South Carolina Railroad State Laws and Regulations 

• 58-17-1450. Railroad crossing safety requirements.

All railroad crossings on public highways must be inspected for conditions which unsafely obstruct a motorist’s view of approaching trains, for the presence of crossbucks prescribed by Section 58-17-1390, and for the presence of stop signs authorized by law to be placed at railroad crossings. The Department of Transportation hereinafter referred to as the department, is responsible for inspecting railroad crossings on state maintained highways, the governing body of each county is responsible for inspecting railroad crossings on county maintained roads, and the governing body of each municipality is responsible for inspecting railroad crossings on road and street rights-of-way maintained by municipalities. The department shall inform counties and municipalities of the railroad crossings they are responsible for inspecting. By January 1, 1989, the governing body of each county and municipality must notify the department of the office and public official to whom the governing body has assigned responsibility for performing the inspections. If the person inspecting a railroad crossing finds that the required crossbucks are not in place, properly in place or maintained, or finds that a motorist’s view of approaching trains is unsafely obstructed by vegetation, growth, or objects not permanently affixed to realty which are within the right-of-way of the railway, the person inspecting the crossing must immediately notify the Deputy Director of Engineering within the Department of Transportation of the hazard. The notice must identify the crossing and describe the hazard. The inspector in the notice shall also inform the State Highway Engineer whether or not there is a stop sign at the crossing and, if not, whether or not in his opinion one should be added. Upon receipt of notice from the person inspecting the crossing, the department must give written notice of the hazard immediately by certified mail to any officer or registered agent of the railroad within the State. Notice from the department shall direct the railroad to cut or remove the vegetation, growth, and objects not permanently affixed to realty that are obstructing a motorist’s view or to erect, maintain, or properly situate crossbucks.

The department must also notify the governing body of any county or municipality which maintains the highways or roadways at the crossing that the inspector stated in his opinion that a stop sign should be added at the crossing.

Removal and elimination of obstructions must be made by the responsible railroad within sixty days of receipt of notification from the department. Measures to assure that crossbucks are properly in place and maintained must be taken by the responsible railroad within thirty days of receipt of notification from the department; however, if crossbucks are not present or have been removed, then the railroad has ten days from the notification to erect new crossbucks. Failure of the railroad company to remove or eliminate the obstruction within the railroad’s right-of-way and to erect or properly place and maintain crossbucks within the specified time period subjects the railroad company to a civil penalty of not less than one hundred dollars nor more than five hundred dollars. The railroad company is subject to an additional civil penalty of one hundred dollars a day for each day obstructions remain after the specified period and for each day crossbucks are not erected or properly placed and maintained after the specified period.

The person initially inspecting the railroad crossing is responsible for inspecting the crossing at appropriate intervals after notice to the railroad of the hazard to determine if obstructions have been eliminated and crossbucks properly placed and serviced within the period allowed before civil penalties may be assessed.

If the person inspecting the railroad crossing finds that a motorist’s view of approaching trains is obstructed by vegetation, growth, or objects not permanently affixed to realty that lie outside the right-of-way of the railroad but within right-of-way of highways and roads maintained by the State, county, or municipality, the person inspecting the railroad crossing must immediately give written notice of the hazard to the appropriate department of the State, county, or municipality, upon whose right-of-way the obstruction exists. If the obstruction is on the right-of-way maintained by a county or municipality, the person inspecting the crossing must also give immediate written notice of the hazard to the Deputy Director of Engineering within the Department of Transportation.

The department, counties, and municipalities have sixty days from issuance of the written notice by the person inspecting the crossing to eliminate the obstructions within their respective rights-of-way.

The person initially inspecting the railroad crossing is responsible for inspecting the crossing after notice of the hazard has been given and reporting to the department the date upon which obstructions are eliminated. If counties or municipalities do not eliminate the obstructions within sixty days of receipt of notification, the department must remove or eliminate the obstructions. Counties and municipalities must reimburse the Department of Transportation for the department’s cost in eliminating the obstructions.

If the person inspecting the railroad crossing finds that motorists’ view of approaching trains is obstructed by vegetation, growth, or objects not permanently affixed to realty that lie on private property outside the right-of-way of the railroad and outside the highway or road right-of-way of the State, county, or municipality, he must immediately give written notice of the hazard to the owner of the property and to the appropriate agency of the State, county, or municipality which maintains that highway or roadway. The owner of the property has sixty days after receipt of the notice to eliminate the obstructions and the inspector shall reinspect the crossing after this sixty-day period has expired to determine if the obstructions have been eliminated.

