How to Get a Liquor License in South Carolina: Beer and Wine, Liquor by the Drink and Costs

If you want to sell beer, wine, or liquor in South Carolina, your application goes to the South Carolina Department of Revenue (SCDOR), through its Alcohol Beverage Licensing office, often called SC ABL. People search for an sc liquor license, a south carolina liquor license, a south carolina alcohol license, or an sc abl license, and all of those searches lead to the same process. This guide covers which license fits your business, the materials to gather, the steps in order, what each license costs, and the mistakes that delay applications.

Disclaimer: This article is informational content, not legal or tax advice. Alcohol licensing rules, fees, and local ordinances change. Confirm every figure with SCDOR and with your county or municipality before you commit money. For a restaurant with a bar, a multi-location operation, or the purchase of an existing license, consult a South Carolina attorney and a CPA.

Which South Carolina Alcohol License Do You Need?

South Carolina issues separate licenses for beer and wine and for liquor, and it splits each by where the drink is consumed. Pick the license that matches how you actually sell before you file, because changing it later means a new application.

License type	Who it fits	State filing fee	Second charge
Beer and wine, on-premises	Restaurants, bars, and venues where customers drink on site	$300	$600
Beer and wine, off-premises	Stores that sell beer and wine for take-home	$300	$600
Liquor by the drink, on-premises	Restaurants with 40 seats at tables (bar seats do not count) or lodging with 18 or more rooms	$200	$1,705
Retail liquor store	Stores selling packaged liquor for take-home	$200	$1,400

A few details change the math:

• Liquor by the drink carries a 5% excise on drinks. Your seat count is the threshold that matters most. If you are close to 40 table seats, count them carefully and confirm the method with SCDOR before you design the floor plan.
• Retail liquor stores may sell Monday to Saturday, 9am to 7pm, and may never sell on Sunday.
• Renewals for all of these licenses are biennial, meaning every two years, with renewal dates set by county. Ask SCDOR for your county's date when you apply so you can calendar it.
• Sunday sales require a separate Local Option Permit in areas where voters have approved Sunday liquor sales. The permit costs $200 per Sunday or $3,050 per year. Confirm with your county or municipality whether Sunday sales are approved where you plan to operate.

Materials and Information to Gather First

Most delays come from missing information, not from the state rejecting an application. Collect these items before you start the SCDOR filing:

• Business entity documents. For a limited liability company, you need Articles of Organization, filed with the South Carolina Secretary of State for a $110 filing fee. For a corporation, you need Articles of Incorporation, also $110, filed with Form CL-1 (Initial Annual Report of Corporations), which carries a one-time $25 initial License Fee. File online through Business Entities Online at businessfilings.sc.gov. Online filings are returned within 24 to 48 business hours.
• A registered agent. South Carolina requires an LLC to keep an office and an agent in the state for service of process. The agent must be a South Carolina resident, a domestic corporation, another LLC, or an authorized foreign entity, and the name and address must appear on your formation document.
• A federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS, which the SCDOR application will ask for.
• Your local business license. South Carolina has no statewide general business license. Most cities levy a local business license tax, and only nine counties do so: Beaufort, Charleston, Dorchester, Horry, Jasper, Marion, Orangeburg, Richland, and Sumter. Local licenses run on a May 1 to April 30 license year and are due April 30. Renewals go through localblrenewal.com.
• The premises. A street address, a signed lease or deed, and an exact seat count (for restaurants) or room count (for lodging).
• Insurance information. If you plan to sell after 5pm on-premises, you need the liquor liability coverage described in the 2025 Act 42 section below. Get a written quote from your insurer before you file.
• Staff training records. Servers and managers need server training within 30 days of hire, so line up a training provider early.
• A newspaper notice budget. Newspaper publication is part of the process, and you need the notice to run for three weeks.

Step-by-Step: How to Get a Liquor License in South Carolina

Step 1: Confirm your license type and location

Decide whether you sell beer and wine, liquor, or both, and whether customers will drink on site or take product home. A restaurant that serves drinks with meals usually applies for on-premises liquor by the drink. A grocery store that sells beer and wine for take-home uses the off-premises beer and wine license. Check that your address fits local zoning and any local rules on alcohol sales before you sign a lease, because the state application will not fix a location problem.

Step 2: Form your business entity and get an EIN

The alcohol license is issued to a legal business, so form your LLC or corporation first. File the Articles with the Secretary of State at sos.sc.gov or through Business Entities Online. Your name must include a required entity designation, such as LLC or Limited Liability Company, and it must be distinguishable from names already on file. Reserving a name costs $25 and holds it for 120 days, and that reservation cannot be renewed. Get your EIN from the IRS once the entity exists. A sole proprietor or general partnership does not file organizing documents with the Secretary of State, but the SCDOR still needs the business information.

Step 3: Get your local business license

Contact your city or county to apply for a local business license. South Carolina treats Secretary of State registration as separate from a business license, so the local license is a separate step. Every city and county that levies a local license tax uses the May 1 to April 30 license year. Ask the local office whether it requires its own alcohol-related approval or zoning sign-off, because local rules can add steps beyond the state process.

Step 4: Obtain the $50 Retail License from SCDOR

If you sell tangible goods, you need a Retail License from the SCDOR. It is a one-time, nonrefundable $50 fee per location, applied for through the Business Tax Application on MyDORWAY. Apply through the SCDOR licensing page at dor.sc.gov. Retail licensing is a prerequisite for the alcohol application, so start it early.

