South Carolina H 4013: Automated License Plate Readers

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 4013 Text of Previous Version (Feb. 13, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 4013

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 ADDING SECTION 
23-1-235 SO AS TO DEFINE CERTAIN TERMS, TO PROVIDE ONLY CERTAIN ENTITIES MAY 
USE AN AUTOMATIC LICENSE PLATE READER SYSTEM, AND TO PROVIDE HOW INFORMATION OBTAINED 
THROUGH THE SYSTEM MAY BE USED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT; AND BY ADDING SECTION 
57-3-786 SO AS TO AUTHORIZE THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO PERMIT CERTAIN 
CAMERAS USED BY GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES ON NONINTERSTATE HIGHWAY RIGHTS OF WAY.

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

SECTION 1. Chapter 1, Title 23 of the S.C. Code is amended by 
adding:

 Section 
23-1-235. (A) As used in this 
section:

 (1) 
"Alert" means a notification generated by an automatic license plate reader 
system indicating that a vehicle passed an automatic license plate reader 
system camera with a license plate or vehicle characteristics that matches data 
held by the National Crime Information Center or other database or hot list.

 (2) 
"Automatic license plate reader system" means a system of one or more automated 
high-speed cameras used in combination with data processing to convert images 
of vehicles and license plates into computer-readable data.

 (3) 
"Hot list" means a list of license plates or vehicle characteristics against 
which vehicles passing by automatic license plate reader system cameras are 
checked for matches.

 (4) 
"License plate reader data" means the global positioning device coordinates, 
date and time, photograph, license plate number, and vehicle characteristics 
captured by an automatic license plate reader system.

 (5) 
"Governmental entity" means a lawfully created branch, department, agency, or 
authority of the state, county, district, or local government.

 (6) 
"Secured area" means an area, enclosed by clear boundaries, to which access is 
or can be limited.

 (7) 
"SLED" means the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

 (B) 
Except as provided in subsection (C), it is unlawful for an individual, entity, 
partnership, corporation, association, or this State, its agencies, and 
political subdivisions to use an automatic license plate reader system.

 (C) An 
automatic license plate reader system may be used:

 (1) 
by a state, county, or municipal law enforcement agency for the comparison of 
license plate data held by the National Crime Information Center or other 
database or hot list, and for other law enforcement or criminal justice 
purposes. This includes the operation and maintenance of an automatic license 
plate reader database by SLED;

 (2) 
for the purpose of regulating parking;

 (3) 
for the purpose of controlling access to secured areas;

 (4) 
for the purposes of promoting public safety, deterring crime, or addressing 
property theft and organized retail crime in coordination with law enforcement; 
or

 (5) 
by the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Transportation or its 
agents to collect tolls and to provide for the efficient and safe movement of 
vehicles on State highways.

 (D) 
License plate reader data obtained for the purposes described under this 
section must not be shared for any other purpose.

 (E) 
Prior to the use of an automatic license plate reader system, a law enforcement 
agency must adopt and make publicly available a written policy governing the 
use of the automatic license plate reader system that includes, at a minimum:

 (1) 
supervisory oversight of the automatic license plate reader system;

 (2) 
training protocol for automatic license plate reader system users;

 (3) 
protocol for ensuring hot lists stay up to date;

 (4) 
rules for access to and security of license plate reader data;

 (5) 
rules for retention and destruction of license plate reader data; and

 (6) 
an audit schedule and process to ensure that the system is used in accordance 
with this section and agency policy.

 (F) A 
law enforcement agency using an automatic license plate reader system must 
comply with the following:

 (1) 
Upon receipt of an alert and prior to performing a traffic stop, an officer, 
dispatcher, or other law enforcement agency employee must visually confirm that 
the scanned plate matches the alert with regard to plate letters, numbers, and 
issuing state and confirm that the stop is lawful.

 (2) 
Any license plate or vehicle added to a hot list in order to trigger an alert 
and any search performed of license plate reader data must be supported by a 
documented law enforcement purpose.

 (3) 
Access logs for the automatic license plate reader system must be maintained to 
provide a clear audit trail for oversight and accountability purposes.

 (4) 
License plate reader data