1/1/2015 last updated
It is legal in South Carolina to own a still if you can prove it is not used in the manufacture of moonshine AND show proof that it is used for other purposes such as distilling wine, essential oils, etc. If no proof can be offered it will be deemed illegal and for the purpose of moonshine production.
SECTION 61-6-4100. Distilleries It is unlawful for a person in this State to manufacture, sell, give, or have in his possession a distillery, commonly called a still, or any integral part of a distillery, or an apparatus, appliance, device, or substitute therefor to be used for the purpose of manufacturing alcoholic liquors, in violation of the laws of this State.
The unexplained possession of any part of a still, apparatus or appliance, or any device or substitute therefor, commonly or generally used for or that is suitable to be used in the manufacture of prohibited alcoholic liquors is prima facie evidence of the violation of this section.
(a) for a first offense, by a fine of not less than six hundred dollars or imprisonment for six months; (b) for a second offense, by a fine of one thousand five hundred dollars or imprisonment for one year; and (c) for a third or subsequent offense, by a fine of three thousand dollars or imprisonment for two years.
The state does not offer any type of license to distill ethanol fuel. But because you can legally own a still and you can get a federal license it may be legal to manufacture your own ethanol fuel. You will need to contact your county for confirmation.
Licenses are available as well as micro distillery licenses. There are several licenses you need to request to legally manufacture spirits. Below are the federal licenses only. Additional state requirements will need to be followed as well. You must submit a request for a license to manufacture spirits: TTB 5110.41 Basic permit,
This license only allows you to produce spirits. You also need a license for the distilling equipment / distillery: TTB 5100.24 Distilled spirit plant For manufacturing ethanol fuel you will need to submit a request for a TTB 5110.74 for a federal license,
Contents
Can I legally make moonshine in South Carolina?
Is It Illegal To Make Moonshine In South Carolina ? Yes, it is legal to own a still in South Carolina, BUT, it is not legal to use it for the purpose of manufacturing alcohol. If you cannot present evidence that the still is being used to produce something other than alcohol, such as distilling water, than it is not legal.
Can you make moonshine legally in the US?
Home Distilling While individuals of legal drinking age may produce wine or beer at home for personal or family use, Federal law strictly prohibits individuals from producing distilled spirits at home (see 26 United States Code (U.S.C.) 5042(a)(2) and 5053(e)).
Within title 26 of the United States Code, section 5601 sets out criminal penalties for activities including the following. Offenses under this section are felonies that are punishable by up to 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both, for each offense.
- 5601(a)(1) – Possession of an unregistered still.
- 5601(a)(2) – Engaging in business as a distiller without filing an application and receiving notice of registration.
- 5601(a)(6) – Distilling on a prohibited premises. (Under 26 U.S.C.5178(a)(1)(B), a distilled spirits plant may not be located in a residence or in sheds, yards, or enclosures connected to a residence.)
- 5601(a)(7) – Unlawful production or use of material fit for production of distilled spirits.
- 5601(a)(8) – Unlawful production of distilled spirits.
- 5601(a)(11) – Purchase, receipt, and/or processing of distilled spirits when the person who does so knows or has reasonable grounds to believe that Federal excise tax has not been paid on the spirits.
- 5601(a)(12) – Removal or concealment of distilled spirits on which tax has not been paid.
Under 26 U.S.C.5602, engaging in business as a distiller with intent to defraud the United States of tax is a felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. Under 26 U.S.C.5604(a)(1), transporting, possessing, buying, selling, or transferring any distilled spirit unless the container bears the closure required by 26 U.S.C.5301(d) (i.e., a closure that must be broken in order to open the container) is a felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both, for each offense.
- Under 26 U.S.C.5613, all distilled spirits not closed, marked, and branded as required by law and the TTB regulations shall be forfeited to the United States.
- In addition, 26 U.S.C.5615(1) provides that unregistered stills and/or distilling apparatus also will be forfeited.
- Under 26 U.S.C.5615(3), whenever any person carries on the business of a distiller without having given the required bond or with the intent to defraud the United States of tax on distilled spirits, the personal property of that person located in the distillery, and that person’s interest in the tract of land on which the still is located, shall be forfeited to the United States.
Under 26 U.S.C.5686, possessing liquor or property intended to be used in violation of the law is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 1 year in prison, a fine of up to $5,000, or both. Such liquor and property is also subject to the seizure and forfeiture provisions in 26 U.S.C.5688.
- Under 26 U.S.C.7201, any person who willfully attempts to evade or defeat any Internal Revenue Code tax (including the tax on distilled spirits) has committed a felony and shall be fined up to $100,000, imprisoned for up to 5 years, or both, plus the cost of prosecution.
