Disorderly Conduct
S.C. Code 16-17-530 — up to $100 or thirty days, and a one time conditional discharge
- Being found on a highway or at a public place or gathering grossly intoxicated, or otherwise conducting oneself in a disorderly or boisterous manner.
- Using obscene or profane language on a highway, at a public place or gathering, or within hearing distance of a schoolhouse or church.
- While under the influence, or pretending to be, discharging a firearm without just cause on or within fifty yards of a public road, except on one's own premises.
Those are the three forms of public disorderly conduct the section names. Each is a misdemeanor carrying a fine of up to $100 or up to thirty days.
A first time can end without a conviction. A person with no earlier conviction under the section or a similar drunk or disorderly law may, with the solicitor's approval, be placed on probation without a judgment of guilt. On completing the terms, the court discharges the person and dismisses the proceedings; that is not a conviction. It may happen only once for any person.
After a dismissal the person may apply for an order to expunge the official records of it, while SLED keeps a nonpublic record to tell whether a later offense is a second one. Local ordinances on noise and public order are not on this page. Whether particular conduct fits the section is a question for a licensed South Carolina attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- S.C. Code 16-17-530 — Public disorderly conduct; conditional discharge for first-time offenders
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed South Carolina attorney.