Rock Hill, SC Animal Ordinances: Animal Hoarding (2026)

South Carolina criminalizes animal neglect and cruelty in S.C. Code § 47-1-40 (Ill-treatment of animals generally; penalties). The misdemeanor tier in subsection (A) reaches any person who knowingly or intentionally overloads, overdrives, overworks, or ill-treats an animal, or deprives an animal of necessary sustenance or shelter, or inflicts unnecessary pain or suffering, or fails to investigate when responsible for an animal in their care, punishable by a fine up to $300 or up to 30 days in jail for each separate offense. The felony tier in subsection (B) reaches any person who tortures, torments, needlessly mutilates, cruelly kills, or inflicts excessive or repeated unnecessary pain or suffering, punishable by 180 days to five years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine. S.C. Code §§ 47-1-150 and 47-1-170 authorize seizure of animals and require a bond covering boarding and veterinary care during the pendency of the case, with permanent forfeiture on conviction. The City of Rock Hill does not impose a numeric pet cap that would by itself define hoarding by count, so prosecutions turn on whether the owner failed to provide adequate care to the specific animals on the property. Rock Hill Chapter 6 Section 6-31 defines 'adequate shelter,' 'sustenance,' and 'secure enclosure' and supplies the local benchmark for care-of-animals enforcement, which Rock Hill Animal Control and York County Animal Services apply on welfare checks. Mental-health treatment referrals are common given the recognized psychiatric component of hoarding behavior, but do not preclude criminal prosecution.