The Age of Consent
S.C. Code 16-3-655 — sixteen, with an exception for consensual teens eighteen or younger
Sexual battery with a victim who is at least fourteen but less than sixteen years of age is criminal sexual conduct with a minor in the second degree when the actor is older or in a position of authority. It is a felony carrying up to twenty years.
Who handles this in South Carolina: SC Bar Lawyer Referral Service; and legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the South Carolina directory.
The exception for teens. A person may not be convicted under that item if the person is eighteen years of age or less and the conduct was consensual with someone at least fourteen years of age.
Younger victims, first degree charges and registration are covered in the same and other sections with heavier penalties not set out here. A charge, or the worry of one, is a question for a licensed South Carolina attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- S.C. Code 16-3-655 — Criminal sexual conduct with a minor
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.