South Carolina § 1-11-55 - Leasing of real property for governmental bodies.

§ 1-11-55. Leasing of real property for governmental bodies.

(1) "Governmental body" means a state government department, commission, council, board, bureau, committee, institution, college, university, technical school, agency, government corporation, or other establishment or official of the executive branch of this State. Governmental body excludes the General Assembly, Legislative Council, the Legislative Services Agency, the judicial department and all local political subdivisions such as counties, municipalities, school districts, or public service or special purpose districts.

(2) The Division of General Services of the Department of Administration is hereby designated as the single central broker for the leasing of real property for governmental bodies. No governmental body shall enter into any lease agreement or renew any existing lease except in accordance with the provisions of this section. However, a technical college, with the approval by the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education, and a public institution of higher learning, may enter into any lease agreement or renew any lease agreement up to two hundred thousand dollars annually for each property or facility.

(3) When any governmental body needs to acquire real property for its operations or any part thereof and state-owned property is not available, it shall notify the Division of General Services of its requirement on rental request forms prepared by the division. Such forms shall indicate the amount and location of space desired, the purpose for which it shall be used, the proposed date of occupancy and such other information as General Services may require. Upon receipt of any such request, General Services shall conduct an investigation of available rental space which would adequately meet the governmental body's requirements, including specific locations which may be suggested and preferred by the governmental body concerned. When suitable space has been located which the governmental body and the division agree meets necessary requirements and standards for state leasing as prescribed in procedures of the department as provided for in subsection (5) of this section, General Services shall give its written approval to the governmental body to enter into a lease agreement. All proposed lease renewals shall be submitted to General Services by the time specified by General Services.

(4) The department shall adopt procedures to be used for governmental bodies to apply for rental space, for acquiring leased space, and for leasing state-owned space to nonstate lessees.

(5) Any participant in a property transaction proposed to be entered who maintains that a procedure provided for in this section has not been properly followed, may request review of the transaction by the Director of the Division of General Services of the Department of Administration or his designee.

HISTORY: 1997 Act No. 153, SECTION 2; 2002 Act No. 333, SECTION 1; 2002 Act No. 356, SECTION 1, Pt VI.P(1); 2011 Act No. 74, Pt VI, SECTION 13, eff August 1, 2011; 2013 Act No. 31, SECTION 1, eff May 21, 2013; 2014 Act No. 121 (S.22), Pt V, SECTION 7.A, eff July 1, 2015; 2024 Act No. 214 (S.314), SECTION 6, eff July 2, 2024.

Code Commissioner's Note

The last sentence in subsection (2), which was added by 2011 Act No. 74, was inadvertently omitted from 2014 Act No. 121 due to a scrivener's error. At the direction of the Code Commissioner, this sentence has been retained in subsection (2).

Effect of Amendment

The 2011 amendment, in subsection (2), added the third sentence relating to technical colleges.

The 2013 amendment, in subsection (1), substituted "Legislative Services Agency" for "Office of Legislative Printing, Information and Technology Systems".

2014 Act No. 121, SECTION 7.A, in subsection (1), substituted "agency, government corporation, or other establishment or official of the executive branch" for "legislative body, agency, government corporation, or other establishment or official of the executive, judicial, or legislative branches"; in subsection (2), substituted "Division of General Services of the Department of Administration" for "Budget and Control Board"; in subsection (3) substituted "division" for "office" in three instances, and substituted "department" for "board"; in subsection (4), substituted "department" for "board"; and in subsection (5), substituted "Division of General Services of the Department of Administration" for "Office of General Services".

2024 Act No. 214, SECTION 6, in (2), in the third sentence, substituted "two hundred thousand dollars" for "one hundred thousand dollars".