South Carolina H 4535: Sex Offender Registry

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 4535 Text of Previous Version (May. 08, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 4535

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 23-3-535, RELATING TO LIMITATION ON PLACES OF RESIDENCE OF CERTAIN SEX 
OFFENDERS, EXCEPTIONS, VIOLATIONS, LOCAL GOVERNMENT ORDINANCES, AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS 
REQUIRED TO PROVIDE CERTAIN INFORMATION, SO AS TO REVISE THE DEFINITION OF THE 
TERM "CHILDREN'S RECREATIONAL FACILITY," TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL OFFENSES THAT 
PRECLUDE SEX OFFENDERS FROM RESIDING NEAR SCHOOLS, DAYCARE CENTERS, OR 
RECREATIONAL FACILITIES, AND TO PROVIDE SLED MUST NOTIFY ALL REGISTERED SEX 
OFFENDERS OF THE PROVISIONS CONTAINED IN THIS ACT.

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

SECTION 1. Section 23-3-535 (A) and (B) of the S.C. Code is 
amended to read:

 (A) As contained in this section:

 (1) 
"Children's recreational facility" means a facility, or 
community playground owned and operated by a city, county, or special purpose district, or any 
homeowner's association used for the purpose of recreational activity 
for children under the age of eighteen.

 (2) 
"Daycare center" means an arrangement where, at any one time, there are three 
or more preschool-age children, or nine or more school-age children receiving 
child care.

 (3) 
"School" does not include a home school or an institution of higher education.

 (4) 
"Within one thousand feet" means a measurement made in a straight line, without 
regard to intervening structures or objects, from the nearest portion of the 
property on which the sex offender resides to the nearest property line of the 
premises of a school, daycare center, children's recreational facility, park, 
or public playground, whichever is closer.

 (B) 
It is unlawful for a sex offender who has been convicted of any of the 
following offenses, or of any similar offense in any 
comparable court in the United States, a foreign country, or a federal court, 
to reside within one thousand feet of a school, daycare center, children's 
recreational facility, park, or public playground:

 (1) 
criminal sexual conduct with a minor, first degree;

 (2) 
criminal sexual conduct with a minor, second degree;

 (3) 
assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct with a minor;

 (4) 
kidnapping a person under eighteen years of age; or

 (5) 
trafficking in persons of a person under eighteen years of age except when the 
court makes a finding on the record that the offense did not include a criminal 
sexual offense or an attempted criminal sexual offense.

SECTION 2. No 
later than one year after the effective date of this act, SLED must notify all 
registered sex offenders in this State of the provisions contained in this act.

SECTION 3. This act takes effect ninety days 
after approval by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on May 08, 2025 at 11:10 AM