Whenever the commission finds any article that is infested or reasonably believed to be infested or a host or pest exists on any premises or is in transit in this State, it may, upon giving notice to the owner or his agent in possession thereof, seize, quarantine, treat or otherwise dispose of such pest, host or article in such manner as the commission deems necessary to suppress, control, eradicate or to prevent or retard the spread of a pest, or the commission may order such owner or agent to so treat or otherwise dispose of the pest, host or article. The owner of any property destroyed or ordered to be treated or otherwise disposed of under this section may, in an action against this State in the appropriate court for the county in which he resides or the property was located, recover just compensation for any property so destroyed or the reasonable costs of disposal of any property so ordered if he establishes that the property was not a pest, host or infested article.
S.C. Code § 46-10-60