South Carolina General Assembly
106th Session, 1985-1986

Bill 2178

                    Current Status

Bill Number:               2178
Ratification Number:       362
Act Number:                343
Introducing Body:          House
Subject:                   Relating to dogs and other domestic pets,
                           by adding Article 2
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(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

(A343, R362, H2178)

AN ACT TO AMEND CHAPTER 3 OF TITLE 47, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO DOGS AND OTHER DOMESTIC PETS, BY ADDING ARTICLE 2 SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR LIABILITY FOR THE DAMAGES SUFFERED BY ANY PERSON AS A RESULT OF HAVING BEEN BITTEN OR OTHERWISE ATTACKED BY A DOG, PROVIDE FOR THE CONDITIONS AND CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH THE LIABILITY IS APPLICABLE, AND PROVIDE, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THAT IF A PERSON PROVOKES A DOG INTO ATTACKING HIM THEN THE OWNER OF THE DOG IS NOT LIABLE.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

Liability for dog bites

SECTION 1. Chapter 3 of Title 47 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"Article 2

Liability to Person Bitten or Otherwise

Attacked by a Dog

Section 47-3-110. Whenever any person is bitten or otherwise attacked by a dog while the person is in a public place or is lawfully in a private place, including the property of the owner of the dog or other person having the dog in his care or keeping, the owner of the dog or other person having the dog in his care or keeping is liable for the damages suffered by the person bitten or otherwise attacked. For the purposes of this section, a person bitten or otherwise attacked is lawfully in a private place, including the property of the owner of the dog or other person having the dog in his care or keeping, when the person bitten or otherwise attacked is on the property in the performance of any duty imposed upon him by the laws of this State, by the ordinances of any political subdivision of this State, by the laws of the United States of America, including, but not limited to, postal regulations, or when the person bitten or otherwise attacked is on the property upon the invitation, express or implied, of the owner of the property or of any lawful tenant or resident of the property. If a person provokes a dog into attacking him then the owner of the dog is not liable."

Time effective

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon approval by the Governor.