South Carolina S 235: Prostitution

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 235 Text of Previous Version (May. 14, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 235

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

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

Indicates Matter Stricken

Indicates New Matter

Amended

May 13, 2026

S. 235

Introduced 
by Senators Kimbrell, Leber and Zell 

S. Printed 5/13/26--H. [SEC 
5/14/2026 11:19 AM]

Read the first time April 2, 2025

________

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING 
SECTION 16-15-90, RELATING TO PROSTITUTION, SO AS TO REVISE THE STATUTE TO 
PROHIBIT PROSTITUTION BY A PROSTITUTED PERSON AND TO INCREASE THE PENALTY FOR 
VIOLATIONS; BY AMENDING SECTION 16-15-100, RELATING TO PROSTITUTION, SO AS TO 
REVISE THE STATUTE TO PROHIBIT CERTAIN ACTIONS RELATED TO A PERSON WHO SOLICITS 
CUSTOMERS FOR A PROSTITUTED PERSON AND TO INCREASE THE PENALTY FOR VIOLATIONS; 
BY AMENDING SECTION 16-15-110, RELATING TO VIOLATIONS FOR PROSTITUTION, SO AS 
TO REVISE THE STATUTE TO PROHIBIT A PERSON FROM SOLICITING A PROTITUTED PERSON.

 Amend Title To Conform

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

SECTION 1. Sections 16-15-90 through 16-15-110 of the S.C. Code 
are amended to read:

 Section 
16-15-90. (A) For the purposes of this section "prostitution" means the 
practice or instance of engaging in sexual activity for money or any other 
thing of value.

 (B) It shall beis unlawful to:

 (1) Engage engage in 
prostitution;

 (2) Aid or abet 
prostitution knowingly;

 (3) Procure or solicit for 
the purpose of prostitution;

 (4)(2) Expose expose indecently the private person for the purpose of 
prostitution or other indecency; or

 (5)(3) Reside reside in, enter, or remain in any place, structure, 
building, vehicle, trailer, or conveyance for the 
purpose of lewdness, assignation or prostitution;.

 (6) Keep or set up a house 
of ill fame, brothel or bawdyhouse;

 (7) Receive any person for 
purposes of lewdness, assignation or prostitution into any vehicle, conveyance, 
trailer, place, structure or building;

 (8) Permit any person to 
remain for the purpose of lewdness, assignation or prostitution in any vehicle, 
conveyance, trailer, place, structure or building;

 (9) Direct, take or 
transport, offer or agree to take or transport or aid or assist in transporting 
any person to any vehicle, conveyance, trailer, place, structure or building or 
to any other person with knowledge or having reasonable cause to believe that 
the purpose of such directing, taking or transporting is prostitution, lewdness 
or assignation;

 (10) Lease or rent or 
contract to lease or rent any vehicle, conveyance, trailer, place, structure or 
building or part thereof believing or having reasonable cause to believe that 
it is intended to be used for any of the purposes herein prohibited; or

 (11) Aid, abet, or 
participate knowingly in the doing of any of the acts herein prohibited.

 (C) In the 
prosecution of a person who is charged with a violation of this section, it is 
an affirmative defense to those charges if the person was under duress or 
coerced into committing the offense or the crime was committed as a direct 
result of or interrelated to victimization of human trafficking.

 (D) A person is 
immune from prosecution under this section if that person was under the age of 
eighteen at the time of the alleged act.

 (E) A person who 
violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be 
punished as follows:

 (1) for a first offense, a fine 
not exceeding two hundred dollars or confinement in prison for a period of not 
more than thirty days;

 (2) for a second offense, a fine 
not exceeding five hundred dollars or confinement in prison for a period of not 
more than sixty days, or both; or

 (3) for a third or any 
subsequent offense, a fine not exceeding three thousand dollars or confinement 
for a period of not more than one year, or both.

 (F) Notwithstanding the provisions of 
Sections 22-3-540, 22-3-545, and 22-3-550, a violation of this section must be 
tried in magistrates court.

 Section 
16-15-100. (A) For the purposes of this section:

 (1) 
"Prostitution" means the practice or instance of engaging in sexual activity 
for money or any other thing of value.

 (2) "Sexual 
grooming" means a person's attempt to gradually establish an emotional 
connection with another person to lessen their inhibitions to engage in sexual 
activities with or at the direction of the person.

 (B) It 
shall further be unlawful to:

 (1) Procure a female inmate 
for a house of prostitution ;

 (2) (1) procure, recruit, sexually groom, cause, Cause, induce, persuade, or 
encourage by promise, threat, violence, or by any 
scheme or device a female person 
to become a prostitute or to enter, remain, or reside an inmate ofin a house 
ofplace, structure, building, v