Could a South Carolina county cover deputy sheriffs with one blanket bond?

Plain-English summary

Beaufort County asked whether deputy sheriffs could be covered by a blanket bond. The Attorney General answered yes in 2009. S.C. Code Ann. § 23-13-20 required a bond for each deputy before the deputy began duties, but expressly allowed a blanket bond to satisfy that requirement when both the county council and county attorney approved it.

Currency note

This opinion was issued in 2009. Subsequent statutory amendments, court decisions, or later AG opinions may have changed the analysis. Treat this page as historical context, not current legal advice. Verify current law before relying on any specific rule, deadline, or remedy mentioned here.

Common questions

Q: Did each deputy need an entirely separate bond?
A: The cited statute allowed a blanket bond to fulfill the bond requirement when the required county approvals were given.

Q: Whose approval did the opinion identify?
A: County council and the county attorney both had to approve use of the blanket bond under the quoted statute.

Background and statutory framework

The short letter relied directly on S.C. Code Ann. § 23-13-20. It quoted the statute's blanket-bond clause and concluded that a county could use that option for deputy sheriffs.

Citations and references

Statute: S.C. Code Ann. § 23-13-20.

Source

• Landing page: https://www.scag.gov/opinions/opinions-archive/march-9-2009/
• Original PDF: https://www.scag.gov/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/watts-j-k-sr-os-8748-3-9-09-blanket-bond-deputy-sheriffs.pdf

Original opinion text

H hNRY M c M As'rER
ATll\RNEY GENERAi.

March 9, 2009

Mr. Jan K. Watts, Sr.
Director Risk Management/Safety Officer
Beaufort County Council
Post Office Drawer 1228
Beaufort, South Carolina 29901-1228
Dear Mr. Watts:
In a letter to this office you questioned whether a blanket bond can be provided for deputy sheriffs. S.C. Code Ann. § 23-13-20 provides for the requirement of a bond for each deputy sheriff before that individual begins his duties. Such provision also states in part that"[a] blanket bond may be used in any county to fulfill the bond requirement of this section upon approval of the County Council and the County Attorney." Therefore, in the opinion of this office, a blanket bond may be utilized for deputy sheriffs. If there are any questions, please advise. Very truly yours, Henry McMaster Attorney General

cft<Je, ~Md-By:

Charles H. Richardson
Senior Assistant Attorney General

REVIEWED AND APPROVED BY:

Deputy Attorney General

REMBERT

c. D ENNIS B UILDING •

POST OFFICE Box 11549

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COLUMBIA. SC 292 11- 1549

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T ELEPHONE 803-734-3970

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FACSIMILE 803-253-6283