South Carolina § 16-17-450 Refusal to relinquish party telephone line for emergency call.

South Carolina Statutes

§ 16-17-450 — Refusal to relinquish party telephone line for emergency call.

South Carolina § 16-17-450

Title 16CRIMES AND OFFENSES

Ch. 17OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC POLICY

This text of South Carolina § 16-17-450 (Refusal to relinquish party telephone line for emergency call.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering South Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

S.C. Code Ann. § 16-17-450 (2026).

Text

(1)Any person who shall wilfully refuse to relinquish immediately a party telephone line when informed that such line is needed for an emergency call to a fire department or police department or for medical aid or ambulance service shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined not more than one hundred dollars or imprisoned for not more than thirty days.

(2)It shall constitute a defense to a prosecution under subsection (1) that the accused did not know of the emergency in question, or that the accused was using the party telephone line for an emergency call.

(3)Any person who requests another to relinquish a telephone party line on the pretext that he must place an emergency call, knowing such pretext to be false, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon convi

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(1) Any person who shall wilfully refuse to relinquish immediately a party telephone line when informed that such line is needed for an emergency call to a fire department or police department or for medical aid or ambulance service shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined not more than one hundred dollars or imprisoned for not more than thirty days. (2) It shall constitute a defense to a prosecution under subsection (1) that the accused did not know of the emergency in question, or that the accused was using the party telephone line for an emergency call. (3) Any person who requests another to relinquish a telephone party line on the pretext that he must place an emergency call, knowing such pretext to be false, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined not more than one hundred dollars or imprisoned for not more than thirty days. (4) As used in this section The term "party line" shall mean a subscriber's line telephone circuit, consisting of two or more main telephone stations connected therewith, each station with a distinctive ring or telephone number. The term "emergency" shall mean a situation in which property or human life are in jeopardy and the prompt summoning of aid is essential.