The Dog The Pound Picked Up
S.C. Code 47-3-40 and S.C. Code 47-3-50 — proof of a rabies shot and the fee, which bars a charge for running at large
County or municipal shelter staff or government animal control officers pick up and impound or quarantine any dog running at large, and quarantine any cat.
Rabies proof and the fee. To get a dog or cat released, the owner or keeper satisfies the shelter staff that it is currently inoculated against rabies and pays an impound or quarantine fee set by the county or municipality. Paying the fee bars prosecution for letting the animal run at large.
- Allowing a dog to run at large off property the owner owns, rents or controls.
- Keeping a vicious or unruly dog without a fence, chain or other restraint that keeps it from reaching people off the owner's land.
- Taking a dog or cat out of impoundment or quarantine without authority, or resisting shelter staff capturing one.
Fifty dollars, then up to one hundred. In a county or municipality that has adopted penalties under the article, each of those is a misdemeanor with a fine of $50 for a first offense and up to $100 for each later one.
How long an unclaimed animal is held, and the fee, are set locally. A particular impound is a question for the shelter and, where it matters, a licensed South Carolina attorney.
Sources for this section (2)
- S.C. Code 47-3-40 — Impoundment or quarantine of cat or dog running at large; release to owner
- S.C. Code 47-3-50 — Allowing dogs or cats to run at large; penalty
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.