As of March 2026, South Carolina generally allows most adults to own and carry ordinary knives under state law. The former statewide concealed-weapons section that older summaries often relied on, S.C. Code § 16-23-460, was repealed effective March 7, 2024. The clearest current statewide knife-specific carry restriction is on elementary or secondary school property, where carrying on the person a knife with a blade over two inches is unlawful under S.C. Code § 16-23-430(A).
Quick Answer
South Carolina’s statewide knife rules are narrower than many older online summaries suggest.
The biggest change is that S.C. Code § 16-23-460, the old concealed-weapons section often cited in older knife-law articles, is now repealed. 2024 Act No. 111 removed that section effective March 7, 2024. In the current code reviewed, the most important statewide knife-specific restriction is S.C. Code § 16-23-430, which regulates carrying certain weapons, including knives with blades over two inches, on elementary or secondary school property. Other issues that still matter include local ordinances, detention-facility rules, and extra punishment when a knife is possessed or displayed during a violent crime under S.C. Code § 16-23-490.
The current South Carolina statutes reviewed do not identify a general statewide ban on ordinary knife ownership.
That includes common folding knives, fixed blades, and, based on the current code reviewed, no separate statewide adult ownership ban was identified for automatic knives, switchblades, butterfly knives, gravity knives, or double-edged knives. That does not mean every situation is lawful. A knife can still become unlawful in a restricted setting, during the commission of another offense, or in a detention context. S.C. Code §§ 16-23-430, 16-23-490, 24-13-440.
No general statewide statute was identified that bans ordinary open knife carry for most adults in South Carolina.
State law is more focused on place restrictions and criminal misuse than on a broad open-carry prohibition for knives. The clearest statewide place restriction is school property under S.C. Code § 16-23-430(A). Open carry also does not insulate a person from other charges if the knife is used, displayed, or possessed during a violent crime. S.C. Code § 16-23-490.
The current statutes reviewed do not identify a general statewide offense for merely carrying an ordinary knife concealed.
That conclusion turns on the 2024 repeal of S.C. Code § 16-23-460. Older articles that still analyze concealed knife carry through that section are outdated. Even so, this should not be overstated. A concealed knife can still create legal problems if the facts involve school property, local ordinances, criminal intent, or another underlying offense. 2024 Act No. 111; S.C. Code §§ 16-23-430, 16-23-490.
The current South Carolina statutes reviewed do not identify a separate statewide adult ownership or carry ban on those knife categories.
No current statewide section reviewed was found that singles out switchblades, automatic knives, butterfly knives, gravity knives, or double-edged knives for general adult prohibition. South Carolina’s older concealed-weapon framework is no longer the governing statewide carry rule for ordinary knives because S.C. Code § 16-23-460 has been repealed. Federal law may still apply separately to switchblades and ballistic knives, which is a different issue from South Carolina state law.
South Carolina does not appear to impose a general statewide blade-length limit for ordinary adult carry.
The clearest statewide measurement is the school-property rule in S.C. Code § 16-23-430(A), which makes it unlawful to carry on the person, while on elementary or secondary school property, a knife with a blade over two inches long. Outside that context, the current statewide statutes reviewed do not identify a general blade-length cap. Some older municipal ordinances have used other measurements, which is one reason local code checks still matter.
The clearest statewide knife-restricted place is elementary or secondary school property.
Under S.C. Code § 16-23-430(A), carrying on the person a knife with a blade over two inches long on elementary or secondary school property is unlawful, subject to exceptions for law enforcement or authorized personnel. Section 16-23-430(B) creates an important vehicle-storage exception: the section does not apply when the weapon remains inside an attended or locked motor vehicle and is secured in a closed glove compartment, closed console, closed trunk, or a closed fastened container in the luggage compartment. A violation is a felony punishable by up to five years, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. S.C. Code § 16-23-430(C).
A separate detention-facility rule applies to inmates. S.C. Code § 24-13-440 makes it unlawful for an inmate of a state correctional facility or local detention facility to carry or possess listed weapons, including a dirk, razor, firearm, or other object that may be used to inflict personal injury.
South Carolina also adds punishment when a person possesses or visibly displays a knife during the commission or attempted commission of a violent crime. S.C. Code § 16-23-490.
The current state statutes reviewed did not reveal a general statewide knife counterpart to South Carolina’s firearm rules for courthouses, public buildings, or many posted businesses. That distinction matters because firearm-only provisions should not be copied over to knives without a separate knife statute.
No general statewide knife-specific retail age floor or sale restriction was identified in the current South Carolina statutes reviewed.
That said, minors can still face school discipline, juvenile consequences, or criminal liability depending on where the knife is carried and how it is used. In practical terms, school-property rules matter more than a broad statewide knife-sales section in the current code reviewed.
No express statewide knife-preemption statute was identified in the current South Carolina code reviewed.