By January first of each year, counties and municipalities must report all railroad crossings that were inspected during the preceding year and at which no obstructions were found to the department. The department must make an annual report of inspections conducted during the preceding year. The annual report must be provided to the Senate Transportation Committee and the Education and Public Works Committee of the House of Representatives.

S.C. Code Ann. § 58-17-1450

• 58-15-2110. Railroads shall construct and maintain grade crossings of highways.

(A) Whenever the public safety, convenience, or necessity so requires, all operators of railroads which are now or hereafter shall be crossed at grade by a public highway shall construct and maintain grade crossings meeting the requirements of the authorities responsible for such highways. This shall apply to crossings necessary for new highways, as well as to crossings needed to replace existing crossings rendered obsolete or unnecessary by the relocation or improvement of existing highways or roads.

(B) The involved railroad shall be responsible for all costs associated with construction, modification, or relocation of rail-highway grade crossings when such construction, modification, or relocation results from projects initiated by the railroad. Such railroad-initiated projects shall include, but are not limited to, constructing a new line, adding an additional track to an existing line, and relocating an existing rail line.

(C) The public authority responsible for a highway crossing a railroad track or tracks shall reimburse the involved railroad for all costs that railroad incurs by virtue of construction, modification, or relocation of rail-highway grade crossings when such construction, modification, or relocation results from projects initiated by the public authority. A public authority is limited to the State Department of Transportation, which is required to reimburse the railroad for Department of Transportation authorized projects from within the funds appropriated to the Department of Transportation by the General Assembly. Such public authority-initiated projects are limited to constructing a new highway, widening an existing highway, and relocating an existing highway.

S.C. Code Ann. § 58-15-2110

• 58-15-2120. Department of Transportation may make specifications and enter into agreements concerning grade crossings of State highways; penalties may be waived by Department.

In case of grade crossings of state highways over such railroads, the Department of Transportation, after due notice to the railroad, corporation, or operator, and hearing the railroad or operator involved, if application is made for such a hearing within ten days after receipt of the notice and after finding that the public safety, convenience, or necessity require it, shall have the power to specify the character of the grade crossings, and the operator of the railroad shall construct and maintain the crossings to meet the specifications of the Department of Transportation; provided, however, that the power to specify the character of grade crossings granted in this section shall not extend beyond five feet on either side of the center line of the track; provided, further, that the Department of Transportation shall have the power, in matters relating to such grade crossings, now pending or hereafter arising, to enter into such agreements with operators of railroads pertaining to the construction thereof as in its judgment may be to the best interest of the State, and to agree to pave the area across the tracks after the area is otherwise prepared for paving by the operator of the railroad. The Department of Transportation, with the advice and consent of the Attorney General, may waive any and all claims for penalties now existing, upon entry into such agreements.

S.C. Code Ann. § 58-15-2120

Blocked Crossings

State Laws, Regulations, and Penalties

• 57-7-240. Obstruction of roads by railroad cars and other obstacles.

If any person shall obstruct unnecessarily any street, public road or highway by permitting any railroad car or locomotive to be or remain upon or across any street, public road or highway for a longer period than five minutes, after notice to remove such car or locomotive has been given to the conductor, engineer, agent or other person in charge of such car or locomotive or shall permit any timber, wood or other obstruction to remain upon or across any such street, road or highway to the hindrance or inconvenience of travelers or any person passing along or upon such street, road or highway, such person so offending shall forfeit and pay for every such offense a sum not exceeding twenty nor less than five dollars and shall be liable for all damages arising to any highway, to be recovered by an action at the suit of the county in which such offense shall have been committed or any person suing for the same, before any magistrate within the county in which such offense shall have been committed or by indictment in the court of general sessions or suit in the court of common pleas. All fines so accruing under the provisions of this section, when collected, shall be paid over by the magistrate to the county treasurer for the district in which such offense was committed. Every twenty-four hours such person, after being notified, shall suffer such obstruction to remain, to the hindrance or inconvenience of travelers or any person going along or upon such road or highway, shall be deemed an additional offense against the provisions of this section.

S.C. Code Ann. § 57-7-240

• 58-17-4080. Penalty and damages for obstruction of highway by railroad car, locomotive or other object.