Step 5: Line up insurance and server training

Under the 2025 Act 42, effective January 1, 2026, an on-premises seller that is open after 5pm must carry $1 million in annual aggregate liquor liability coverage. That amount can be reduced to a floor of $300,000, so ask your insurer and SCDOR how the reduction applies to your situation. Separately, servers and managers must complete server training within 30 days of being hired. Keep certificates on file for each employee, because you may need to show them.

Step 6: File the SCDOR alcohol application and pay the fees

Submit the Alcohol Beverage Licensing application through SCDOR with the filing fee for your license type. The filing fees are $300 for beer and wine (on-premises or off-premises), $200 for liquor by the drink, and $200 for a retail liquor store. The second charge is due as listed in the cost table below. Double-check the seat count, room count, owner names, and address before you submit, because a mismatch sends the application back to you.

Step 7: Complete the public notice

Public notice is the step applicants underestimate. You must run a newspaper notice once a week for three weeks. You must also post a notice sign for 15 days, using the SLED posting process. Confirm the exact posting steps and sign requirements with SCDOR before the notice period begins, and get a publication quote from the newspaper now, since the cost varies by paper. The three-week newspaper run means the notice period alone takes at least three weeks.

Step 8: Handle protests

Residents of the county, or people living within five miles of the location, can protest a new alcohol license during the notice period. Protests are heard by the South Carolina Administrative Law Court, not by the SCDOR alone. If you receive a protest, respond on time, gather your documents, and consider hiring an attorney who handles alcohol licensing. Do not assume a protest will be withdrawn without action on your part.

Step 9: Receive the license, display it, and calendar renewal

After approval, pay any remaining balance, receive your license, and display it as SCDOR directs. Set a reminder for your county's biennial renewal date. If you plan to offer Sunday sales, apply for the Local Option Permit separately, and if you host a one-time event, look at the special event permit, which covers up to 15 days at $10 per day, for a maximum of $150 for a full 15-day run.

What a South Carolina Liquor License Costs

The table below totals the state charges for each main license. Your real budget will also include the newspaper notice, insurance, training, and local license fees, which vary and need quotes from your own vendors.

Cost item	Amount	Notes
Beer and wine, on-premises (state total)	$900	$300 filing fee plus $600
Beer and wine, off-premises (state total)	$900	$300 filing fee plus $600
Liquor by the drink, on-premises (state total)	$1,905	$200 filing fee plus $1,705
Retail liquor store (state total)	$1,600	$200 filing fee plus $1,400
Retail License	$50	One-time, nonrefundable, per location
LLC Articles of Organization	$110	Paid to the Secretary of State
Sunday Local Option Permit	$200 per Sunday, or $3,050 per year	Only where voters have approved Sunday sales
Special event permit	$10 per day, up to 15 days	Maximum of $150 for a 15-day permit
Newspaper notice	Check with your newspaper	Runs once a week for 3 weeks
Liquor liability insurance	Check with your insurer	$1 million annual aggregate, reducible to $300,000 floor
Local business license	Check with your city or county	May 1 to April 30 license year where applicable

Plan your cash flow around the full package, not just the state filing fee. A liquor by the drink operation will typically spend well beyond the $1,905 state total once insurance, training, and notice costs are included. Confirm each of those amounts with the vendor or agency before you sign a lease, because they are not fixed by the state.

Common Mistakes That Delay South Carolina Alcohol Applications

• Picking the wrong license type. A restaurant with a small bar might not reach the 40 table seat threshold, which changes the license you can get. Count table seats and exclude bar seats.
• Signing a lease before checking the location. Zoning and local alcohol rules can block a site after you have committed to rent.
• Forming the entity after the application starts. The license must be issued to a legal business, so the entity and EIN should exist before you file.
• Forgetting the local business license. The Secretary of State registration does not replace it.
• Skipping the newspaper notice budget. The three-week publication run is a required cost and a required timeline.
• Assuming the old insurance rule applies. The Act 42 requirements took effect January 1, 2026, and they affect on-premises sellers open after 5pm.
• Letting server training lag behind hiring. Servers and managers need training within 30 days of hire, so plan training before opening day.
• Missing the renewal. Biennial renewals are easy to forget, and a lapsed license stops sales.

Tips for a Smoother Application

• Call SCDOR Alcohol Beverage Licensing before you file to confirm the current forms, current fees, and your county's renewal date. The main SCDOR site is dor.sc.gov.
• Get insurance quotes early. Insurers ask about your seat count, hours, and staff, so the quote may change if your plan changes.
• Build a one-page compliance binder with your entity documents, EIN, local license, training certificates, and insurance certificate. It speeds up questions from the agency.
• Schedule your newspaper notice when you know the filing date, and keep proof of publication.
• If you are buying an existing bar or restaurant with a liquor license, ask a South Carolina attorney whether the license can transfer and what the transfer process requires before you sign the purchase agreement.

What to Expect After You Apply

Applicants who file complete paperwork, meet the seat or room thresholds, carry the required insurance, and clear the public notice period generally have the best chance of moving forward. The application can still be delayed or challenged, especially if someone files a protest, so plan for the timeline to be longer than the notice period alone. No approval is guaranteed, and results depend on your facts, your location, and the agency's review.

Once you hold a license, you may be able to sell the products and services it covers, but the license comes with ongoing duties. Keep your server training current, keep your insurance in force, post your license where SCDOR requires, and renew on time every two years. Missing any of these can put your sales at risk.

Get Professional Help for Complex Setups

A simple off-premises beer and wine store may be manageable on your own with careful reading of the agency's instructions. A restaurant with a bar, a lodging property near the 18-room threshold, a Sunday sales plan, or a transfer of an existing license should involve a South Carolina attorney who handles alcohol licensing and a CPA who can model the excise tax, insurance costs, and renewal cycle. This article is informational only and is not legal or tax advice.