Bigamy is the act of marrying one person while being legally married to another. Polygamy is the practice or custom (often religious) of having more than one wife or husband at a time. Most states prohibit a party from having more than one marriage license at a time, and in most states bigamy is a crime.
In South Carolina, both bigamy and polygamy are prohibited by law. Under South Carolina Code Section 16-15-10, bigamy, which is the act of entering into a marriage with someone while still legally married to another person, is considered a felony. A person convicted of bigamy can face penalties including fines and imprisonment. Polygamy, the practice of having multiple spouses simultaneously, is not explicitly defined in South Carolina statutes, but it falls under the umbrella of bigamy and is therefore also illegal. The state does not recognize marriages that involve more than two people, and it is not possible to legally obtain more than one marriage license at a time in South Carolina.