- Under 26 U.S.C.7301, any property subject to tax, or raw materials and/or equipment for the production of such property, in the possession of any person for the purpose of being sold or removed in violation of the internal revenue laws may be seized and shall be forfeited to the United States.
In addition, any property (including aircraft, vehicles, and vessels) used to transport or used as a container for such property or materials may be seized and shall be forfeited to the United States. Further, 26 U.S.C.7302 adds that it is unlawful to possess any property intended for use, or which has been used, in violation of the internal revenue laws; no property rights shall exist in any such property.
When did moonshine become legal in South Carolina?
A new era – The end of prohibition didn’t spell the end of bootlegging, either. When the 21st Amendment was enacted repealing Prohibition created by the 18th Amendment, federal and state governments levied steep taxes against legal liquor. In 1958, the tax was $10.50 a gallon federally. The South Carolina state tax was one of the highest in the country at $4 a gallon. In 1958, revenuers seized a large still operation in Horry County near Socastee. Officials found over 40,000 gallons of mash and estimated the still was an investment of at least $100,000. Nearly 90 years after the repeal of Prohibition, moonshine is alive and well in the woods and the storefronts of South Carolina.
File/Provided As a result, South Carolina was one of the leading moonshine states at the time, next to North Carolina, Alabama and Georgia. Reporters estimated that one out of every 4 gallons of liquor consumed in the state was moonshine. Columbia and Charleston were the principal cities involved. After Prohibition, with less demand for illegal liquor, moonshine often decreased in quality, federal agents discovered.
In the 1970s, moonshine coming out of Moncks Corner was the most poisonous in the state due to toxic amounts of lead. “We were the epicenter,” Chief Deputy Jeremy Baker of the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office said. It’s been many years since the last time they seized an illegal still, he said.
Many moonshiners were more interested in preserving an aspect of their heritage than making serious money. Judges rarely sentenced moonshiners harshly, viewing it more as a humorous pastime than a real crime. In the present day you can still find stills in the woods but moonshine has also taken a place on the store shelf.
South Carolina changed the law in 2009 to allow for micro distilleries, many of which now market legal moonshine, which isn’t aged like it’s older barrel cousins. There are currently 30 active licenses for micro distilleries in the state, according to the S.C. Law enforcement discovered a still near southern Charleston County’s Old Jacksonboro Road in 1989. No arrests were made, but the still was destroyed. File/Staff Palmetto Moonshine, founded by brothers Trey and Bryan Boggs, was the first distillery to capitalize on the changed law.
Is home distilling legal in South Carolina?
1/1/2015 last updated
It is legal in South Carolina to own a still if you can prove it is not used in the manufacture of moonshine AND show proof that it is used for other purposes such as distilling wine, essential oils, etc. If no proof can be offered it will be deemed illegal and for the purpose of moonshine production.
SECTION 61-6-4100. Distilleries It is unlawful for a person in this State to manufacture, sell, give, or have in his possession a distillery, commonly called a still, or any integral part of a distillery, or an apparatus, appliance, device, or substitute therefor to be used for the purpose of manufacturing alcoholic liquors, in violation of the laws of this State.
The unexplained possession of any part of a still, apparatus or appliance, or any device or substitute therefor, commonly or generally used for or that is suitable to be used in the manufacture of prohibited alcoholic liquors is prima facie evidence of the violation of this section.
(a) for a first offense, by a fine of not less than six hundred dollars or imprisonment for six months; (b) for a second offense, by a fine of one thousand five hundred dollars or imprisonment for one year; and (c) for a third or subsequent offense, by a fine of three thousand dollars or imprisonment for two years.
The state does not offer any type of license to distill ethanol fuel. But because you can legally own a still and you can get a federal license it may be legal to manufacture your own ethanol fuel. You will need to contact your county for confirmation.
- Licenses are available as well as micro distillery licenses.
- There are several licenses you need to request to legally manufacture spirits.
- Below are the federal licenses only.
- Additional state requirements will need to be followed as well.
- You must submit a request for a license to manufacture spirits: TTB 5110.41 Basic permit,
This license only allows you to produce spirits. You also need a license for the distilling equipment / distillery: TTB 5100.24 Distilled spirit plant For manufacturing ethanol fuel you will need to submit a request for a TTB 5110.74 for a federal license,
How much is a South Carolina liquor license?
How much does a liquor license cost in South Carolina?
License Name | Cost | Link |
---|---|---|
Liquor License | $300 – $1000 | South Carolina Department of Revenue |
Can you make your own liquor in SC?
