Proposed changes for carriage horse laws in Charleston head to city council for final consideration

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Proposed changes to the City of Charleston’s carriage horse laws are heading to city council after the city’s department of Livability and Tourism approved the plans.

On Wednesday, elected officials in the Tourism Commission presented their version of a new draft ordinance pertaining to horse carriage laws.

Charleston Director of Livability and Tourism Dan Riccio says they had condensed the draft down from three versions to one, in hopes that they found a middle ground for everyone invested in the carriage horse industry.

“Historically, with the carriage industry and the carriage advocates, there’s quite a bit of animosity and a lot to debate and a lot of difference in opinions,” Riccio said earlier on Wednesday. “So we’ll have to wait and see at the commission meeting.”

Several weeks back the Tourism Commission reviewed three different proposed ordinances; one from Charleston CARES, another from the Charleston Carriage Horse Advocates, and one drafted by the city.

Over the last few weeks, several items were removed and some were approved. One of the items removed from the ordinance proposed a city issued animal drawn carriage license.

A couple of the items moving forward include a new requirement that all carriages must have a light visible from 500 feet away, and another giving city officials the authority to suspend carriage operations in the event of an emergency.

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