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State consumer-law reference center

South Carolina

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Section inventory26 entries
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State law changes and varies by facts. Only source-checked inventories appear below. “Research pending” is not legal guidance and never means DJC may market, enroll, contract, bill, or provide a regulated service in this jurisdiction.
State statute inventory

Consumer-protection authorities under review

26 section entries
Source checked

South Carolina Unfair Trade Practices Act — General Provisions

S.C. Code Ann. §§ 39-5-10–39-5-180

All 26 active Article 1 sections were checked against the South Carolina Legislature’s current unannotated Chapter 5 publication. The chapter also contains specialized merchandising, motion-picture, pyramid-scheme, and earned-wage-access articles outside this general consumer-protection inventory.

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S.C. Code Ann. § 39-5-10

Short title; definitions

Names the Act and defines person, trade and commerce, documentary material, and examination.

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S.C. Code Ann. § 39-5-20

Unfair or deceptive practices unlawful

Declares unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices unlawful and directs courts to federal interpretations.

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S.C. Code Ann. § 39-5-35

Required automobile-loan insurance coverage

Treats specified lender requirements for automobile insurance coverage as an unfair trade practice.

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S.C. Code Ann. § 39-5-36

Resale of event tickets

Addresses specified bulk ticket purchases and resale above the original price.

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S.C. Code Ann. § 39-5-37

Misrepresentation through assumed business names

Prohibits intentional misrepresentation of business origin, facility ownership, or location through an assumed or fictitious name.

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S.C. Code Ann. § 39-5-38

Misleading live-performance advertising

Addresses misleading affiliations in live musical-performance advertising, exceptions, injunctions, restoration, and penalties.

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S.C. Code Ann. § 39-5-39

False or misleading attorney advertising

Treats specified false, deceptive, or misleading attorney advertising as an unlawful trade practice.

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S.C. Code Ann. § 39-5-40

Practices and transactions outside the article

Lists exemptions and places the burden of establishing an exemption on the person claiming it.

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S.C. Code Ann. § 39-5-42

Misrepresenting food as a South Carolina product

Prohibits knowing and willful misrepresentation of qualifying food or food products as originating in South Carolina.

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S.C. Code Ann. § 39-5-50

Injunctions and restoration orders

Authorizes Attorney General actions to restrain unlawful practices and permits specified restoration and licensing relief.

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S.C. Code Ann. § 39-5-60

Assurance of voluntary compliance

Allows a written, court-approved assurance of compliance, investigative costs, escrow, or restitution without automatic admission.

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S.C. Code Ann. § 39-5-70

Attorney General investigative demand

Authorizes reports, testimony, documents, and physical evidence and provides a short procedure to seek modification or relief.

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S.C. Code Ann. § 39-5-80

Additional Attorney General powers

Addresses subpoenas, oaths, hearings, forms, rules, self-incrimination protections, and confidentiality.

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S.C. Code Ann. § 39-5-90

Service of notice, demand, or subpoena

Provides methods for serving consumer-protection investigative process.

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S.C. Code Ann. § 39-5-100

Compliance with investigative process

Requires compliance and provides penalties and court enforcement for specified obstruction or concealment.

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S.C. Code Ann. § 39-5-120

Dissolution, suspension, or forfeiture

Authorizes specified corporate franchise or charter consequences for violating an injunction.

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S.C. Code Ann. § 39-5-130

Duties of local government attorneys

Requires specified prosecuting and government attorneys to assist or, with approval, bring enforcement actions.

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S.C. Code Ann. § 39-5-140

Actions for damages

Addresses individual actions for ascertainable loss, actual and enhanced damages, attorney fees, costs, and evidentiary effect; review current law before asserting a claim.

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S.C. Code Ann. § 39-5-145

Emergency price gouging

Defines and restricts specified unconscionable prices during emergencies, disasters, and abnormal market disruptions.

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S.C. Code Ann. § 39-5-147

Emergency charitable solicitations

Prohibits knowingly and willfully misleading charitable solicitations during covered emergencies or disasters.

