NBHA®National Boarding Home Association
Regulations / South CarolinaReviewed September 2026

South Carolina

A license is required for any facility that offers room and board and provides or coordinates a degree of personal care for more than 24 consecutive hours to two or more adults (18+) not related to the licensee. There is a single CRCF license category, issued for a set number of beds at a specific location. DPH now administers the program formerly run by DHEC; its January 2026 memory-care study (Budget Proviso 31.48) recommended higher staffing ratios than the current 1:8 day / 1:30 night minimums, but no rule change had been adopted when this was checked.

License categories

Community Residential Care Facility (CRCF)

Key laws

S.C. Code Ann. Title 44, Ch. 7, Art. 3 (incl. §§ 44-7-130, 44-7-260)
State Health Facility Licensure Act — official text
S.C. Code Regs. 60-84 (previously cited as 61-84)
Standards for Community Residential Care Facilities — official text

Key requirements

  1. Administrator must be licensed as a CRCF administrator (Reg. 60-84 §502.A; S.C. Code §44-7-260)
  2. Minimum staffing of 1 staff per 8 residents from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 1 per 30 at other times; night staff must be awake and dressed (§503.B)
  3. May not admit people who need hospitalization, nursing-home care, or the continuous daily attention of a licensed nurse (§801.C)
  4. Staff need a health assessment, including TB screening, within 12 months before first contact with residents
  5. May not exceed the bed capacity shown on the license; each location needs its own license

Sources

  1. https://dph.sc.gov/professionals/healthcare-quality/healthcare-facility-licensing/community-residential-care
  2. https://dph.sc.gov/sites/scdph/files/Library/Regulations/R.60-84.pdf
  3. https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/south-carolina/chapter-61/subchapter-61-84
  4. https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/south-carolina/R-61-84-100.103
  5. https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t44c007.php
  6. https://dph.sc.gov/professionals/healthcare-quality/file-complaint
  7. https://www.scstatehouse.gov/reports/DeptofPublicHealth/SCDPH%20Proviso%2031.48%20Report.pdf
  8. https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess125_2023-2024/bills/1064.htm
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