York County, SC Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Sit-Lie Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- Blocking passage after an officer's request to move
- Not covered
- Simply sitting or lying without obstruction
- Adopting ordinance
- Ord. 3922, passed October 3, 2022
- Maximum penalty
- $500 fine or 30 days jail, or both
- Enforcing agency
- York County Sheriff's Office
Summary
York County does not ban sitting or lying on public sidewalks outright. Under § 131.03(A), a person only violates the county's obstructing-streets rule if they block pedestrian or vehicle passage on a sidewalk, street, alley or other public property and then refuse a law enforcement officer's direct request to move along. Violators face the Chapter 131 penalty of up to $500 and 30 days in jail.
(A) Obstructing streets. Any person who remains standing, lying, or sitting down on any of the sidewalks, streets, alleys, or other public property in such a manner as to obstruct or impede the free passage of pedestrians or public travel, after being requested to immediately move on by any law enforcement officer, shall be found in violation of this division (A) (obstructing streets).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-49: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. 3925, passed 6-16-25).
Full Breakdown
York County's sit-lie style rule is a move-along law, not a blanket ban on sitting or lying in public. 03(A), part of Chapter 131's Prohibited Behavior on Public or Private Property provisions adopted by Ord. 3922 on October 3, 2022, only reaches someone who is standing, lying or sitting in a way that obstructs or impedes the free passage of pedestrians or public travel on a sidewalk, street, alley or other public property, and only after a law enforcement officer has personally asked that person to move on.
Compliance with the officer's request ends the matter; there is no separate criminal charge for sitting or lying that does not block anyone. 03(B)(2). The obstructing-streets rule carries no similar shelter carve-out because it targets blocked passage, not the act of sitting itself. 99.
Violations & Fines
Refusing an officer's request to stop blocking a sidewalk, street or alley is punishable under § 131.99 by a fine of up to $500, imprisonment for up to 30 days, or both. There is no separate obstruction fine schedule; the officer's on-scene request to move is a required first step, and only a refusal completes the violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I be arrested just for sitting on a sidewalk in York County?
What happens if I don't move when a deputy asks?
Does this rule apply inside Rock Hill or Fort Mill?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in York County
Compare York County to another location·View the South Carolina homelessness & encampment rules overview
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