South Carolina 126th General Assembly Status: Introduced

S 0822 — A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 27-7-80 SO AS TO DEFINE TERMS RELATING TO REAL ESTATE FRAUD AND CREATE THE FELONY OF DEED THEFT.

Last action — Referred to Committee on Judiciary (House Journal-page 15)

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  1. 1
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced January 15, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee referral and hearing.

Prognosis

Stalled 2% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • Introduced

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 5 sponsors

    1 primary, 4 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Failed a recorded vote

    Failed 1 recorded vote so far — a real headwind.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

Deed Theft

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

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AI-generated reading aid from the bill's amendatory text — verify against the official bill.

This bill establishes the felony of deed theft in South Carolina, defining related terms and outlining penalties and civil remedies for victims.

  • Section 27-7-80

    (A) As used in this section: (1) "Title theft" means a person or entity unlawfully transfers or attempts to transfer a property owner's title or deed to themselves or to another party without the effective consent of the property owner or with the intent to deprive the property owner of or the nonpossessory interest in the real property. (2) "Real estate instrument" means any of the following instruments that convey, transfer, encumber, or affect real estate and property including deeds, mortgages, or any other document that is used to show ownership of or nonpossessory interest in real property in this State. (3) "Effective consent" means consent by a person legally authorized to act for the owner. Effective consent does not include consent induced by deception or coercion or given by a person without legal capacity. (4) "Nonpossessory interest" means an interest that may be conveyed by a quitclaim deed or conditional transfer. (B) It is unlawful for a person without the effective consent of the property owner, whether with intent to deprive the property owner of or the nonpossessory interest in the real property, to knowingly or intentionally: (1) forge or counterfeit any real estate instruments; (2) use a real estate instrument knowing it to have been forged or counterfeited; or (3) use a false name or address, use the personal identifying information, as defined in Section 16-15-310, of another person, make a materially false statement, fail to disclose a security interest, or conceal any other material fact in the filing of a real estate instrument. (C) A person violating the provisions of this section is guilty of the felony of title theft and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than five thousand dollars, imprisoned not more than five years, or both. (D) The court may order a person or entity, upon conviction, to pay for: (1) the costs for any loss of use of real property; (2) loss of or damage to property, including trees, landscaping, or crop; and (3) reasonable attorney's fees, court costs, and actual costs related to the matter. (E) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, and subject to the limitations herein, an attorney licensed to practice law in this State, who conducted or supervised the real estate closing or the preparation of the original instrument, may modify an original real estate instrument to correct or cure errors arising from the instrument's original draft or execution, for the purpose of correcting or clarifying the public record so that it accurately reflects the intent of the parties. (F) A person who is a victim of title theft may bring a civil action in the court of common pleas against the person or entity that unlawfully transfers or attempts to transfer a property owner's title or deed to themselves or to another party to deprive the owner of or the nonpossessory interest in the real property. The court may award compensatory damages, punitive damages, injunctive relief, and other appropriate relief. A prevailing plaintiff also may be awarded attorneys' fees and costs.

    This adds a new section defining deed theft, outlining its penalties, and establishing a civil remedy for victims.

Action History

  1. Referred to Committee on Judiciary (House Journal-page 15)

  2. Introduced and read first time (House Journal-page 15)

  3. Read third time and sent to House (Senate Journal-page 32)

  4. Roll call Ayes-38 Nays-0 (Senate Journal-page 44)

  5. Read second time (Senate Journal-page 44)

  6. Amended (Senate Journal-page 44)

  7. Committee Amendment Adopted (Senate Journal-page 44)

  8. Committee report: Favorable with amendment Judiciary (Senate Journal-page 3)

  9. Referred to Committee on Judiciary (Senate Journal-page 6)

  10. Introduced and read first time (Senate Journal-page 6)

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 4 co-sponsors · 165 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (4)

Not signed on (165)

165 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Subjects

public-safety housing
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does S 0822 do?
Deed Theft
Who sponsors S 0822?
S 0822 is sponsored by Senator Thomas C. Alexander, Senator Ross Turner, Senator Tom Young, Jr., Senator Billy Garrett, and Senator Thomas D. "Tom" Corbin.
What is the current status of S 0822?
This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced January 15, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track S 0822?
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Last checked for changes 4 months ago · updated continuously

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