Silly Rules

Home › South Carolina › S.C. Code § 16-11-590

South Carolina · S.C. Code § 16-11-590

Picking sea oats or a Venus flytrap can mean jail

Quote checked October 14, 2026 Text match only; current legal status and enforcement not verified.

What the law says

“It shall be unlawful for any person to cut, collect, break or otherwise destroy sea oat plants, Venus's-flytrap plants or any part on public property or on private property without the owner's consent.”

Penalty

“Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be fined not more than two hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days nor less than five days.”

History note

“HISTORY: 1962 Code SECTION 16-385.2; 1961 (52) 427; 1980 Act No. 417.”

As printed on the official page.

The earliest year in this note is 1961. That's the earliest year the note prints. It doesn't establish when this wording was enacted, took effect or first appeared.

In plain English

Our reading

Two plants get their own protection in South Carolina: sea oats and the Venus's-flytrap. Cutting, collecting, breaking or destroying either one, or any part of one, is a misdemeanor on public land, and on private land without the owner's consent. A conviction can mean a fine of up to $200 or a jail term of five to thirty days.

Written by Silly Rules from the quoted text above. It's a plain reading, not legal advice. We haven't researched how courts read this section or how often anyone enforces it.

Code
South Carolina Code of Laws
Section
S.C. Code § 16-11-590, “Destruction of sea oat or Venus's flytrap plants”
Topic
Farm, field and water
Source
www.scstatehouse.gov

More laws about farm, field and water

More from South Carolina

Every quote on this site was matched against its official page on October 14, 2026. Text match only; current legal status and enforcement not verified.