1. Currently in South Carolina there is no permit needed to harvest turtles for personal use
2. It is unlawful for a person, or a group of individuals traveling in one vehicle, to remove, or attempt to remove from this State more than
ten, either in one species or a combination of species, of the named species of turtles at one time with a maximum of twenty turtles of
these species, either individually or in combination in any one year:
- yellowbelly turtle (Trachemys scripta),
- Florida cooter (Pseudemys floridana),
- river cooter (Pseudemys concinna),
- chicken turtle (Deirochelys reticularia),
- eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina),
- eastern painted turtle (Chrysemys picta),
- spiny softshell turtle (Apalone spinifera),
- Florida softshell turtle (Apalone ferox)
- common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina).
3. Translocation is not permitted in South Carolina
1. A person may possess no more than two diamond-backed terrapin for a noncommercial purpose
2. Any person transporting more than ten yellowbelly turtle (Trachemys scripta) species or common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina)
species must be in possession of a permit.
3. It is unlawful to possess the Bog Turtle, Gopher Tortoise or any Sea Turtle
4. S.C. law requires a permit for anyone to “take, possess, transport, import, expert, process, sell, offer for sale, ship or receive for
shipment, any Spotted Turtle
5. It does not appear that the state regulates the buying and selling of native species as well as non-native species for personal use
SUMMARY OF SOUTH CAROLINA TURTLE LAWS
Eastern River Cooter Pseudemys concinna concinna
Florida Cooter Pseudemys floridana floridana
Florida Softshell Turtle Apalone ferox
Gopher Tortoise Gopherus polyphemus
Gulf Coast Spiny Softshell Turtle Apalone spinifera aspera
Striped Mud Turtle Kinosternon baurii
Spotted Turtle Clemmys guttata
Yellowbelly Slider Trachemys scripta scripta
Bog Turtle Glyptemys muhlenbergii
Carolina Diamondback terrapin Malaclemys terrapin centrata
Common Musk Turtle Sternotherus odoratus
Common Snapping Turtle Chelydra serpentina serpentina
Eastern Box Turtle Terrapene carolina carolina
Eastern Chicken Turtle Deirochelys reticularia reticularia
Eastern Mud Turtle Kinosternon subrubrum subrubrum
Eastern Painted Turtle Chrysemys picta picta
NATIVE SPECIES
COMMERCIAL
POSSESSION
1. A person selling, offering to sell, or purchasing Yellow Belly Sliders and Common Snapping Turtles must have documentation from the
aquaculture facility as to the origin of the turtles.
2. The sale or possession, take or transport of seven native turtles for commercial purposes is illegal. The seven protected species are:
yellowbelly turtle, river cooter, Florida cooter, chicken turtle, snapping turtle, Florida softshell turtle and spiny softshell turtle.
TAKING FROM THE WILD
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South Carolina
Nauti-Lass Ponds & Critters, Inc.
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