South Carolina does have a constitutional statewide-uniformity rule for criminal law. S.C. Const. art. VIII, § 14 provides that general law provisions on criminal laws and their penalties shall not be set aside by local government. That constitutional background is important when local knife ordinances conflict with broader statewide criminal law.
Yes, local ordinances can still matter, but their enforceability is not always clear.
In a 2020 official opinion, the South Carolina Attorney General concluded that listed knife ordinances in Charleston, Columbia, and Greenville would likely be found inconsistent with statewide criminal law and therefore in conflict with S.C. Const. art. VIII, § 14. The opinion did not itself strike those ordinances down; only a court can do that. Still, it is an important warning against assuming that every older municipal knife ordinance remains sound. That uncertainty is even more pronounced now that S.C. Code § 16-23-460, the old statewide concealed-weapon section underlying much of that earlier analysis, has been repealed.
The cautious reading is this: South Carolina does not have a simple express knife-preemption statute in the current code reviewed, but conflicting local knife ordinances may be vulnerable under the state constitution. Because older ordinances can still appear in municipal codes, city and county rules should still be checked before carrying.
Federal law can still matter even when South Carolina law is relatively permissive.
The Federal Switchblade Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1241-1245, regulates certain interstate-commerce activity involving switchblade knives and separately addresses ballistic knives. Those federal rules are separate from South Carolina’s general ownership and carry rules, so a knife that is broadly lawful under state law can still raise separate federal questions in specific contexts.
A careful summary of South Carolina law as reviewed appears below.
| Issue | South Carolina law as of March 2026 |
|---|---|
| Knife ownership | No general statewide adult ownership ban on ordinary knives was identified in the current statutes reviewed. |
| Open carry | No general statewide open-carry ban on ordinary knives was identified, but school-property restrictions and misuse laws still matter. S.C. Code §§ 16-23-430, 16-23-490. |
| Concealed carry | S.C. Code § 16-23-460 was repealed effective March 7, 2024, and no general statewide concealed-knife offense was identified in the current code reviewed. |
| Automatic / switchblade / butterfly / double-edged knives | No separate statewide adult ban on those categories was identified in the current South Carolina statutes reviewed. Federal law may still apply separately. |
| Blade length | No general statewide blade-length cap was identified. The key statewide threshold is a blade over two inches on elementary or secondary school property. S.C. Code § 16-23-430(A). |
| School property | Carrying on the person a knife with a blade over two inches on elementary or secondary school property is unlawful, subject to the locked-vehicle exception. A violation is a felony. S.C. Code § 16-23-430. |
| Local ordinances | No express statewide knife-preemption statute was identified. Some older city ordinances may still appear, but the 2020 Attorney General opinion said listed local knife ordinances would likely conflict with statewide criminal law and S.C. Const. art. VIII, § 14. |
| Federal law | Federal switchblade and ballistic-knife rules may still apply in specific interstate-commerce or federal-jurisdiction contexts. 15 U.S.C. §§ 1241-1245. |
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The main recent change affecting knife carry in South Carolina is already in force.
2024 Act No. 111, H.3594, took effect on March 7, 2024. It repealed S.C. Code § 16-23-460 and also broadened the vehicle-storage exception in S.C. Code § 16-23-430(B) by removing the earlier permit-based wording. As of March 2026, bills such as S.149, H.4151, and H.5117 were pending juvenile-justice measures and were not in force. They should not be treated as current South Carolina knife law.
Generally yes, for most adults, because no broad statewide ban on carrying ordinary knives was identified in the current statutes reviewed. The biggest statewide caution is school property, where carrying on the person a knife with a blade over two inches is prohibited. S.C. Code § 16-23-430(A).
The current South Carolina statutes reviewed did not identify a separate statewide adult ban on switchblade ownership or carry. Federal law may still apply separately to switchblades and ballistic knives in certain contexts.
Under S.C. Code § 16-23-430(B), the school-property rule does not apply when the weapon remains inside an attended or locked motor vehicle and is secured in a closed glove compartment, closed console, closed trunk, or closed fastened container in the luggage compartment.
No general statewide two-inch limit was identified. The two-inch threshold matters specifically on elementary or secondary school property under S.C. Code § 16-23-430(A).
That is not fully settled in a simple statewide statute. The 2020 South Carolina Attorney General opinion concluded that listed local knife ordinances would likely conflict with statewide criminal law and S.C. Const. art. VIII, § 14, but AG opinions are not the same as a binding court judgment.
The current text of S.C. Code § 16-23-430 refers to elementary or secondary school property. The statutes reviewed did not identify a general statewide knife counterpart in that section for colleges or universities, although campus policies, local rules, and case-specific facts may still matter.
Laws can change, local rules may still apply, and restricted places, intent, and personal legal status can affect legality in a real case. This article provides legal information, not legal advice.
South Carolina sources
Federal sources