Racing facility

2025-2026 Bill 4706: Racing facility

South Carolina General Assembly

126th Session, 2025-2026

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This Bill
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A238, R252, H4706

STATUS INFORMATION

General Bill

Sponsors: Reps. Rutherford, Neese, Chumley, Hartnett, Gilliard, Rivers and Williams

Document Path: LC-0339DG26.docx

Introduced in the House on January 13, 2026

Introduced in the Senate on April 15, 2026

Last Amended on May 14, 2026

Governor's Action: May 19, 2026, Signed

Summary: Racing facility

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

12/16/2025

House

Prefiled

12/16/2025

House

Referred to Committee on
Judiciary

1/13/2026

House

Introduced and read first time (
House Journal-page 62
)

1/13/2026

House

Referred to Committee on
Judiciary
(
House Journal-page 62
)

3/26/2026

House

Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Hartnett

4/2/2026

House

Committee report: Favorable with amendment
Judiciary
(
House Journal-page 6
)

4/14/2026

House

Member(s) request name added as sponsor:
Gilliard, Rivers, Williams

4/14/2026

House

Amended (
House Journal-page 36
)

4/14/2026

House

Read second time (
House Journal-page 36
)

4/14/2026

House

Roll call Yeas-110 Nays-0 (
House Journal-page 37
)

4/15/2026

House

Read third time and sent to Senate (
House Journal-page 15
)

4/15/2026

Senate

Introduced and read first time (
Senate Journal-page 41
)

4/15/2026

Senate

Referred to Committee on
Judiciary
(
Senate Journal-page 41
)

4/29/2026

Senate

Committee report: Favorable
Judiciary
(
Senate Journal-page 18
)

5/12/2026

Senate

Read second time (
Senate Journal-page 44
)

5/13/2026

Senate

Amended (
Senate Journal-page 52
)

5/13/2026

Senate

Read third time and returned to House with amendments (
Senate Journal-page 52
)

5/13/2026

Senate

Roll call Ayes-40 Nays-0 (
Senate Journal-page 52
)

5/14/2026

House

Senate amendment amended (
House Journal-page 43
)

5/14/2026

House

Returned to Senate with amendments (
House Journal-page 43
)

5/14/2026

House

Roll call Yeas-113 Nays-0 (
House Journal-page 44
)

5/14/2026

Senate

Concurred in House amendment and enrolled (
Senate Journal-page 51
)

5/15/2026

Ratified R 252

5/19/2026

Signed By Governor

6/5/2026

Effective date 05/19/26

6/3/2026

Act No. 238

View the latest
legislative information
at the website

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

12/17/2025
04/02/2026
04/14/2026
04/29/2026
05/13/2026
05/14/2026

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

NOTE: THIS IS A TEMPORARY VERSION. THIS DOCUMENT WILL REMAIN IN THIS VERSION UNTIL FINAL APPROVAL BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

(A238, R252, H4706)

AN ACT TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 15-1-350 SO AS TO PROHIBIT CERTAIN RACING FACILITIES, UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, FROM BEING SUBJECT TO NUISANCE AND TAKING CAUSES OF ACTION FROM A SURROUNDING LANDOWNER, AND TO PROVIDE EXCEPTIONS.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

Racing facility, nuisance or taking

SECTION 1. Chapter 1, Title 15 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:

Section 15-1-350. (A) As used in this section:

(1) "Area of the racing facility" means within a three-mile radius of the perimeter of the property or contiguous group of properties where a racing facility is located.

(2) "Racing facility" means a designated area where competitive vehicle and motorsport races are conducted. The term includes the track, spectator areas, garages, and any associated grounds, buildings, or appurtenances used to operate the races.

(B) A racing facility is not subject to any action brought by a surrounding property owner under any nuisance or taking cause of action if the developer of the racing facility obtained all permits required for construction of the racing facility, established a vested right in the development of the property or contiguous group of properties where the racing facility is located and the development of such could have been discovered by reasonable inquiry including, but not limited to, a search of public documents or permits, before the surrounding property owner either purchased the real property or constructed any building in the area of the racing facility.

(C) A racing facility must have made reasonable progress in the construction of the racing facility within two years of obtaining all required permits in order to avail themselves of the protections contained in subsection (B).

(D) Nothing in this section can be read to limit nuisance actions of a law enforcement agency or government entity that are initiated to prohibit activity that is not related to the lawful construction and operation of a racing facility.

(E) This section does not apply if the racing facility makes a substantial and material expansion of operations that results in a significant increase in the overall intensity of use of the facility including, but not limited to, a demonstrable increase beyond a factor of two in the number of racing event days beyond historical patterns of operation existing before a surrounding property owner either purchased the real property or constructed any building in the area of the racing facility.

Savings

SECTION 2. The repeal or amendment by this act of any law, whether temporary or permanent or civil or criminal, does not affect pending actions, rights, duties, or liabilities founded thereon, or alter, discharge, release or extinguish any penalty, forfeiture, or liability incurred under the repealed or amended law, unless the repealed or amended provision shall so expressly provide. After the effective date of this act, all laws repealed or amended by this act must be taken and treated as remaining in full force and effect for the purpose of sustaining any pending or vested right, civil action, special proceeding, criminal prosecution, or appeal existing as of the effective date of this act, and for the enforcement of rights, duties, penalties, forfeitures, and liabilities as they stood under the repealed or amended laws.

Time effective

SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

Ratified the 15th day of May, 2026.

Approved the 19th day of May, 2026.

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This web page was last updated on
June 3, 2026 at 12:40 PM