South Carolina H 4297: State park admissions

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 4297 Text of Previous Version (Apr. 03, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 4297

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING 
SECTION 51-3-60, RELATING TO USE OF STATE PARK FACILITIES FREE OF CHARGE, SO AS 
TO PROVIDE THAT immediate GOLD STAR family MEMBERS MAY ENTER ANY STATE PARK 
WITHOUT CHARGE.

Be it enacted by the 
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Section 51-3-60 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 
51-3-60. Any South Carolina resident who is over 
sixty-five years of age or disabled or legally blind as defined in Section 
43-25-20 of the 1976 Code may use any facility of a state park except 
campsites, overnight lodging and recreation buildings without charge. Such 
residents may also use campsite facilities at one-half of the prescribed fee. A 
person exercising this privilege on the basis of age shall present his medicare 
card or other card approved by the South Carolina Commission on Aging to the 
employee of the State Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism who is in 
charge of the particular state park, and a person who is disabled or legally 
blind shall present to such person in charge of the park a certificate to that 
effect from a licensed doctor of medicine or an official of an agency 
authorized by law to make determinations of disability or blindness. The 
authorization for use of the facilities as provided by this section shall not 
be effective if it conflicts with any federal law, rule or regulation.

 The term "disabled" 
as used herein shall mean the inability to perform substantial gainful 
employment by reason of a medically-determinable impairment, either physical or 
mental, which has lasted or is expected to last for a continuous period of 
twelve months or more.

 Any South Carolina 
resident who is a veteran and who has been classified by the Veterans 
Administration as permanently and totally disabled may also enter any state 
park without charge upon presentation to the person in charge of the park of an 
identification card from the county veterans affairs officer stating the 
veteran's permanent and total disability. A statement of age or disability may 
not be made for any person whose age and disability records are not maintained 
in the veterans affairs office at which the request is made.

 Any 
South Carolina resident who is an immediate Gold Star Family member, as 
classified by the United States Department of Defense, also may enter any state 
park without charge.

SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval 
by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on April 03, 2025 at 11:09 AM