Recording A Call Or A Conversation
S.C. Code 17-30-30 — a party to the conversation, or one party's prior consent
One party is enough. It is lawful in South Carolina for a person not acting under color of law to intercept a wire, oral or electronic communication where the person is a party to the communication, or where one of the parties to it has given prior consent to the interception.
Outside that, the chapter makes it a felony to intentionally intercept, or try to intercept, any wire, oral or electronic communication, or to get someone else to. Disclosing or using the contents of a communication, knowing or having reason to know it was intercepted in violation of the chapter, is a felony on the same terms.
The penalty for those prohibited acts is imprisonment of not more than five years or a fine of not more than $5,000, or both, with lesser misdemeanor penalties for a first offense involving certain unscrambled radio communications.
Video in a private place is a separate crime. Voyeurism is knowingly viewing, photographing, audio or video recording or filming another person, without that person's knowledge and consent, while the person is in a place where they would have a reasonable expectation of privacy, for the purpose of arousing or gratifying sexual desire. A first offense is a misdemeanor carrying up to three years; selling or distributing such a recording is aggravated voyeurism, a felony carrying up to ten years.
Being an eavesdropper or a peeping tom on or about the premises of another, including with video or audio equipment, is a misdemeanor of its own. Civil claims over a recording, recordings at work and the rules for officers acting under color of law are not on this page. Whether a particular recording was lawful is a question for a licensed South Carolina attorney.
Sources for this section (4)
- S.C. Code 17-30-30 — Interception when a party has given prior consent
- S.C. Code 17-30-20 — Prohibited acts
- S.C. Code 17-30-50 — Penalty for violating Sections 17-30-20 through 17-30-45
- S.C. Code 16-17-470 — Eavesdropping, peeping, voyeurism
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.