Download This Bill in Microsoft Word format

A121, R135, S357

STATUS INFORMATION

General Bill
Sponsors: Senators Rankin, Alexander, Young, Hembree, Reichenbach, Climer and Zell
Companion/Similar bill(s): 4144
Document Path: SJ-0003MF25.docx

Introduced in the Senate on February 18, 2025
Introduced in the House on April 30, 2025
Currently residing in the House
Governor's Action: May 15, 2026, Signed

Summary: Mail Theft

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date	Body	Action Description with journal page number
2/18/2025	Senate	Introduced and read first time (Senate Journal-page 6)
2/18/2025	Senate	Referred to Committee on Judiciary (Senate Journal-page 6)
4/16/2025	Senate	Committee report: Favorable Judiciary (Senate Journal-page 21)
4/24/2025	Senate	Read second time (Senate Journal-page 28)
4/24/2025	Senate	Roll call Ayes-39 Nays-0 (Senate Journal-page 28)
4/29/2025	Senate	Read third time and sent to House (Senate Journal-page 24)
4/30/2025	House	Introduced and read first time (House Journal-page 108)
4/30/2025	House	Referred to Committee on Judiciary (House Journal-page 108)
4/29/2026	House	Committee report: Favorable Judiciary (House Journal-page 180)
4/30/2026	House	Debate adjourned until Tues., 5-5-26 (House Journal-page 117)
5/5/2026	House	Read second time (House Journal-page 30)
5/5/2026	House	Roll call Yeas-110 Nays-0 (House Journal-page 30)
5/6/2026	House	Read third time and enrolled (House Journal-page 33)
5/14/2026		Ratified R 135
5/15/2026		Signed By Governor
5/26/2026		Effective date 05/15/26
5/26/2026		Act No. 121

View the latest legislative information at the website

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

02/18/2025
04/16/2025
04/29/2026

NOTE: THIS IS A TEMPORARY VERSION. THIS DOCUMENT WILL REMAIN IN THIS VERSION UNTIL FINAL APPROVAL BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

(A121, R135, S357)

AN ACT TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 16-13-190 SO AS TO CREATE THE OFFENSE OF MAIL THEFT AND PROVIDE PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS.

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

Mail theft

SECTION 1.    Chapter 13, Title 16 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:

Section 16-13-190.    (A) As used in this section:

(1) "Mail" means any letter, postal card, parcel, package, bag, or other material, along with its contents, that has postage affixed by the postal customer, and:

(a) has been accepted for delivery by the postal service;

(b) the postal customer has left or deposited for collection by the postal service; or

(c) that the postal service has delivered to, but has not yet been received by, the person to whom it is addressed.

(2) "Mail receptacle" means a mailbox, post office box, rural box, letter box, lock drawer, mail bag, vehicle, or any place, area, or item intended or used by postal customers or a postal service for the collection, deposit, or delivery of mail.

(3) "Postal service" means the United States Postal Service, a private mail carrier, or a common carrier delivery service.

(B) A person commits the crime of mail theft if the person does any of the following:

(1) knowingly, willfully, and with the intent to deprive, injure, damage, or defraud another:

(a) takes, destroys, hides, or embezzles; or

(b) obtains mail by fraud or deception;

(2) buys, receives, conceals, or possesses:

(a) stolen mail and knows or reasonably should have known that the mail was unlawfully taken or obtained;

(b) any key designed to provide access to a lock adopted by the United States Postal Service that provides access to any mail receptacle in any neighborhood or apartment panel used for the purpose of centralized mail without being authorized by the United States Postal Service to do so; or

(c) a counterfeit device or key designed to provide access to a lock adopted by the United States Postal Service that provides access to any mail receptacle in any neighborhood or apartment panel used for the purpose of centralized mail;

(3) knowingly, willfully, and with the intent to steal any mail inside of a mail receptacle, damages, opens, tears down, takes, or destroys any mail receptacle; or

(4) enters into an agreement, confederation, or conspiracy to violate any foregoing provisions of subsection (B) and does any overt act towards carrying out such unlawful agreement, confederation, or conspiracy.

(C) A person who violates any provision of subsection (B), except as otherwise provided in subsection (D)(1), is guilty of a Class E felony and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than ten thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.

(D) A person who, without intending to defraud the victim, knowingly, willfully, and with the intent to deprive, injure, or damage another takes, destroys, or hides mail, or buys, receives, conceals, or possesses stolen mail that they know or reasonably should have known was unlawfully taken or obtained:

(1) for a first offense, is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than five thousand dollars or imprisoned for not more than three years, or both; or

(2) for a second or subsequent offense, is guilty of a Class E felony and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than ten thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.

(E) In addition to the penalty assessed under subsection (C), the court shall order the person convicted of mail theft pursuant to this section to pay restitution to the victim in an amount determined by the court.

Crime classification, offense added

SECTION 2.    Section 16-1-90(E) of the S.C. Code is amended to add the following offense:

16-13-190    Mail theft (second or subsequent offense)

Crime classification, offense added

SECTION 3.    Section 16-1-100(A) of the S.C. Code is amended to add the following offense:

16-13-190    Mail theft (first offense)

Time effective

SECTION 4.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

Ratified the 14th day of May, 2026.

Approved the 15th day of May, 2026.

This web page was last updated on May 26, 2026 at 3:11 PM