Orangeburg County, SC Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)

Section 24-1 defines "any place, public or private" broadly: distinctly public spaces such as streets, sidewalks, parks, alleys and municipal airports; privately owned but publicly accessible places such as shopping centers, transportation terminals, retail stores and restaurants; and distinctly private places such as homes and apartment houses. "Loiter" is defined to include lingering, hanging around, idle spending of time, delaying, sauntering, sleeping in a motor vehicle or trailer parked on public property, and sleeping on a street, sidewalk, alley, park or other public property. Subsection (d) lists the factors a deputy may weigh in finding probable cause for alarm, including flight upon the appearance of an officer, refusal to identify oneself, attempted concealment, systematically checking doors and windows of buildings or vehicles, refusing to leave private property when asked by the owner or lessee, and sleeping or living in a vehicle or on public property.

Before arresting anyone under this section, subsection (c) requires the deputy, unless flight or other circumstances make it impractical, to give the person a chance to dispel the alarm by asking him to identify himself and explain his presence and conduct; a conviction cannot stand if the officer skipped that step, or if the explanation given was true and would have dispelled the alarm had the officer believed it. 00, up to 30 days in jail, or both, with each day a violation continues counted as a separate offense. 7-1.