{"data":{"id":"us-sc/s.c.-code-ann.-55-1-220","jurisdiction":"us-sc","citation":"S.C. Code Ann. § 55-1-220","heading":"Unlawful operation and conduct; penalty.","body":"(A) It is unlawful for a person to intentionally or knowingly operate, take off, or land a drone:\n(1) above or within any controlled airspace designated by the FAA unless the operation is conducted in compliance with all applicable FAA authorization requirements;\n(2) directly above or within one thousand five hundred feet horizontally from the outermost boundary of property the person knows to be a federal, state, county, or municipal correctional or detention facility, unless expressly authorized or consented to in writing by the South Carolina Department of Corrections or governing authority of the federal, county, or municipal facility; or\n(3) directly above or within one thousand five hundred feet horizontally from the outermost boundary of property the person knows to be a military installation without the prior express written consent of the Department of Defense or the commanding authority of the military installation.\n(B) It is unlawful for a person to intentionally or knowingly operate, take off, or land a drone that is required to be registered with the FAA but has not been properly registered; including operating a drone that is not in compliance with the requirements of Section 55-1-210(A), and:\n(1) failing to display the required FAA registration number on the drone, if required;\n(2) knowingly providing false or misleading registration information to the FAA; and\n(3) knowingly operating an unregistered drone for commercial purposes or in controlled airspace without proper authorization.\n(C) It is unlawful for a person to intentionally or knowingly operate, take off, land, or possess a drone with the intent to:\n(1) transport or attempt to deliver contraband including, but not limited to, drugs, weapons, or other prohibited materials into any federal, state, county, or municipal correctional or detention facility, or other area under the facility's authority;\n(2) surveil, photograph, map, monitor, or otherwise collect visual, photographic, video, geospatial, thermal, or other sensory information regarding a military installation, a correctional or detention facility, for the purposes of identifying vulnerabilities, security measures, ingress or egress routes, response patterns, or other operational features or for any other unlawful purposes, including facilitating, planning, committing or attempting espionage, terrorism, sabotage, unlawful interference with operations, or any other criminal act; and\n(3) weaponize the drone or threaten, harm, or attempt to harm another person or property.\n(D) A person who violates subsection (A) or (B) is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction:\n(1) for a first offense, must be fined not more than one thousand dollars, or imprisoned not more than six months;\n(2) for a second offense, must be fined not more than two thousand five hundred dollars, or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; or\n(3) for a third or subsequent offense, must be fined not more than five thousand dollars, or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.\n(E)(1) A person who violates subsection (C)(1) or (C)(2) is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than ten thousand dollars or imprisoned for not more than five years, or both.\n(2) A person who violates subsection (C)(3) is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than twenty-five thousand dollars or imprisoned for not more than ten years, or both.\n(F)(1) In addition to the penalties provided for in subsection (E), a UAS involved in a violation of this section may be seized and confiscated by the arresting law enforcement agency. The UAS must not be disposed of until the results of any legal proceeding in which it may be involved are finally determined, or as otherwise required pursuant to Article 3, Chapter 28, Title 17. Records must be maintained of all UASs seized pursuant to this section. Upon conviction for a violation of this section, the UAS may be retained by the arresting law enforcement agency for official use, transferred to another public safety agency for official use, or destroyed, unless otherwise provided by law.\n(2) A UAS seized pursuant to this section must be administratively released to an innocent owner. The UAS must not be released until the results of any legal proceeding in which it may be involved are finally determined, or as otherwise required pursuant to Article 3, Chapter 28, Title 17.\n(3) Before release, the innocent owner shall provide proof of ownership to the arresting agency; certify that the owner neither consented to nor had knowledge of the unlawful use of the UAS; and certify that the UAS will not be returned to the person charged with the violation that resulted in the seizure.\n(4) The arresting agency shall notify the innocent owner when the UAS is available for release. If the innocent owner fails to recover the UAS within thirty days after notification, the arresting agency may retain the UAS for official use, transfer it to another public safety agency for official use, or destroy it.\n(G) A violation of each subsection or provision of this section constitutes a separate offense. A violation of one subsection or provision of this section does not preclude prosecution or punishment for a violation of another subsection or provision of this section, including violations arising from the same takeoff, landing, or operation.","path":["Title 55 - AERONAUTICS","CHAPTER 1 General Provisions","ARTICLE 3 Drone Regulation and Public Safety"],"source_url":"https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t55c001.php","current_through":"2026 Session of the General Assembly","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-10-25T04:24:40Z","sha256":"39f20d306ba67025ee8aeb71f730bd0bce46ee297cf627cc2251c31887567e49","source_id":"us-sc","stale":false,"prev":"us-sc/s.c.-code-ann.-55-1-210","next":"us-sc/s.c.-code-ann.-55-1-230"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}