Unlawful Tracking

2025-2026 Bill 773: Unlawful Tracking - South Carolina Legislature Online

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
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S. 773
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Senator Leber
Companion/Similar bill(s): 3059
Document Path: LC-0204AHB26.docx
Introduced in the Senate on January 13, 2026
Currently residing in the Senate Committee on
Judiciary
Summary: Unlawful Tracking
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

1/13/2026

Senate

Introduced and read first time (
Senate Journal-page 48
)

1/13/2026

Senate

Referred to Committee on
Judiciary
(
Senate Journal-page 48
)

View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
01/13/2026

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION
16-17-485
SO AS TO DEFINE THE TERM "TRACKING DEVICE", TO CREATE THE OFFENSE OF
UNLAWFUL TRACKING, TO PROVIDE A PENALTY, AND TO PROVIDE EXCEPTIONS.

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

S
ECTION 1.
A
rticle 7, Chapter 17, Title 16 of the S.C. Code is
amended by adding:

S
ection
16-17-485
.
(
A)
As used in this section, the term:

(
1)

"Motor
vehicle" means as defined in Section
56-1-10
.

(
2)

"Tracking
device" means an electronic device including, but not limited to, a global
positioning system tracking device that is designed or intended for use to
track the location of a motor vehicle regardless of whether that information is
recorded.

(
B)

It
is unlawful for a person including, but not limited to, a law enforcement
officer or other employee of a law enforcement agency or a person associated
with, or employed by, a security or private investigative business to:

(
1)

install
or place a tracking device, or cause a tracking device to be installed or
placed, in or on a motor vehicle without the knowledge and consent of the owner
of the motor vehicle or, if the motor vehicle is leased, without the knowledge
and consent of the lessee of the motor vehicle; and

(
2)

track
the location of a motor vehicle with a tracking device without the knowledge
and consent of either the owner or the authorized operator of the motor
vehicle.

(
C)

A
person who violates the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor
and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than five hundred dollars or
imprisoned for not more than one year.

(
D)

The
provisions of this section do not apply to the installation or use of a
tracking device:

(
1)

that
provides motor vehicle tracking for purposes of providing mechanical,
operational, directional, navigational, weather, or traffic information to the
operator of the motor vehicle;

(
2)

that
provides emergency assistance to the operator or passengers of the motor
vehicle under the terms and conditions of a subscription service;

(
3)

that
provides missing vehicle assistance for the benefit of the owner or operator of
the motor vehicle;

(
4)

that
provides diagnostic services regarding the mechanical operation of a motor
vehicle under the terms and conditions of a subscription service;

(
5)

when
the lessee of the motor vehicle is given written notice from the lessor that
the motor vehicle may be tracked through the use of a tracking device and this
notice is signed by the lessee; or

(
6)

by
a parent or legal guardian of a person under the age of eighteen on a motor
vehicle owned or leased by that parent or legal guardian or the person under
the age of eighteen and operated by him.

S
ECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval
by the Governor.

----XX----

This web page was last updated on January 13, 2026 at 12:34 PM