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The License-Plate Reader File · South CarolinaIn reporting · updated Oct. 31, 2026

Who is reading your plate?
County by county.

South Carolina has no statute specifically governing license-plate readers, and by March 2024 the state transportation department had stopped approving them on state roads; of the 60 local agencies on this map with documented programs, Oconee County ended its sheriff's Flock contract in September 2026, the College of Charleston declined to keep a trial, and Greer paused its cameras for 90 days.

License-plate readers in other states →

A county’s color reflects any documented agency in it: the sheriff’s office or a city police department. “Not yet checked” is not the same as “none”.

Using license-plate readers
In use; some cameras may have been switched off or removed.
Removing or limiting cameras
Removing cameras beyond state roads, or limiting use, while some remain.
Use suspended
Cameras switched off or use paused; no contract termination reported.
Program documented, current use unconfirmed
Records or reports show the agency bought or used plate readers, but no source found confirms whether they are still in use.
Ended or removed
Contract terminated, program discontinued, or all cameras removed.

Statewide

  1. March 2024 By March 2024 SCDOT had stopped approving new plate-reader installations in state right-of-way, citing ongoing litigation, according to an SCDOT spokeswoman. In February 2024 Transportation Secretary Christy Hall had said the department found more than 200 Flock cameras on state right-of-way without permits. A Flock spokesman said cities, counties and private owners could still install cameras elsewhere. The date the pause began was not reported. (The Post and Courier, March 11, 2024)
  2. July 2024 Local agencies reported working around the SCDOT pause, e.g., mounting cameras on private property or utility poles (Florence County SO, Loris PD; both outside the Midlands). (WMBF News, July 3, 2024)
  3. Jan. 14, 2025 H. 3155 (Rep. Rutherford) introduced and referred to House Judiciary: would restrict ALPR use to listed purposes, cap retention at 90 days, bar sale of data, and make violations a misdemeanor. No action after referral shown on the bill page. (South Carolina General Assembly, Jan. 14, 2025)
  4. Feb. 13, 2025 H. 4013 (Reps. J.E. Johnson, Gilliam, Bailey, Guest; Alexander added 2025-03-26) introduced and referred to House Education and Public Works: lists lawful ALPR uses, 90-day retention for law enforcement absent an investigation, audit logs, written public policy, ban on sale; expressly lets SLED operate an ALPR database; adds Section 57-3-786 directing SCDOT to set up a permit process for government cameras on non-interstate rights of way. No action after referral shown. (South Carolina General Assembly, Feb. 13, 2025; Municipal Association of South Carolina, date not shown)
  5. March 12, 2025 S. 447 (Sen. Brian Adams; companion H. 3155) introduced and referred to Senate Judiciary. Similar framework to H. 4013 (permitted uses, 90-day retention, written policy, access logs, visual confirmation before stops, no sale of data, SLED database authorized, SCDOT permitting via new Section 57-3-786) and makes misuse of law enforcement ALPR data a misdemeanor (fine up to $1,000 and up to two years in prison). (South Carolina General Assembly, April 9, 2026)
  6. April 15, 2025 WSPA quoted an SCDOT spokesperson on April 15, 2025 saying it was "unclear" whether the devices are allowed in state-owned right-of-way; on April 17 WIS reported SCDOT had not installed readers in state right-of-way for more than a year and was waiting for direction from lawmakers. (WIS News 10, April 17, 2025; WSPA 7NEWS (via Yahoo News), date not shown)
  7. April 15, 2025 A Senate Judiciary subcommittee gave S. 447 a favorable report; the full committee carried it over (per MASC tracker). (Municipal Association of South Carolina, date not shown)
  8. March 2, 2026 Attorney General Alan Wilson joined two Georgia-led multistate friend-of-the-court briefs, with 17 other states signing alongside South Carolina, supporting police use of license plate readers against Fourth Amendment challenges. The office's release does not name the cases or courts. (South Carolina Attorney General's Office, March 2, 2026)
  9. April 9, 2026 Senate Judiciary Committee reported S. 447 favorably (statehouse bill page lists 4/9/2026; MASC tracker lists 04.08.2026). No later floor action is shown on either page; FOX Carolina reported in September 2026 that lawmakers are expected to revisit ALPR rules in January 2027. As of these sources South Carolina has no statute specifically governing ALPR. (South Carolina General Assembly, April 9, 2026; Municipal Association of South Carolina, date not shown; FOX Carolina, Sept. 11, 2026)
  10. Sept. 2026 Gov. Henry McMaster, asked by FOX Carolina after Florida moved to remove Flock cameras from state roads, said law enforcement should not be deprived of such tools and that misuse should bring accountability. (FOX Carolina, Sept. 11, 2026)

