMES AND OFFENSES
CHAPTER 13 Forgery, Larceny, Embezzlement, False Pretenses and Cheats
ARTICLE 1 Miscellaneous Offenses

(A) A person is guilty of shoplifting if he:

(1) takes possession of, carries away, transfers from one person to another or from one area of a store or other retail mercantile establishment to another area, or causes to be carried away or transferred any merchandise displayed, held, stored, or offered for sale by any store or other retail mercantile establishment with the intention of depriving the merchant of the possession, use, or benefit of the merchandise without paying the full retail value;

(2) alters, transfers, or removes any label, price tag marking, indicia of value, or any other markings which aid in determining value affixed to any merchandise displayed, held, stored, or offered for sale in a store or other retail mercantile establishment and attempts to purchase the merchandise personally or in consort with another at less than the full retail value with the intention of depriving the merchant of the full retail value of the merchandise;

(3) transfers any merchandise displayed, held, stored, or offered for sale by any store or other retail mercantile establishment from the container in which it is displayed to any other container with intent to deprive the merchant of the full retail value.

(B) A person who violates the provisions of this section is guilty of a:

(1) misdemeanor triable in magistrates court or municipal court, notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 22-3-540, 22-3-545, 22-3-550, and 14-25-65, and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days if the value of the shoplifted merchandise is two thousand dollars or less;

(2) felony and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than five years, or both, if the value of the shoplifted merchandise is more than two thousand dollars but less than ten thousand dollars;

(3) felony and, upon conviction, must be imprisoned not more than ten years if the value of the shoplifted merchandise is ten thousand dollars or more.

Collected 2026-09-02T06:44:34Z. Source file · JSON

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