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S.C. Code Ann. § 39-5-149

Emergency-notification agents

Allows specified entities to register agents to receive state-of-emergency notifications.

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S.C. Code Ann. § 39-5-150

Limitation of actions

Provides a three-year discovery-based limitation; obtain legal advice before calculating any deadline.

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S.C. Code Ann. § 39-5-160

Cumulative remedies

States that Article 1 powers and remedies supplement those otherwise provided by law.

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S.C. Code Ann. § 39-5-170

Vehicle-glass repair business practices

Prohibits specified referral payments, deductible rebates, and other consideration connected with vehicle-glass insurance claims.

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S.C. Code Ann. § 39-5-180

Vehicle-glass false claims

Lists knowing false-claim, authorization, coverage, damage, billing, and affiliation practices involving vehicle-glass work.

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Research map

South Carolina consumer-credit categories

Research pending

Credit services and credit repair organizations

Licensing, registration, bonding, contracts, fees, cancellation, advertising, and prohibited practices.

What the legal reviewer checks
  • Covered-service definitions
  • License or registration requirements
  • Contract and disclosure language
  • Fee and cancellation restrictions
  • Advertising and prohibited practices
Research pending

Debt collection

State collection-agency licensing, prohibited conduct, validation-related rules, remedies, and regulator contacts.

What the legal reviewer checks
  • Collector and agency definitions
  • Licensing and exemptions
  • Communication and conduct restrictions
  • Civil remedies and enforcement
  • Complaint channels
Research pending

Consumer reporting and security freezes

State credit-reporting duties, freezes, protected-consumer freezes, identity-theft blocks, and remedies.

What the legal reviewer checks
  • Freeze placement and lifting
  • Fees and timing
  • Protected consumers
  • Identity-theft procedures
  • Enforcement and remedies
Authority identified

Identity theft, data breach, and privacy

Identity-theft crimes and recovery tools, breach notices, personal-information safeguards, and privacy rights.

  • S.C. Code Ann. §§ 39-5-10–39-5-180
What the legal reviewer checks
  • Breach notice triggers and timing
  • Covered personal information
  • Security safeguards
  • Identity-theft reports and blocks
  • Attorney-general enforcement
Research pending

Garnishment and judgment protections

State exemptions, disposable-earnings limits, court procedures, bank-account protections, and employer duties.

What the legal reviewer checks
  • Wage and bank exemptions
  • Debt-specific limits
  • Claim-of-exemption procedure
  • Notice and hearing deadlines
  • Employer restrictions
Research pending

Repossession and deficiency balances

Notice, cure, repossession conduct, sale, accounting, redemption, and deficiency rules.

What the legal reviewer checks
  • Right-to-cure notices
  • Repossession restrictions
  • Sale notice and commercial reasonableness
  • Redemption
  • Deficiency accounting and defenses
Research pending

Small-dollar and consumer lending

Licensing, rates, fees, payment plans, disclosures, collection practices, and complaint resources.

What the legal reviewer checks
  • Covered loan definitions
  • License requirements
  • Rate and fee limits
  • Rollover or payment-plan rules
  • Enforcement
Research pending

Mortgage, housing, and auto finance

Servicing, foreclosure, homeowner, dealer-finance, motor-vehicle-sales, and related protections.

What the legal reviewer checks
  • Mortgage servicing and foreclosure
  • Homeowner notices and assistance
  • Dealer and sales-finance licensing
  • Auto disclosures
  • Complaints and remedies
Research pending

Medical and utility debt

Billing, collection, charity-care, utility termination, deposit, and payment-plan rules.

What the legal reviewer checks
  • Hospital and medical billing
  • Charity-care disclosures
  • Utility shutoff protections
  • Deposits and payment plans
  • Complaint agencies
Research pending

Military and veteran protections

State protections that may supplement federal servicemember and military-lending laws.

What the legal reviewer checks
  • State active-duty coverage
  • Interest or collection protections
  • Lease and contract rules
  • Court stays
  • Military legal-assistance contacts

Need information before review is complete?

Use the official state source, state attorney general, financial regulator, or legal-aid provider. Confirm current effective dates and amendments before relying on a section.

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