If any person, including any conductor of any train of railroad cars or any other agent or servant of any railroad company, shall obstruct unnecessarily any public road or highway by permitting any railroad car or locomotive to be or remain upon or across any street, public road or highway for a longer period than five minutes, after notice to remove such cars has been given to the conductor, engineer, agent or other such person in charge of such train or shall permit any timber, wood or other obstruction to remain upon or across any such street, road or highway to the hindrance or inconvenience of travelers or any person passing along or upon such street, road or highway, every such person so offending shall forfeit and pay for every such offense any sum not exceeding twenty nor less than five dollars and shall be liable for all damages arising to any highway, to be recovered by an action at the suit of the governing body of the county in which such offense shall have been committed or any person suing therefor, before any magistrate within the county in which such offense shall have been committed or by indictment in the court of general sessions or suit in the court of common pleas. All fines so accruing under the provisions of this section, when collected, shall be paid over by the magistrate to the county treasurer for the district in which such offense was committed. Every twenty-four hours such person, after being notified, shall suffer such obstructions to the hindrance or inconvenience of travelers or any person going along or upon such road or highway to continue shall be deemed an additional offense against the provisions of this section.

S.C. Code Ann. § 58-7-4080

Warning Devices-Passive

State Laws and Regulations

• 56-5-1010. Railroad signs at grade crossings.

All railroad companies operating railroads in the State shall place and maintain at every crossing of a highway and railroad at grade standard cross-buck signs in accordance with the requirements of the manual of standards and specifications for uniform traffic-control devices referred to in Section 56-5-920.

S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-1010

• 58-17-1390. Signs shall be maintained at crossings with public roads.

Every railroad corporation shall cause signs to be placed and constantly maintained alongside of each public road or street where it is crossed by the railroad on the same level. Each such sign shall be elevated so as to be easily seen by travelers and on each side of it shall be printed in large letters the words “Railroad Crossing” unless the railroad corporation elects to place two of such signs at each crossing, one on each side of the track in which case each of such signs may have thereon in large letters, only on the side facing the traffic approaching the crossing, the words “Railroad Crossing.” But this section shall not apply to streets in cities, towns and villages unless the corporation be required to put up such sign by the officers having charge of such streets.

S.C. Code Ann. § 58-17-1390

• 58-17-3380. Warning boards shall be maintained near drawbridges and grade crossings.

Every company, lessee, manager or receiver owning or operating a railroad in this State shall provide, maintain and place warning boards near drawbridges and places where railroads cross at grade. Such boards shall have letters of sufficient size to be clearly seen from the engine and to describe the place of danger and shall be placed not more than eight feet from the side of the track.

S.C. Code Ann. § 58-17-3380

• 58-17-3390. Penalty for failure to erect or replace warning boards.

Any railroad company, receiver or lessee thereof doing business within this State which shall fail to comply with the provisions of Section 58-17-3380 after ten days’ notice thereof in writing shall be subject to a fine of five dollars per day for every day thereafter that such failure shall continue and any such railroad, receiver or lessee failing to re-erect such warning board, in case any such board for any cause be down or removed, after ten days’ notice in writing, shall be subject to the penalty herein provided of five dollars per day for each day that such railroad, receiver or lessee shall fail to so re-erect such warning boards. This penalty shall be recoverable by any person resident in this State in any court of competent jurisdiction, one half to go to the person bringing the action and one half to go into the county treasury in which such action may be brought, to be used for ordinary county purposes.

S.C. Code Ann. § 58-17-3390

Warning Devices- Train Borne

State Laws, Regulations, and Penalties

• 58-15-910. Bell and whistle shall be installed on locomotives and sounded at crossings.

A bell of at least thirty pounds’ weight and a steam or air whistle shall be placed on each locomotive engine or interurban car and such bell shall be rung or such whistle sounded by the engineer, fireman or motorman at the distance of at least five hundred yards from the place where the railroad crosses any public highway, street or traveled place and be kept ringing or whistling until the engine or interurban car has crossed such highway, street or traveled place. If such engine or car shall be at a standstill within less distance than one hundred rods of such crossing such bell shall be rung or such whistle sounded for at least thirty seconds before such engine or interurban car shall be moved and shall be kept ringing or sounding until such engine or interurban car shall have crossed such public highway or street or traveled place. A gong of not less than ten inches in diameter may be placed upon interurban cars in lieu of a bell as herein required and shall be sounded as herein provided.

S.C. Code Ann. § 58-15-910

Warning Devices- Active

State Laws and Regulations

No applicable statute related to this topic.

Private Crossings

State Laws and Regulations

• 58-15-810. Protection of private crossings over railroads.

Private roads crossing railroads shall be protected by the railroads as the law requires them to protect public highways.

S.C. Code Ann. § 58-15-810

Vegetation Clearance

State Laws, Regulations, and Penalties

• 58-17-1450. Railroad crossing safety requirements.

