South Carolina Attorney General Opinions
Free plain-English summaries of attorney general opinions issued in South Carolina, with full citations and the original source on every page.
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Can a South Carolina county sponsor a private dam owner's FEMA grant if it means spending public money to maintain private property?
Probably not without a real public purpose, the AG concluded. If Oconee County sponsors the privately owned Chattooga Lake Dam's FEMA HHPD grant, it must commit to operate and maintain the dam, and sp…
Is South Carolina's Robert Smalls Monument Commission a state agency, and is the monument a public purpose?
Yes on both. The Attorney General confirmed that the Robert Smalls Monument Commission, created by Act 183 of 2024, is an agency of the State of South Carolina, and that its job, designing a monument …
When is a nonprofit a 'public body' subject to South Carolina's FOIA because it gets public money?
It depends on how the public money flows. The Attorney General concluded the Uptown Greenwood Local Development Corporation is not a FOIA public body just because it gets accommodations-tax (A-Tax) fu…
Can a South Carolina county spend tax money to maintain private dirt roads?
No, and a workaround through a charity won't fix it. The Attorney General reaffirmed that public funds, including ad valorem taxes, cannot be used to maintain private roads because that serves no publ…
Can a South Carolina town spend public money to rebuild a culvert or road that mainly benefits one private property?
Maybe, but the Attorney General would not decide it. Because the culvert would sit on municipal property and the road over it stays open to the public, the AG said a court might find the spending does…
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Attorney general opinions in South Carolina are written by the South Carolina Attorney General's office in response to questions from state agencies, legislators, and prosecutors. They are not binding like court decisions, but courts and agencies treat them as persuasive guidance on how state law applies. Every opinion above has a plain-English question and short answer, plus a link to the full original text.