Limited term driver's licenses and identification cards

2025-2026 Bill 5248: Limited term driver's licenses and identification cards - South Carolina Legislature Online

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
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H. 5248
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Rep. Pope
Document Path: LC-0507CM26.docx
Introduced in the House on February 24, 2026
Currently residing in the House Committee on
Education and Public Works
Summary: Limited term driver's licenses and identification cards
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

2/24/2026

House

Introduced and read first time (
House Journal-page 58
)

2/24/2026

House

Referred to Committee on
Education and Public Works
(
House Journal-page 58
)

View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
02/24/2026

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING
SECTION
56-1-140
, RELATING TO ISSUANCE OF DRIVERS' LICENSES, SO AS TO PROVIDE
THAT "LIMITED TERM" MUST BE INCLUDED ON DRIVERS' LICENSES AND IDENTIFICATION
CARDS ISSUED TO QUALIFIED NONCITIZENS OF THIS COUNTRY; BY AMENDING SECTION
7-13-710
, RELATING TO PROOF OF RIGHT TO VOTE, SO AS TO PROVIDE FORMS OF
IDENTIFICATION ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES CONTAINING THE WORDS
"LIMITED TERM" ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE FORMS OF PROOF OF IDENTIFICATION; AND BY AMENDING
SECTION
56-1-230
, RELATING TO NOTIFYING THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES OF
DRIVERS' LICENSE HOLDERS' CHANGE OF ADDRESS OR NAME, SO AS TO REVISE THE
PROCEDURE AND TO PROVIDE THIS PROCEDURE ALSO APPLIES TO IDENTIFICATION CARDs
ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT.

B
e it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

S
ECTION 1.
S
ection
56-1-140
(A) of the S.C. Code is amended to
read:

(
A) Upon payment of a fee of
twenty-five dollars for a license that is valid for eight years, the department
shall issue to every qualified applicant a driver's license as applied for by
law. The license must bear on it a distinguishing number assigned to the
licensee, the full name, date of birth, residence address, a brief description
and unobstructed photograph of the licensee's face, any marking otherwise
required or in compliance with law, and a facsimile of the signature of the
licensee. No license is valid until it has been
so

signed by the licensee.
Qualified applicants who are not
citizens of the United States must have "Limited Term" conspicuously included
on the drivers' licenses or identification cards issued to them.
The
license authorizes the licensee to operate only those classifications of
vehicles as indicated on the license.

S
ECTION 2.
S
ection
7-13-710
(A) of the S.C. Code is amended to
read:

(
A) When a person presents himself to
vote, he shall produce a valid and current:

(
1)
South Carolina driver's license
that does not contain the
words "Limited Term"
; or

(
2)
other form of identification containing a photograph issued by the Department
of Motor Vehicles
, provided, that it does not contain the
words "Limited Term"
; or

(
3)
passport; or

(
4)
military identification containing a photograph issued by the federal
government; or

(
5)
South Carolina voter registration card containing a photograph of the voter
pursuant to Section
7-5-675
.

S
ECTION 3.
S
ection
56-1-230
of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

S
ection
56-1-230
.
Whenever any
(
A) A
person after applying for or receiving a driver's license

or identification card, must notify the Department of
Motor Vehicles within ten days of:

(
1)
shall
move
moving
permanently from the address
named in such application or
in
on
the license
or identification
card
issued to him
;

(
2)
or when
the name of a licensee is changed
legally changing
his name
by marriage or otherwise
,
; or

(
3)

becoming
a citizen of the United States after once providing the Department of Motor
Vehicles with documentation that he was not a citizen of the United States
such person shall within ten days thereafter notify the
Department of Motor Vehicles in writing of his old and new address or of such
former and new name and of the number of any license then held by him
.

(
B) The Department of Motor Vehicles
may require documentation supporting the applicable change before applying the
requested change.

(
C) In instances of a change pursuant
to subsection (A), the department must provide one driver's license or
identification card reflecting the applicable change per issuance cycle at no
charge. Subsequent modified cards are at the expense of the person for the same
fee provided in Section
56-1-200
or
56-1-3350
, as applicable.

S
ECTION 4. SECTIONS 1 and 2 of this act take
effect upon approval by the Governor. SECTION 3 of this act takes effect one
year after approval by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on February 24, 2026 at 1:36 PM