S.C. Liquor Liability & Compliance Requirements

To help your business stay compliant with South Carolina’s alcohol laws, the South Carolina Department of Revenue (SCDOR) has released updated requirements for liquor liability insurance, alcohol server training, and digital ID verification.

Liquor Liability Insurance

If your business serves alcohol after 5 p.m., you must maintain a $1 million aggregate liquor liability policy (or general liability with liquor endorsement).

• Submit an ACORD 25 form listing SCDOR as the Certificate Holder.
• Your business must be listed as the Insured (not Additional Insured).

View approved surplus lines insurers →

Who Must Have Coverage

Required for all businesses open after 5 p.m. with one of the following licenses:

PBW, P07, PBB, PWY, PDW, P7W, PML, PMD, PLB, PLC, PSV, TBP, TLP, TNL

Mitigation Factors: Lower Your Coverage Requirement

You may qualify to reduce your insurance requirement below $1M by meeting any of the following:

Mitigation Factor	Reduction
Stop serving alcohol by midnight	$250,000
All servers complete SCDOR-approved training	$100,000
Alcohol sales under 40% of total	$100,000
Use forensic ID system (12–4 a.m.)	$100,000
501(c)(3) nonprofit	$100,000
Single special event	$500,000

Submit via MyDORWAY

Approved Alcohol Server Training Programs

Under H. 3430, employees who oversee the service of alcohol or serve alcohol must complete an SCDOR-approved alcohol server training program to qualify for mitigation and compliance.

• Anyone who works at least 10 hours a week serving alcohol for on-premises consumption and managers who oversee alcohol service must complete an approved server training program by March 2, 2026 or within 30 days of employment.
  
• SCDOR Approved training programs that meet the requirements of H. 3430 can be found here.
  
• Servers must maintain a digital or physical copy of their alcohol server training certificate while serving alcohol.
• Licensees must maintain a digital or physical copy of each server’s certificate for the duration of the server’s employment.

Please note that the new law mandates specific delivery requirements for your certification to be valid:

• Online Format Only: To comply with H. 3430, the training course and accompanying proctored exam must be completed online.
• In-Person Restriction: At this time, traditional in-person classes, paper exams, or general/national online exams will not be accepted for state compliance.
• SC-Specific Content: This restriction ensures that all staff receive South Carolina-specific instructional materials and state-specific exam questions, which are currently only available through the online platform (available in both English and Spanish).

Member Pricing & Industry Discounts

The SCRLA is committed to helping South Carolina's hospitality industry reach full compliance by the March 2 deadline.

• SCRLA Member Discount: As a benefit of membership, you receive a 15% discount on all ServSafe products every day. Click here to get instructions on how to link your ServSafe profile to your SCRLA membership to apply this automatically.
• Special Industry Coupon: To support the broader community, we are offering a limited-time coupon code: SSASC15. This code provides a 15% discount for non-members as well.
• Please Note: Discounts cannot be “stacked.” The code cannot be combined with the automatic member discount.

Serving Age Requirements

• 21+: May mix, pour, and serve all alcohol
• 18-20: May serve alcohol if mixed/poured by someone 21+
• Under 18: May serve only sealed beer/wine for off-premises consumption

Forensic Digital ID Systems

Required for: Any business open and serving alcohol between 12 a.m. - 4 a.m.

Approved Systems: Intellicheck, Tokenworks AgeVisor 3, IDentiFake, IDVisor Smart V2

Systems must scan ID barcodes and verify age/data against DMV records. Simple barcode match is not sufficient. This list is not exhaustive and will be updated as additional systems receive approval. Visit the SCDOR website for the latest information.

penalties for non-compliance

The SCDOR has introduced a "Three Strikes" penalty structure for violations:

• First Offense: $2,500 fine.
• Second Offense (within 2 years): Up to 14-day permit suspension.
• Third Offense (within 3 years): Permanent permit revocation.

Next Steps & Training Webinar

Liquor liability laws and related compliance requirements can be complex, and questions are expected. To help our members better understand their responsibilities and ensure compliance, SCRLA partnered SCDOR to host an in-depth informational webinar. We encourage you to view the on-demand recording and accompanying slide deck for more information.