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South Carolina state parks

Managed by SC State Parks (PRT). These are statewide rules; individual parks may post stricter ones. Federal land inside South Carolina follows federal rules, and drones also follow FAA rules.

Metal detecting Permit / permission needed

All metal detecting in SC state parks requires prior approval from the Park Manager or designee, and only in non-sensitive areas. It is prohibited at all State Historic Sites and listed archaeological sites (e.g., Charles Towne Landing, Rivers Bridge, Hampton Plantation, Hunting Island lighthouse complex). The policy says to assume an absolute prohibition unless approved.

Permit
Prior approval from the Park Manager.
Sources
southcarolinaparks.com ยท southcarolinaparks.com
Notes
Policy text extracted by OCR; pages 3+ list further guidelines.
Verified
2026-10-21 ยท official text read

Confirm with the park before you go. Individual parks can post their own closures and rules.

Drones Unclear

No statewide drone rule was found.

Permit
Ask the park.
Sources
southcarolinaparks.com
Verified
2026-10-21 ยท official page could not be read directly
โš ๏ธ Unclear: official sources are silent or conflicting, so we can't give a firm answer. Please check with the park directly.

Confirm with the park before you go. Individual parks can post their own closures and rules.

Machine-readable: /api/states/sc.json