Charleston, SC Public Conduct: Skateboarding Rules (2026)

Sec. 19-93 treats a skateboarder on a roadway as subject to the same rights and duties as a vehicle driver under state and city traffic law, with skateboard-specific exceptions layered on top. Riders must stay as near the right side of the roadway as practicable, may use the shoulder, and may take a different lane only if it's the sole lane available on their intended route. Drivers of motor vehicles must maintain a safe distance from any skateboard. Skateboards may not carry more riders than they're designed for, footwear is mandatory at all times, and no one may operate a skateboard while intoxicated or drinking.

Riders must signal turns and stops with the left or right arm, per the section's described hand-signal system, must be visible from 500 feet at a height of at least three feet through reflective clothing, lights, or similar gear, and must be able to brake within a five-foot stopping distance. Attaching a skateboard or oneself to a moving vehicle is unlawful, as is harassing, taunting, or throwing objects at a skateboarder. Skateboards are barred outright from city-owned or leased parking garages and surface lots, and from city athletic fields and tennis courts unless otherwise designated, and riders may not damage public or private property.

Ordinance No. 2024-096, Exhibit A, additionally bans skateboarding on specific named streets and sidewalks. The city maintains a standing committee of community and neighborhood representatives to study and comment on this and future skateboard ordinance amendments.