All railroad crossings on public highways must be inspected for conditions which unsafely obstruct a motorist’s view of approaching trains, for the presence of crossbucks prescribed by Section 58-17-1390, and for the presence of stop signs authorized by law to be placed at railroad crossings. The Department of Transportation hereinafter referred to as the department, is responsible for inspecting railroad crossings on state-maintained highways, the governing body of each county is responsible for inspecting railroad crossings on county-maintained roads, and the governing body of each municipality is responsible for inspecting railroad crossings on road and street rights-of-way maintained by municipalities. The department shall inform counties and municipalities of the railroad crossings they are responsible for inspecting. By January 1, 1989, the governing body of each county and municipality must notify the department of the office and public official to whom the governing body has assigned responsibility for performing the inspections. If the person inspecting a railroad crossing finds that the required crossbucks are not in place, properly in place or maintained, or finds that a motorist’s view of approaching trains is unsafely obstructed by vegetation, growth, or objects not permanently affixed to realty which are within the right-of-way of the railway, the person inspecting the crossing must immediately notify the Deputy Director of Engineering within the Department of Transportation of the hazard. The notice must identify the crossing and describe the hazard. The inspector in the notice shall also inform the State Highway Engineer whether or not there is a stop sign at the crossing and, if not, whether or not in his opinion one should be added. Upon receipt of notice from the person inspecting the crossing, the department must give written notice of the hazard immediately by certified mail to any officer or registered agent of the railroad within the State. Notice from the department shall direct the railroad to cut or remove the vegetation, growth, and objects not permanently affixed to realty that are obstructing a motorist’s view or to erect, maintain, or properly situate crossbucks.

The department must also notify the governing body of any county or municipality which maintains the highways or roadways at the crossing that the inspector stated in his opinion that a stop sign should be added at the crossing.

Removal and elimination of obstructions must be made by the responsible railroad within sixty days of receipt of notification from the department. Measures to assure that crossbucks are properly in place and maintained must be taken by the responsible railroad within thirty days of receipt of notification from the department; however, if crossbucks are not present or have been removed, then the railroad has ten days from the notification to erect new crossbucks. Failure of the railroad company to remove or eliminate the obstruction within the railroad’s right-of-way and to erect or properly place and maintain crossbucks within the specified time period subjects the railroad company to a civil penalty of not less than one hundred dollars nor more than five hundred dollars. The railroad company is subject to an additional civil penalty of one hundred dollars a day for each day obstructions remain after the specified period and for each day crossbucks are not erected or properly placed and maintained after the specified period.

The person initially inspecting the railroad crossing is responsible for inspecting the crossing at appropriate intervals after notice to the railroad of the hazard to determine if obstructions have been eliminated and crossbucks properly placed and serviced within the period allowed before civil penalties may be assessed.

If the person inspecting the railroad crossing finds that a motorist’s view of approaching trains is obstructed by vegetation, growth, or objects not permanently affixed to realty that lie outside the right-of-way of the railroad but within right-of-way of highways and roads maintained by the State, county, or municipality, the person inspecting the railroad crossing must immediately give written notice of the hazard to the appropriate department of the State, county, or municipality, upon whose right-of-way the obstruction exists. If the obstruction is on the right-of-way maintained by a county or municipality, the person inspecting the crossing must also give immediate written notice of the hazard to the Deputy Director of Engineering within the Department of Transportation.

The department, counties, and municipalities have sixty days from issuance of the written notice by the person inspecting the crossing to eliminate the obstructions within their respective rights-of-way.

The person initially inspecting the railroad crossing is responsible for inspecting the crossing after notice of the hazard has been given and reporting to the department the date upon which obstructions are eliminated. If counties or municipalities do not eliminate the obstructions within sixty days of receipt of notification, the department must remove or eliminate the obstructions. Counties and municipalities must reimburse the Department of Transportation for the department’s cost in eliminating the obstructions.

If the person inspecting the railroad crossing finds that motorists’ view of approaching trains is obstructed by vegetation, growth, or objects not permanently affixed to realty that lie on private property outside the right-of-way of the railroad and outside the highway or road right-of-way of the State, county, or municipality, he must immediately give written notice of the hazard to the owner of the property and to the appropriate agency of the State, county, or municipality which maintains that highway or roadway. The owner of the property has sixty days after receipt of the notice to eliminate the obstructions and the inspector shall reinspect the crossing after this sixty-day period has expired to determine if the obstructions have been eliminated.

By January first of each year, counties and municipalities must report all railroad crossings that were inspected during the preceding year and at which no obstructions were found to the department. The department must make an annual report of inspections conducted during the preceding year. The annual report must be provided to the Senate Transportation Committee and the Education and Public Works Committee of the House of Representatives.

S.C. Code Ann. § 58-17-1450