The Following Questions Will Be Answered In This Article:
Is it legal to own a non-alcohol producing still (for water purification, etc.)? Is it legal to distill alcohol without possession of a commercial distiller’s permit or a fuel alcohol permit? What is the penalty for possessing / and or selling illegally produced spirits without a permit? Is a commercial distillery permit available? Is a fuel alcohol permit available?
South Carolina Moonshine Laws Is it legal to own a non-alcohol producing still (for water purification, etc.)?
If not legal: Yes. South Carolina Statute Section 61-6-4100 provides that “It is unlawful for a person in this State to manufacture, sell, give, or have in his possession a distillery, commonly called a still, or any integral part of a distillery, or an apparatus, appliance, device, or substitute therefor to be used for the purpose of manufacturing alcoholic liquors, in violation of the laws of this State. The unexplained possession of any part of a still, apparatus or appliance, or any device or substitute therefor, commonly or generally used for or that is suitable to be used in the manufacture of prohibited alcoholic liquors is prima facie evidence of the violation of this section”. This statute provides that that unexplained possession of a still is ‘prima facie’ evidence, which means that it can be rebutted with evidence that the still is being used to produce something other than alcohol. If that evidence can be presented then the still is not illegal. What is charge (felony, misdemeanor, etc.) N/A What is maximum fine? N/A What is maximum jail time? N/A Can still be seized? N/A Can additional property be seized? N/A
Is it legal to distill alcohol without possession of a commercial distiller’s permit or a fuel alcohol permit?
No. South Carolina Statute Section 61-6-4010 provides that “(A) It is unlawful for a person to: (1) manufacture, store, keep, receive, have in possession, transport, ship, buy, sell, barter, exchange, or deliver alcoholic liquors, except liquors acquired in a lawful manner and except in accordance with the provisions of this title; or (2) accept, receive, or have in possession alcoholic liquors for unlawful use pursuant to the provisions of this title”.
If not legal:
What is charge (felony, misdemeanor, etc.) Misdemeanor What is maximum fine? First offense: Not less than $600;Second Offense: $1,500; Third and subsequent offenses: $3,000. In addition there is a penalty of $20 per container of illegal alcohol. What is maximum jail time? First offense: six months imprisonment; Second Offense: one year imprisonment; Third and subsequent offenses: two years imprisonment. What is maximum fine? First offense: Not less than $600; Second Offense: $1,500; Third and subsequent offenses: $3,000. In addition there is a penalty of $20 per container of illegal alcohol. What is maximum jail time? First offense: six months imprisonment; Second Offense: one year imprisonment; Third and subsequent offenses: two years imprisonment. Can property be seized? Yes, the alcohol can be seized pursuant to South Carolina Statute Section 61-6-2610 among other statutes. South Carolina Statute Section 61-6-4030 and 4300 provides that vehicles, vessels and aircraft used in transporting illegal liquor can be seized. Can still be seized? Yes. There is no specific statute that actually lists the still and related equipment as being subject to seizure, however there is the general statute indicating that any property that is illegal to possess is subject to seizure. See South Carolina Statute Section 17-13-40 Can additional property be seized? Yes, the alcohol can be seized pursuant to South Carolina Statute Section 61-6-2610 among other statutes. South Carolina Statute Section 61-6-4030 and 4300 provides that vehicles, vessels and aircraft used in transporting illegal liquor can be seized.
What is the penalty for possessing / and or selling illegally produced spirits without a permit?
What is charge (felony, misdemeanor, etc.) Misdemeanor
Is a commercial distillery permit available?
South Carolina Statute Section 61-6-1120 provides that ” (A) The department may issue a micro distillery license to a person to operate one micro distillery in the State subject to the requirements of this chapter and payment of a biennial micro distillery license fee of five thousand dollars. (B) A micro distillery is not required to obtain an additional manufacturing and retail liquor license required pursuant to this title”. The limits of production and sale for a Micro-Distillery is very small. A full Manufacturers License is authorized in South Carolina Statute Section 61-6-1110, which provides that “The department may issue a manufacturer’s license to a person to manufacture alcoholic liquors in the State subject to the requirements of this chapter and a payment of a biennial manufacturer license fee of fifty thousand dollars. Cost of commercial distillery permit? Manufacturer’s License is 50,000 biennial fee plus a $200 filing fee. It is also required to have a $10,000 bond. The Micro-distillery License is $5,000 biennial fee plus a $200 filing fee. It is also required to have a $10,000 bond. Location of commercial distillery permit application online? See the Application at: http://www.sctax.org/NR/rdonlyres/B93176B1-1690-4E6A-8CCD-98BAB41FA7D4/0/ABL902Pack_03062014.pdf
Is a fuel alcohol permit available? No. Ethanol and alternative fuel production is allowed and encouraged, but no specific License or Permit is required. Permits that may be required, depending on the location, size and circumstances, include water discharge, wastewater and air quality.
