Dog Bites
S.C. Code 47-3-110 — the owner or keeper is liable for a bite in a public place or where the person was lawfully present
Liable for the damages. When a person is bitten or otherwise attacked by a dog while in a public place, or while lawfully in a private place including the dog owner's own property, the owner or the person keeping the dog is liable for the damages the person suffered.
A person is lawfully in a private place when there performing a duty imposed by state law, a local ordinance or federal law, postal regulations among them, or when there on the express or implied invitation of the owner or a lawful tenant or resident.
- The person attacked provoked or harassed the dog, and that provocation was the proximate cause of the attack.
- The dog was working with a government agency in law enforcement, attacking in direct and complete compliance with a lawful command of a certified canine officer, trained and certified to the Law Enforcement Training Council's standards, under a written agency policy its handler followed, without excessive force, and not on a bystander.
Those are the two situations in which the section does not apply.
The time to sue for an injury runs under the general limitations chapter. Whether a particular bite falls within the section is a question for a licensed South Carolina attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- S.C. Code 47-3-110 — Liability for attacks by dogs
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.