Every U.S. state has its own laws. Some of the laws enforced by American states are very strange. One state with some especially peculiar laws is South Carolina. Part of the reason why South Carolina’s laws are so obscure is that the state is highly religious, and part of the ‘Bible Belt.’
If you are interested in learning about how South Carolina’s laws differ from other American states, as well as learning about some of the state’s strangest laws, then this post’s got you covered. Here is everything you need to know.
Civil Suits
Before addressing South Carolina’s more obscure laws, it’s first important to cover personal injury law. If you get injured in South Carolina in a car accident, for example, then you may be surprised to learn that your case has a time limit. If you don’t make a claim within a fixed period of time, you won’t be able to. You can read more about car accident claims in the state of South Carolina here. In addition to having a fixed claim period, you also need to know that according to the state’s laws, the person responsible for causing your injuries is responsible for paying your expenses.
However, if you were partly to blame, then the amount of compensation that you are owed can be significantly reduced. If you have been involved in a car accident or an accident of any kind, then it is important to reach out to a personal injury lawyer, who can represent you and properly handle your case.
Using Pinball Machines
While this law technically exists, it is no longer enforced. However, at one point it was. In the state of South Carolina, it was illegal for people under the age of eighteen years to play pinball machines. It is not clear why this law was introduced, although it perhaps has something to do with young people sneaking out of their parent’s houses and spending all night at video game arcades when they should have been sleeping or studying. If a youth was found to be playing pinball machines, then they could be punished.
Marriage Promise
At one time, if a man promised to marry an unmarried woman in South Carolina, then the marriage had to go ahead. If it did not, then the man could get into a lot of trouble. This crime was considered an offense against morality and decency, which was no doubt introduced due to the state’s deep religiosity. However, it was only enforceable if the man promised the woman that he would marry her if he used it as a way of seducing her. If no seduction took place, then it was not enforceable. An individual found guilty of this would typically be fined. The amount they would be fined was up to the court. Imprisonment of no longer than a year was also permissible. There are very few states where you will find similar laws.
Scaring Horses
One unique law in South Carolina was that railroad companies could be held liable if they scared people’s horses. This law was introduced when railroads were first introduced into the United States. Trains that scared horses could cause them to break out of their enclosures and be set free. This costs landowners a lot of money when it happened, which led to people pressuring the government of South Carolina to introduce such laws.
Firing Missiles
If you want to fire a missile in South Carolina, then you need a permit. Again, this is a law that’s not found in many other American states. In order to acquire a permit for firing a missile, an individual must apply to the Aeronautics Division of the Department of Commerce The form can be ordered from them. An individual found to be firing missiles without a permit can be fined not more than one hundred dollars and imprisoned for not more than thirty days.
State-licensed Psychics
In the state of South Carolina, fortune tellers were required to obtain a permit from the state. The reason for this was because, at the time the law was introduced, there were a lot of so-called psychics going around, scamming people. The government introduced this law to prevent this from taking place. A lot of people lost a lot of money due to fortune tellers. Fortune telling without a permit could result in a fine being issued, or even imprisonment. It is not something enforced today.
South Carolina has some very interesting laws (or did have at one point). Some of these laws are technically still in place, although aren’t enforced. South Carolina isn’t unique in this however, many U.S. states have very strange laws, which made sense at one time, but today, are very comical.