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2025-2026 Bill 1102: Designated camp sites for the homeless population - South Carolina Legislature Online
South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
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S. 1102
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Senator Adams
Document Path: SJ-0011SW26.docx
Introduced in the Senate on April 1, 2026
Currently residing in the Senate Committee on
Judiciary
Summary: Designated camp sites for the homeless population
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS
Date
Body
Action Description with journal page number
4/1/2026
Senate
Introduced and read first time (
Senate Journal-page 16
)
4/1/2026
Senate
Referred to Committee on
Judiciary
(
Senate Journal-page 16
)
View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
04/01/2026
A bill
TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION
27-48-10
SO AS TO PROVIDE DEFINTIONS FOR THE CHAPTER; BY ADDING SECTION
27-48-20
SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT A COUNTY, MUNICIPALITY, OR OTHER POLITICAL
SUBDIVISION MAY DESIGNATE PROPERTY TO BE USED FOR NO LONGER THAN ONE YEAR FOR
THE PURPOSES OF PUBLIC CAMPING OR SLEEPING FOR PEOPLE EXPERIENCING UNSHELTERED
HOMELESSNESS; BY ADDING SECTION
27-48-30
SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT A RESIDENT OF
THE COUNTY, MUNICIPALITY, POLITICAL SUBDIVISION, OR AN OWNER OF A BUSINESS
LOCATED IN THE COUNTY, MUNICIPALITY, OR POLITICAL SUBDIVISION, OR THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL MAY BRING A CIVIL ACTION IN ANY COURT OF COMPETENT JURISDICTION TO
ENFORCE THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION
27-48-20
.
B
e it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
S
ECTION 1.
T
itle 27 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:
C
HAPTER 48
A
uthorized Temporary Shelter Sites Act
S
ection
27-48-10
.
(
A) This act shall be
known as the "Authorized Temporary Shelter Sites Act".
(
B)
The purpose of this act is to provide for a county, municipality, or other
political subdivision to establish safe, regulated, and authorized locations in
which homeless persons can have temporary shelter. As used in this chapter:
(
1)
"Campsite" means a regular location of public grounds designated as a
recreational camping ground, area, or facility, that allows temporary overnight
occupancy without a permanently fixed structure.
(
2)
"Public camping" means to sleep upon, occupy, or otherwise use as a substitute
for regular shelter public property not designated as a campsite.
(
3)
"Unsheltered homeless" means those homeless persons whose primary nighttime
residences are places not meant for human habitation, including, but not
limited to, tents, cars, recreational vehicles, makeshift shelters, parks,
rights-of-way, campsites, and abandoned buildings.
S
ection
27-48-20
.
(
A) A county,
municipality, or other political subdivision may designate property owned by
the county, municipality, or political subdivision, within its boundaries, to
be used for a continuous period of no longer than one year for the purposes of
public camping or sleeping for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
This designation is based on the following factors:
(
1)
there are not sufficient open beds in homeless shelters in the county,
municipality, or political subdivision for the unsheltered homeless population
of the county, municipality, or political subdivision;
(
2)
the designation would not adversely and materially affect the property value or
safety and security of other existing residential or commercial property in the
county, municipality, or political subdivision, and would not negatively affect
the safety of children; and
(
3)
the county, municipality, or political subdivision has developed a plan to
satisfy the requirements of subsection (B).
(
B) If
a county, municipality, or political subdivision designates public property to
be used for public camping or sleeping for unsheltered homeless, it must
establish and maintain minimum standards and procedures related to the
designated property for the purposes of:
(
1)
ensuring the safety and security of the designated property and the persons
camping on such property;
(
2)
assigning specific sublots, parking spots, or other locations, as applicable,
to persons within the property;
(
3)
maintaining a register of persons who have utilized the property and on which
dates;
(
4)
maintaining sanitation, which must include, at a minimum, providing access to
clean and operable restrooms, showers, and running water;
(
5)
facilitating access to behavioral health services, including but not limited
to, substance abuse and mental health treatment resources;
(
6)
prohibiting the use of unlawful substances on the designated property and
enforcing such prohibitions; and
(
7)
ensuring adherence to and enforcement of all federal, state, and local laws and
regulations.
S
ection
27-48-30
.
(
A) A resident of the
county, municipality, or political subdivision, an owner of a business located
in the county, municipality, or political subdivision, or the Attorney General
may bring a civil action in any court of competent jurisdiction against any
county, municipality, or political subdivision to enforce the requirements of
Section
27-48-20
(B).
(
B) An
application for an injunction filed pursuant to this section must be
accompanied by an affidavit attesting that:
(
1)
the applicant has provided written notice of the alleged violation of Section
27-48 20(B) to the county, municipality, or political subdivision;
(
2)
the applicant has provided the county, municipality, or political subdivision
with five business days to cure the alleged violation; and
(
3)
the county, municipality, or political subdivision has failed to take all
reasonable actions within the limits of its authority to cure the alleged
violation within five business days after receiving written notice of the
alleged violation.
N
othing in this act shall
be construed so as to restrict the state or any county, municipality, or
political subdivision from authorizing, maintaining, or allowing temporary
camping on a public campsite.
S
ECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval
by the Governor.
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This web page was last updated on April 1, 2026 at 8:02 PM