South Carolina · In-Home Care Provider license · Free checklist
South Carolina home care license checklist
Every step to a South Carolina in-home care provider license, from the zoned office and the signers’ checks to Form 1307 and DPH’s fee, then every new caregiver and client and what recurs, each with the rule or DPH source it comes from. Already licensed? Choose that in the first question to see what the rule rewritten on May 22, 2026 now asks of you. Tick steps off as you go and email the list to yourself.
- Rule-verified October 2, 2026
- 91 possible steps, each cited
- Free, no account
Quick answer
In South Carolina, "no person, private or public organization, political subdivision, or governmental agency shall establish, operate, maintain, or represent itself (advertise and/or market) as an in-home care provider in South Carolina without first obtaining a license from the Department." (R.60-122 §103.A). The Department is the South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) (R.60-122 §102.G). You apply on Form 1307 with three documents DPH lists, "A copy of your Random Drug Testing Policy", your liability insurance and your workers’ compensation coverage (Form 1307, Additional Documents), and proof that you paid DPH’s $1,000 fee, a state fee (R.60-122 §103.I).
The rule DPH applies was rewritten in full from May 22, 2026, and "This regulation will apply to all in-home care providers in South Carolina." (R.60-122 §101) So the checklist has 20 catch-up steps for agencies already licensed, starting with this one: "Written policies and procedures addressing each section of this regulation regarding client care and operation of the provider shall be developed." (R.60-122 §301.A)
Steps that cite R.60-122 or the S.C. Code come from the rule (as rewritten on May 22, 2026) or the statutes. Steps that say "DPH asks" or "DPH says" come from DPH’s Form 1307-ENG-DPH (08/2026) or its web pages. Where we add a reading or advice of our own, the step says "by our reading" or "our suggestion". The application, part by part →
Tailor your checklist
Seven quick questions
Your answers stay in this browser. The checklist below updates as you answer.
Companion or homemaker work alone is not settled in South Carolina
The only service-based exemption in the statute is a business that provides only house cleaning, and the rule lists laundry, shopping, errands, transportation and help with communication among the services a licensed provider gives. Against that, the statute and the rule define in-home care as help with an activity of daily living or a personal need. By our reading you probably need the license. Ask DPH (IHCP@dph.sc.gov) before operating without one, and change your answer if you will give hands-on help.
S.C. Code 44-70-20(3)(b)House cleaning alone does not need this license
The statute says an individual or agency that provides only a house cleaning service is not an in-home care provider. Add hands-on personal care and you need the license; change your answer to see the steps.
S.C. Code 44-70-20(3)(b)That is a home health agency, which this checklist does not cover
A home health agency gives part-time or intermittent skilled nursing ordered by a physician, APRN or PA, under a registered nurse, plus at least one other service. It is licensed under a different law and must obtain a Certificate of Need before licensure. In-home care excludes skilled care.
S.C. Code 44-69-20(5), 44-69-75(A)A home in a residential zone does not meet the 2026 office rule, by our reading
Since May 22, 2026 the primary office must be in a commercially zoned or unzoned area, with a county or municipal zoning permit or, if unzoned, a letter from the county or municipality. The rule has no exception for agencies licensed before that date. The steps below include what to do about it.
R.60-122 §103.D.1DPH has not published guidance for agencies licensed before May 22, 2026
The rewritten rule applies to every provider, and its text has no transition period. DPH’s enforcement reports from January 2025 to July 2026 show no order citing the new rule yet, and DPH inspects without notice, so the catch-up steps below come first.
HQ Enforcement Actions, July 2025 and February 2026Your checklist
Showing the steps for a new South Carolina in-home care agency giving hands-on, non-medical care, set up as an LLC with an office in a commercially zoned area, serving private-pay adults, with none of the extras that add steps. Already licensed? Change the first answer to see your steps for the rule that took effect on May 22, 2026.
Already licensed: catch up with the May 22, 2026 rule
Buying an agency or changing the legal entity
The signers’ checks, timed to the filing date
Send Form 1307 to DPH
Every new caregiver and client
Every year, and when things change
Email me this checklist
We send the checklist with your answers and a link back to it. Nothing else unless you tick the box.
CareRulebook
Tick off “write policies for each section” from your answers
Answer a few questions about your agency and CareRulebook writes its South Carolina policy and procedure manual, section by section of R.60-122 as rewritten on May 22, 2026, with your details filled in and the rule each policy meets quoted under it. Your random drug testing policy comes as its own file, ready to attach to Form 1307 with your initial application and each renewal. Already licensed? Policy 1.1 ends with a checklist of what changed and a catch-up plan for current clients and staff.
- 29 policies, 84 requirements mapped
- The random drug testing policy as its own file for DPH
- Editable Word and PDF
- 12 months of updates: download again after a rule change
$199CareRulebook founding price for the first 50 South Carolina agencies, then $249. Not a DPH fee.
Frequently asked questions
What do I need to get a home care license in South Carolina?
An In-Home Care Provider license from the South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH), if your business gives non-medical help with daily living such as bathing, dressing, toileting, walking or medication reminders. Before you apply: a primary office in a commercially zoned or unzoned area with a zoning permit or local letter, liability insurance or a surety bond of at least $100,000 per occurrence and $300,000 aggregate, indemnity coverage, workers’ compensation, an administrator, and written policies for each section of R.60-122. Each person who signs the application needs a SLED check (no older than 90 days) and a drug test (within 30 days). You send Form 1307, notarized, with your random drug testing policy and insurance evidence, and proof that you paid DPH’s $1,000 fee.
