South Carolina has enacted a statute known as a “parental responsibility law.” These are civil
laws that can be used to hold a parent or legal guardian financially accountable for certain
injuries or damages their minor children cause. South Carolina’s civil liability law is
covered under Section 63-5-60 of the South Carolina Children’s Code. Under Sec. 63-5-60,
a parent can be held liable for damages incurred as a result of their son or daughter’s
misconduct. That is if the minor is under the age of eighteen and living with the parents and
the minor maliciously or willfully caused personal injury to someone, or damaged,
destroyed, or stole someone else’s property.
Section V: PARENTAL ACCOUNTABILITY ACT
Parental Accountability: A parent can be held liable for damages incurred as a result of their
son or daughter’s misconduct. That is if the minor is under the age of eighteen and living
with the parents and the minor maliciously or willfully caused personal injury to someone,
or damaged, destroyed, or stole someone else’s property.
A. Where a parent fails to exercise reasonable control over a Minor, where the Minor
commits the act while unsupervised by a parent or guardian, or where the Minor
commits the act while also violating curfew without lawful authority, it shall be
presumed that such failure to exercise reasonable control has a causal relationship to the
Delinquent Act.
B. Parental Accountability: It shall be a violation of the Fripp Island POA Rules and
Regulations for a parent who fails to exercise due control over their respective
Minor(s), where the Minor commits a delinquent act, which does not include traffic
violations. $250.00
C. Civil Liability: Pursuant to Section 63-5-60 of the South Carolina Children’s
Code, a parent can be held liable for damages incurred as a result of their son or
daughter’s misconduct, up to $5,000.00 per incident.
