Owning an American Bully in South Carolina is legal statewide, but the legal picture is more layered than a simple yes or no. The state does not ban bully breeds outright, yet it gives local governments meaningful authority to pass their own rules — which means your rights and responsibilities can shift the moment you cross a county or city line.
Whether you are a new owner, a breeder, or someone relocating to South Carolina with your dog, understanding how state law, local ordinances, housing policies, and dangerous-dog classifications interact will help you stay on the right side of the law and protect your dog.
Is the American Bully Recognized as a Separate Breed Under South Carolina Law?
South Carolina state law does not contain a breed-specific definition for the American Bully. The state’s animal statutes in Title 47 address dangerous animals and dog bites in behavior-based terms rather than by cataloguing individual breeds, so the American Bully has no distinct legal identity at the state level.
At the registry level, the picture is different. The United Kennel Club first recognized the American Bully in 2013, classifying it as a separate breed from the American Pit Bull Terrier. A dedicated registry, the American Bully Kennel Club (ABKC), was created in 2004 specifically for the breed. However, the breed is not recognized by the world’s three largest kennel organizations, including the American Kennel Club, due to a lack of consistency in the breed, overlapping traits with other breeds, and its lack of tradition and history…