We are already licensed. Does this checklist apply to us?
Yes. Choose "Already licensed" in the first question. R.60-122 was rewritten from May 22, 2026, it applies to all in-home care providers, and the text has no transition period. The checklist then starts with the catch-up steps: written policies for each section, the office zoning, service agreements, care services plans and rights forms for current clients, a disaster plan, the new incident reports, self-assessments and registry checks for current staff, and the yearly training.
Do I need a nurse for a South Carolina in-home care agency?
Not for the DPH license. R.60-122 requires an administrator, not a nurse, and caregivers may do only non-medical tasks, with medication reminders as the only medication service the rule lists. Medicaid personal care through SCDHHS adds RN or LPN supervision, which may be contracted.
How much does the South Carolina license cost?
DPH charges $1,000 for the first license and $800 a year to renew, with a $200 late fee after the expiration date. These are DPH’s fees, not CareRulebook prices. Each signer’s SLED CATCH check is $25 plus an online service fee.
How long does DPH take?
DPH does not publish a processing time, and the rule sets none. DPH will not issue a first license until you show substantial compliance with the standards, and its form says missing information may delay processing. We cannot give you a date; ask DPH (803-545-4370).
Is this checklist free?
Yes. It is free to use and to email to yourself. It is guidance, not legal advice, so check each step against the rule or DPH source it links to.
Get South Carolina rule-change alerts
The rewritten R.60-122 took effect on May 22, 2026, and we found no proposal to amend it since. DPH may still publish guidance for existing agencies or change its application form. Leave your email and we will tell you when a South Carolina change affects your checklist or your policies.
No spam. Only emails about South Carolina home care rule changes. How we use your email.
Keep reading
South Carolina
How to start a home care agency in South Carolina
The full guide behind this checklist, with what changed on May 22, 2026.
South Carolina
The South Carolina license application
Form 1307 part by part, what goes with it, the signers’ checks, renewal, changes and closing.
Product
Build your South Carolina policy manual
Policies for each section of R.60-122, with the drug testing policy as its own file. Preview free.
South Carolina
South Carolina license cost and timeline
DPH’s fees, the other costs and the timeline.
South Carolina
South Carolina client paperwork
The service agreement, care services plan and rights form.
South Carolina
South Carolina caregiver background checks
SLED or FBI checks, registries and drug tests before a caregiver starts.
North Carolina
North Carolina license checklist
The same tool for a DHSR home care license.
Georgia
Georgia license checklist
The same tool for a Georgia private home care license.
Tennessee
Tennessee license checklist
The same tool for a TDMHSAS personal support services agency license.
Virginia
Virginia license checklist
The same tool for a VDH home care organization license.
Kansas
Kansas license checklist
The same tool for a KDHE supportive care license.
Sources
- Regulation 60-122, Standards for Licensing In-Home Care Providers (Document No. 5407, State Register Vol. 50, Issue 5, effective May 22, 2026, with the errata in Vol. 50, Issue 6, June 26, 2026) · South Carolina Department of Public Health; South Carolina Legislative Council (State Register) · retrieved October 2, 2026
- Document No. 5407, R.60-122 rewrite: notice of proposed regulation (State Register Vol. 49, Issue 9, September 26, 2025), final regulation (Vol. 50, Issue 5, May 22, 2026), errata (Vol. 50, Issue 6), with the 2024 and 2025 drafting notices and the pre-2026 text · South Carolina Legislative Council, State Register (Department of Public Health filings) · retrieved October 2, 2026
- S.C. Code 44-70-10 to 44-70-80, Licensure of In-Home Care Providers Act · South Carolina Legislative Services Agency · retrieved October 2, 2026
- S.C. Code 44-7-2910 to 44-7-2950, criminal record checks of direct caregivers · South Carolina Legislative Services Agency · retrieved October 2, 2026
- S.C. Code Title 43, Chapter 35, Omnibus Adult Protection Act · South Carolina Legislative Services Agency · retrieved October 2, 2026
- In-Home Care Providers (regulations, forms, memos, map) · South Carolina Department of Public Health · retrieved October 2, 2026
- Licensure Application for In-Home Care Provider, form 1307-ENG-DPH (08/2026) · South Carolina Department of Public Health · retrieved October 2, 2026
- Background Checks for Direct Caregivers, with SLED’s August 23, 2023 memo on civil applicant fingerprint processing · South Carolina Department of Public Health · retrieved October 2, 2026
- Submit Information to Healthcare Quality (plan of correction, accident/incident reporting, change in administrator; updated March 30, 2026) · South Carolina Department of Public Health · retrieved October 2, 2026
- Healthcare Quality Enforcement Actions (monthly reports, January 2025 to July 2026) · South Carolina Department of Public Health · retrieved October 2, 2026
- HCBS Provider Manual, Scope of Services for Personal Care, HASCI Agency Attendant Care and Respite (July 1, 2025) · South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services · retrieved October 2, 2026
- Adult Protective Services reports page, Internet Archive copy of June 6, 2026 · South Carolina Department of Social Services · retrieved October 2, 2026
- SLED CATCH (Citizens Access to Criminal Histories) · South Carolina Law Enforcement Division · retrieved October 2, 2026
- Request for Exception to Licensing Standard, form 0226-ENG-DPH (07/2025), with its instructions · South Carolina Department of Public Health, Bureau of Health Facilities Licensing · retrieved October 2, 2026