State agencies

South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED)

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Vendor not named in source
Cameras
6
SLED's own units as SLED described them in 2022: five trailer-mounted portable readers and one fixed reader; most reads in its central database come from local agencies (48 contributing agencies, ~400 million reads, three-year retention, per 2022 reporting).
Sources
GovTech / The State, Nov. 17, 2022; WSPA 7NEWS (via Yahoo News), date not shown; Flock Safety / Lexington Police Department, Dec. 7, 2025
  1. Nov. 2022 Reporting on a petition against SLED described its central ALPR database ("Back Office"): about 400 million plate images kept three years, SLED-owned units of five trailers and one fixed camera, data from 48 agencies. (GovTech / The State, Nov. 17, 2022)
  2. Dec. 7, 2025 SLED is listed among organizations with access to Lexington Police Department's Flock data on Lexington PD's Flock transparency portal. (Flock Safety / Lexington Police Department, Dec. 7, 2025)
Conflicts and open questions
  • WSPA (April 15, 2025) quoted senior SLED agent Mark Amos as saying the data is used only for law-enforcement investigations and that every search has a reason behind it.
  • No South Carolina statute expressly addresses the database; petitioners challenging it say no law authorizes it and SLED says state law does. H. 4013 and S. 447 would authorize it expressly.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Every county

All 46 counties
AbbevilleChecked: no program found———
AikenUsing license-plate readers1Flock Safety14
AllendaleChecked: no program found———
AndersonUsing license-plate readers1Flock Safety—
BambergChecked: no program found———
BarnwellChecked: no program found———
BeaufortUsing license-plate readers3Flock Safety, Rekor Systems, Verkada69
BerkeleyUsing license-plate readers6Flock Safety, Motorola Solutions, Rekor Systems, Verkada79
CalhounNot yet checked———
CharlestonUsing license-plate readers10Flock Safety, Motorola Solutions, Rekor Systems, Verkada78
CherokeeNot yet checked———
ChesterUsing license-plate readers1Flock Safety38
ChesterfieldUsing license-plate readers2Flock Safety24
ClarendonNot yet checked———
ColletonProgram documented, current use unconfirmed1Flock Safety—
DarlingtonProgram documented, current use unconfirmed1Flock Safety8
DillonChecked: no program found———
DorchesterUsing license-plate readers3Flock Safety, Motorola Solutions, Rekor Systems, Verkada31
EdgefieldChecked: no program found———
FairfieldNot yet checked———
FlorenceUsing license-plate readers2Flock Safety80
GeorgetownUsing license-plate readers3Flock Safety34
GreenvilleUsing license-plate readers7Flock Safety60
GreenwoodUsing license-plate readers1Flock Safety—
HamptonChecked: no program found———
HorryUsing license-plate readers6Flock Safety73
JasperUsing license-plate readers1Flock Safety70
KershawUsing license-plate readers1Flock Safety40
LancasterUsing license-plate readers1Flock Safety62
LaurensProgram documented, current use unconfirmed1Flock Safety25
LeeNot yet checked———
LexingtonUsing license-plate readers2Flock Safety19
MarionChecked: no program found———
MarlboroChecked: no program found———
McCormickChecked: no program found———
NewberryNot yet checked———
OconeeEnded or removed1Flock Safety5
OrangeburgProgram documented, current use unconfirmed1NDI Recognition Systems—
PickensUsing license-plate readers2Flock Safety16
RichlandUsing license-plate readers3Flock Safety61
SaludaChecked: no program found———
SpartanburgUsing license-plate readers4Flock Safety19
SumterNot yet checked———
UnionUsing license-plate readers1Flock Safety—
WilliamsburgChecked: no program found———
YorkUsing license-plate readers3Flock Safety45

How this map is built

We start with each county’s sheriff’s office and its largest city police departments, then work outward. Each agency’s entry says whether it comes from agency records or from news reports, and links every source. Companies are tracked separately, so the map can show one company’s customers or all license-plate readers together.

Have a contract, invoice or records response for an agency here? Send it to tips@signaldata.org.

Sources