What Is Unlawful Use of 911 in South Carolina?

Unlawful use of 911 in South Carolina is a misdemeanor under Section 23-47-80 of the state code, punishable by up to six months in jail, a fine of up to $200, or both.¹ The statute reaches four specific kinds of intentional misuse of the emergency line. If a fake call also sets a police investigation in motion, a separate statute can push the exposure into felony territory and leave you on the hook for the cost of the response.

What Counts as Unlawful Use of 911

Section 23-47-80 describes four distinct ways a person can break the law by misusing the 911 system. Each one requires intent, so a genuine mistake or a good-faith report that turns out to be wrong is not a crime under this statute.

Using profane, vulgar, or threatening language on a 911 call with the intent to intimidate or harass the dispatcher.
Calling 911 for the purpose of annoying or harassing a dispatcher or tying up the line, whether or not any real conversation takes place. Prank calls and repeated hang-ups meant to waste resources fall here.
Reaching a dispatcher and then intentionally refusing to disconnect, blocking the line from being used for real emergencies.
Calling 911 and deliberately providing fabricated information about a crime, fire, medical emergency, or any other event that did not happen.

The common thread is intent. Someone who calls 911 believing they witnessed a crime, only for officers to arrive and find nothing, has not violated this law. The statute reaches people who know their call is baseless, disruptive, or harassing when they place it.¹

The Penalty Under Section 23-47-80

A violation is a misdemeanor. On conviction, a judge can impose up to six months in jail, a fine of up to $200, or both.¹ The $200 cap looks small next to the fines some states attach to the same conduct. The real exposure is the jail time and the misdemeanor on your record.

A criminal record from this offense can create problems that outlast the sentence. Employment background checks routinely flag misdemeanor convictions. Professional licensing boards investigate criminal history when deciding whether to grant, renew, or revoke a license, and even a conviction that looks minor on paper can trigger a formal review and force you to explain yourself before the board will act.

When the Charge Gets Worse

Section 23-47-80 is not the only law prosecutors can reach for. Depending on what the caller said and what happened next, the charges can stack or escalate.

Filing a False Police Report

If a fake 911 call leads to a formal police investigation, the caller can be charged under Section 16-17-722 for knowingly filing a false police report. The penalty tracks the severity of the crime that was faked:

A false report of a misdemeanor is itself a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail, a fine of up to $500, or both.
A false report of a felony is a felony, punishable by up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.²

This is where 911 misuse can escalate sharply. Calling in a fake armed robbery or fabricating a hostage situation is a false report of a felony, and the exposure jumps from a six-month misdemeanor to a potential five-year prison sentence.

False Complaints to Officers, Fire, or Rescue

Section 16-17-725 covers a related angle: knowingly making a false complaint to a law enforcement officer about a crime someone else supposedly committed, or giving false information to a rescue squad or fire department about a health emergency or fire. Conviction is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail or a fine of up to $200.³

False Fire or Police Alarms

An older statute, Section 16-17-570, makes it a misdemeanor to give a false alarm through a fire or police alarm system, including by telephone. Conviction carries a sentence of at least 60 days of hard labor or a fine of up to $200.⁴ The mandatory 60-day minimum can make this statute bite harder than the general 911 misuse law in cases involving fake fire alarms.

Paying the Agency Back

When a false 911 call triggers a police investigation and the caller is convicted under Section 16-17-722, the sentencing judge can order restitution to the investigating agency for the costs it spent running down the fabricated report.² Those costs add up quickly when patrol officers, detectives, fire trucks, or ambulances are dispatched to a scene for something that never happened.

Restitution is separate from any criminal fine. The fine goes to the court. Restitution goes to the agency that spent fuel, overtime, and equipment responding to a fake emergency, and when multiple departments respond to a single false report, the total reflects all of their combined costs. This is the provision that can turn a modest statutory fine into a substantial financial hit.

If You Dialed 911 by Accident

Accidental 911 calls happen constantly. Smartphone SOS features, pocket dials, and curious kids all generate calls that dispatchers must treat as potential emergencies. Because the misuse statute requires intent, an accidental dial is not a crime. The practical rule still matters: do not hang up.

Stay on the line and tell the dispatcher it was an accident. The call clears in seconds. If you hang up, the dispatcher is required to call you back, and if they cannot reach you, officers may be sent to check on your safety. That welfare check consumes the same resources the law is meant to protect.

To cut down on accidental calls, check your phone’s emergency SOS settings. Most Android phones let you switch from an automatic countdown trigger to a manual touch-and-hold confirmation, or disable the SOS feature entirely through the Safety and Emergency settings. iPhones offer a similar option in the Emergency SOS menu. It takes about 30 seconds and is worth doing if your phone has triggered a false call before.

1
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Title 23 Chapter 47 – Section 23-47-80
2
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 16-17-722 – Filing of False Police Reports
3
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 16-17-725 – Making False Complaints
4
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Title 16 Chapter 17 – Section 16-17-570