Horry County has no standalone animal-hoarding ordinance, but its care standards and South Carolina's cruelty law reach hoarding conditions. Depriving animals of necessary food, water, shelter, or vet care is illegal, and neglected animals can be seized.
Because no ordinance uses the word "hoarding," enforcement runs through care standards and cruelty law. Horry County Code § 4-3(b) requires anyone keeping an animal to provide sufficient food and water, proper shelter, and veterinary care when needed, with clean containment free of accumulated waste. Statewide, S.C. Code § 47-1-40(A) makes it a misdemeanor to knowingly or intentionally ill-treat an animal or deprive it of necessary sustenance or shelter; torture or cruel killing is a felony under § 47-1-40(B). County animal control may impound animals in immediate danger, and where 25+ animals are offered for sale the operation is regulated as a breeder under § 4-12.
First-offense cruelty under § 47-1-40(A): up to 90 days or a $100–$1,000 fine; felony cruelty under § 47-1-40(B): 180 days to 5 years and a $5,000 fine. Animals may be seized.
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See how Horry County's animal hoarding rules stack up against other locations.
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