Spartanburg County, SC Public Conduct: Aggressive Panhandling (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Spartanburg County Code § 62-31
- General rule
- No standing in road to solicit
- Exception
- Permitted charities on secondary roads only
- Permit cap
- Two permits per year, 3 days each
- State tie-in
- S.C. Code § 5-27-910
- Penalty
- Up to $500 fine or 30 days jail
Summary
Spartanburg County bars anyone from standing on a highway or street to solicit money, business or employment from vehicle occupants. Only registered rescue squads, volunteer fire departments and charitable organizations may solicit funds, and only on secondary roads, after county council issues them a permit capped at two permits per year, three days each.
(a)Except as authorized herein and subject to the provisions of S.C. Code 1976, § 5-27-910, as amended, no person shall stand on a highway or street for the purpose of soliciting employment, business, or contributions from the occupant of any vehicle. (b)Any rescue squad, volunteer fire department, or charitable or eleemosynary organization may solicit funds on collector (secondary) roads and streets only; and, so long as such organization has obtained a permit as provided in subsection (c) below and such organization retains the permit with its possession at the site of the solicitation. ... No organization may be issued more than two permits per calendar year, however, a permit may be issued for more than one day but no more than three days per permit.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 29).
Full Breakdown
Section 62-31 was adopted by Ordinance No. 0-02-22 in 2002 and amended by Ordinance No. O-18-17 in 2018. C. Code 1976 § 5-27-910. The only carve-out is for rescue squads, volunteer fire departments, and charitable or eleemosynary organizations, which may solicit funds, but only on collector or secondary roads, never on primary highways or arterials, and only while a county council permit is physically on hand at the solicitation site. Any nonprofit relying on the exception must also be registered with the South Carolina Secretary of State.
County council controls the permit terms and can attach conditions to protect motorist, pedestrian, and solicitor safety and keep traffic moving; no organization can receive more than two permits in a calendar year, and a single permit cannot cover more than three days, though it may run longer than one day within that limit. Council is also authorized to set an administrative fee for issuing the permits by resolution. An individual soliciting money directly from drivers, with no rescue-squad, fire-department or charitable registration and no permit, has no exception available and is barred outright by subsection (a).
Violations & Fines
Section 62-31 sets no fine of its own, so a violation is punished under the county's general penalty, Section 1-6: a fine up to $500.00, imprisonment up to 30 days, or both, with each day of a continuing violation treated as a separate offense. A charitable organization that solicits without a current permit, or that solicits on a primary highway rather than a secondary road, loses the exception and is exposed to the same penalty as an unpermitted individual.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I ask drivers for money at a Spartanburg County intersection?
How many days can a charity's roadway solicitation permit last?
What happens if I solicit without a permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Spartanburg County
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