Any authorized inspector shall have authority to stop and inspect without a warrant any person or means of conveyance moving into the State and any noxious weed, and any product or article of any character whatsoever which it has reason to believe contains or is contaminated with any noxious weed, to determine whether such person, product, article, or means of conveyance contains or is carrying any noxious weed contrary to this chapter or the regulations promulgated thereunder, and whether any such noxious weed, product, article, or means of conveyance contains or is contaminated with any noxious weed or is moving in violation of this chapter or any regulation promulgated thereunder; to stop and inspect, without a warrant, any person, product, article, or means of conveyance moving intrastate and any noxious weed, when it has reason to believe that such means of conveyance, product, or article contains any noxious weed, is contaminated thereby, or is moving contrary to the provisions of this chapter or any regulation promulgated thereunder; and to enter, with a warrant, any premises in the State to make any inspections and seizures necessary under this chapter. Any judge of a court of competent jurisdiction in South Carolina may, within his respective jurisdiction upon proper oath or affirmation showing probable cause to believe that there are on certain premises any noxious weeds, products, articles, or means of conveyance, regulated, or subject to disposal under this chapter, issue warrants for the entry of such premises to make any inspections or seizures under this chapter. Such warrants may be executed by any authorized employee of the Division of Regulatory and Public Service Programs, Clemson University.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 3-449.6; 1971 (57) 392; 2015 Act No. 15 (H.3323), Section 1, eff May 7, 2015.