Cost of fuel alcohol permit? N/A Location of fuel alcohol permit application online? N/A
* Disclaimer
What do you need to sell alcohol in SC?
SC liquor license qualifications – To apply for a South Carolina liquor license, you must be at least 21 years of age, be a legal citizen of the United States, and be a legal resident of South Carolina at least 30 before submitting your license application. As an applicant, you must also be the owner of the business and comply with local zoning laws–these will vary depending on the town or city.
How hard is it to make moonshine?
Ever watched movies and wondered how they say they make moonshine in their bathtub at home? Well, it’s not like rocket science! It’s actually pretty easy to make shine at home. Making moonshine involves a process called distillation, and the most common way to do this is using something called a pot still.
- How to Make Moonshine: The Process
- Choosing Your Type of Moonshine Mash
- Equipment and Supplies You Will Need
- Additional Moonshine Recipes with Fruit
What proof is moonshine?
What Proof is Moonshine? – Without going into specific details just yet, proof moonshine is a pretty strong concoction. It has high alcohol content, a glass or two is more than what you probably need. On average, a proof moonshine could range somewhere between 100 to 150 proof.
What kind of yeast do you use for moonshine?
Types of Yeast to Use in Moonshine – This type of yeast is usually packaged so that one packet is used for 5 gallons of mash. Unless otherwise written on the directions, use one package for 5 gallons of mash. If you are using distillers yeast it is important to first refer to the directions on the package.
Can you bartend in SC?
Persons over the age of 18 may serve sealed containers of distilled spirits along with open containers of beer, wine, and distilled spirits. You must be 21 years or older to bartend in South Carolina.
How much moonshine can you legally make in North Carolina?
Making moonshine and the taxes you’ll owe Download Remember the bearded hipster who slipped you some homemade moonshine at that music festival one time? Remember how you convinced yourself you weren’t breaking the law, but that it would be the hipster on the hook if the cops caught wind of it? Think again, according to Jeff Lasater, special agent in charge of the Raleigh office of Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE).
There’s nothing nebulous about moonshine laws, Lasater said. forbid the manufacture or possession of moonshine, or non-tax-paid spirituous liquor if you want to get technical. State laws say homemade beer and wine are permissible, Lasater points out. “But liquor is totally different,” he says. Take his word for it.
According to state figures, ALE agents reported 34 distillery seizures in North Carolina since 2010. That number is not quite representative because local sheriffs also seize and destroy liquor stills. Moonshine traces its origins to illegal Appalachian distillers, and it comes with all sorts of colorful monikers such as mountain dew, Tennessee white whiskey and hooch.
- Once viewed as a viable commercial trade in mountainous West Virginia, the homemade hooch has been on the wrong side of the law for decades, allegedly thanks to 18th-century American whiskey makers who squelched their competition with a little help from Washington, D.C.
- Agents find the high-proof liquor all over the state, although law enforcement typically makes its biggest crackdowns in rural Johnston County to the southeast of Raleigh.
Two weeks ago, Johnston County deputies said they netted a 500-gallon still and 2,000 gallons of the mash input in a barn north of Benson. And in February, ALE agents arrested another man in Benson for alleged moonshining, seizing hundreds of gallons of finished liquor and mash.
- In Sampson County, just to the south of Johnston, local law enforcement reported two weeks ago that they discovered a large moonshine operation in a Clinton barn.
- By the way, the hooch may be illegal, but tax offices take their share nonetheless, Lasater noted.
- If sold by the drink, the N.C.
- Department of Revenue imposes a tax rate of $31.70 per gallon on moonshine, according to department spokeswoman Beth Stevenson.
The rate is $12.80 per gallon if not sold by the drink, while mash is taxed at $1.28 per gallon and other illegal mixed beverages are taxed at $20 per 4 liters, which is roughly one gallon. All told, the state agency reported $41,507 in total assessments in 76 cases for illicit liquor in the last two fiscal years, Stevenson said.
Is it illegal to make moonshine NC?
Is it legal to make moonshine in NC? – It is illegal to make “spirituous liquor” – which includes moonshine – without a permit from the N.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission, according to state law, State law also prohibits people from possessing, transporting and selling “non-tax paid alcoholic beverages.” The state has an excise tax on alcoholic beverages that all “retail wholesalers or importers of wine or malt beverages” must pay to keep their permits, according to the N.C.
- Department of Revenue.
- The excise tax on liquor is 30%.
- Individuals with permits can make, transport and sell moonshine within the state, per state law,
- Permit applicants must be at least 21 years old, with no alcohol-related misdemeanor convictions within the last two years and no felony convictions within the last three years, according to the N.C.
ABC Commission,