South Carolina S 532: Nuisance Alligator control

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 532 Text of Previous Version (Apr. 02, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 532

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 
50-15-550 SO AS TO PROVIDE DEFINITIONS REGARDING THE ISSUANCE OF A SPECIAL 
PERMIT TO CAPTURE NUISANCE ALLIGATORS; BY ADDING SECTION 50-15-555 SO AS TO REQUIRE 
THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES TO RECEIVE NUISANCE ALLIGATOR COMPLAINTS ON 
A PRESCRIBED FORM, TO INVESTIGATE AND VERIFY THE COMPLAINT, TO APPROVE REMOVAL 
OF A NUISANCE ALLIGATOR BY A NUISANCE ALLIGATOR HUNTER WITH A DEPREDATION 
PERMIT, AND TO REPORT NUISANCE ALLIGATORS TRAPPED, RELOCATED, AND KILLED; AND 
BY AMENDING SECTION 50-15-500, RELATING TO THE ALLIGATOR MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, SO 
AS TO MAKE CONFORMING CHANGES.

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

SECTION 1. Chapter 15, Title 50 of the S.C. Code is amended by 
adding:

Article 7

Issuance of a Special Permit to Capture Nuisance Alligator

 Section 
50-15-550. As used in this Article:

 (1) "Alligator" 
means the species Alligator Mississippiensis.

 (2) "Department" means the South 
Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

 (3) "Depredation 
permits" means a special permit issued by the department for the taking, 
capturing, or transportation of an alligator that is determined to be a 
nuisance.

 (4) "Nuisance 
alligator" means a specific alligator that poses a threat to human life or 
property.

 (5) "Nuisance 
alligator hunter" means a person selected by the department who demonstrates by 
training and experience that they possess the skills to identify and remove 
nuisance alligators. Applicants with prior alligator hunting violations will be 
prohibited. The department shall require periodic demonstration of skill and 
continued training for nuisance alligator hunters.

 (6) 
"Nuisance alligator indicators" means those specific behaviors set forth by the 
department that indicate the presence of a nuisance alligator, including, but 
not limited to, the size, aggression toward people, failure to retreat when not 
guarding a nest, and location, beyond the banks of the water body, near homes, 
livestock pens, or other structures.

SECTION 2. Chapter 15, Title 50 of the S.C. Code is amended by 
adding:

 Section 
50-15-555. (A) The department shall 
receive nuisance alligator complaints on a prescribed form from members of the 
public, homeowners associations, property management companies, and property 
owner associations. Complaints shall be verified and investigated by department 
personnel or nuisance alligator hunters, using established nuisance alligator 
indicators, prior to being approved for removal as a nuisance alligator.

 (B) 
Once the department approves the removal of an alligator, a nuisance alligator 
hunter who has been approved and issued a depredation permit may take the 
alligator at any time as prescribed by the department. Nuisance alligator 
hunters will capture nuisance alligators by means prescribed by the department 
and relocate the alligator to a natural habitat selected by the department. The 
department shall have an available and updated list of approved relocation 
areas.

 (C) If 
relocation is not possible because it would create health or other risks for 
the alligator population already in the relocation area or create an ecological 
disruption, or if the alligator is at high risk for relocation failure, the 
alligator may be trapped and euthanized in accordance with the American 
Veterinary Medical Association guidelines in a secure facility outside of the 
presence of the general public.

 (D) A 
nuisance alligator hunter shall function under the general guidance and 
supervision of the department for the capture and removal of nuisance 
alligators, including the disposition of the alligator or its parts, consistent 
with this article. Failure to comply with the departmental instructions may 
result in immediate termination of the individual's depredation permit and 
participation in the nuisance alligator program.

 (E) A 
nuisance alligator hunter shall biannually report the number and location of 
alligators trapped, relocated, and killed, including methods of euthanasia and 
disposal location to the department.

SECTION 3. Section 50-15-500(B) of the S.C. Code is amended to 
read:

 (B)(1) The department must establish an 
alligator management program that allows for hunting and for selective removal 
of alligators in order to provide for the sound management of the animals and 
to ensure the continued viability of the species. The department must set the 
conditions for taking, including the size, methods of take, areas, times and 
seasons, disposition of the parts, and other conditions to properly control the 
harvest of alligator