Pageland, SC Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)

Section 22-57 of the Pageland Town Code, in Chapter 22's Article IV on offenses against morality, decency and public welfare, bans loitering in or upon any street, park, public place or public building, and separately bans obstructing access to a public building or obstructing the passage of any person through a public street, park or public place. Subsection (b) defines 'loiter' with a non-exclusive list of three acts: obstructing the unhampered passage of pedestrians or vehicles; obstructing, molesting or interfering with any person lawfully in a street, park or other public place; and refusing to move when a peace officer asks, so long as the officer has exercised his discretion reasonably to preserve or promote public peace and order. Because the list is introduced with 'but shall not necessarily be limited to,' an officer is not confined to those three examples in deciding whether particular conduct counts as loitering.

The ordinance does not require proof of any additional criminal purpose, such as intent to commit a separate offense; obstructing passage or ignoring an officer's reasonable order to move on is enough on its own. It applies to any public street, park, building or place in town, not to a designated business district or a curfew hour window, so it operates around the clock. Chapter 22 sets no specific fine for Section 22-57, so a conviction falls under the Code's general penalty, Section 1-7: a fine of up to $500.00, imprisonment of up to 30 days, or both, with each day a continuing violation treated as a separate offense.