COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina's price gouging law is now in effect due to the threat potential for Hurricane Helene.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson made clear Sunday that the law can now be enforced following Gov. Henry McMaster's decision to issue a state of emergency. Under state law, the price gouging law automatically triggers when a state of emergency is in effect.
"We can expect normal price increases, and those are not considered price gouging under our law," Wilson said. "But we may see businesses and individuals looking to unfairly take advantage of the situation through price gouging of food, gasoline, lodging, and other commodities as defined by the statute. By our law, that’s a criminal violation and an unfair trade practice."
Normal increases in prices are to be expected, so just because the price of gas, for example, goes up by 20 cents, that would not be considered gouging.
The latest model from the National Hurricane Center has Helene making landfall along the Florida Big Bend coast Thursday evening before tracking north across Georgia overnight into Friday morning. As the storm grows, it will impact areas well beyond the storm's center, bringing strong, damaging winds across the southeastern US. Just before 9 a.m. Thursday, a Tornado Watch was issued for the entire Midlands until 9 p.m. A watch means conditions are favorable for the formation of tornadoes. The watch area includes Richland, Lexington, Orangeburg, Sumter, Saluda, Newberry, Calhoun, Fairfield, Lee, Kershaw, and Clarendon counties.
The price gouging law is in effect until the state of emergency expires or is terminated. Violators of the law can be charged for for excessive pricing, a misdemeanor offense punishable by a $1,000 fine and/or 30 days in jail.
The attorney general's office said that people who feel they are the victim of price gouging can contact its office to investigate. Please do the following:
- Note the time, place, address, and name of the gas station or business.
- Note the price you paid.
- Note any prices nearby and get the same information on those stations or businesses.
- Take pictures that identify the business, along with the price.
- Provide your name and contact information.
The attorney general's office will need that information to conduct a thorough investigation. Please email any examples and documentation to pricegouging@scag.gov. You can also give that information on their website at https://www.scag.gov/price-gouging/. If you don’t have access to email or our website, you can call 803-737-3953 and leave a message if you have witnessed a likely violation. Please include the details listed above.
