South Carolina H 4000: Alcohol licensing

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 4000 Text of Previous Version (May. 13, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 4000

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

Indicates Matter Stricken

Indicates New Matter

Amended

May 12, 2026

H. 4000

Introduced by Reps. M. M. Smith, Stavrinakis, 
Cox, Davis, Wetmore, Bustos, Teeple, Holman, Spann-Wilder, Kirby, Robbins, 
Landing, Hartnett, Brewer, Gilliard, Gatch, J. Moore, T. Moore, Murphy, W. 
Newton, Duncan and Bauer 

S. Printed 5/12/26--S. [SEC 
5/13/2026 10:29 AM]

Read the first time May 6, 2025

________

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING 
SECTION 61-2-100, RELATING TO THE PERSONS ENTITLED TO BE LICENSEES OR 
PERMITTEES, SO AS TO ADD PERFORMING ARTS AND CONVENTION COMPLEXES; BY AMENDING 
SECTION 61-4-515, RELATING TO THE PERMIT FOR PURCHASE AND SALE FOR ON-PREMISES 
CONSUMPTION, SO AS TO ADD PERFORMING ARTS AND CONVENTION COMPLEXES; AND BY 
AMENDING SECTION 61-6-2016, RELATING TO THE BIENNIAL LICENSE FOR PURCHASE AND 
SALE FOR ON-PREMISES CONSUMPTION, SO AS TO ADD PERFORMING ARTS AND CONVENTION COMPLEXES.

 Amend Title To Conform

Be it enacted by the 
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Section 61-2-145 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 
61-2-145. (A) In addition to all 
other requirements, a person licensed or permitted to sell alcoholic beverages 
for on-premises consumption, which remains open after five o'clock p.m. to sell 
alcoholic beverages for on-premises consumption, except 
for a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation or a licensee or permittee engaging in a 
single event for which a beer and wine special event license or a liquor 
special event permit is obtained, is required to maintain a liquor 
liability insurance policy or a general liability insurance policy with a 
liquor liability endorsement with an annual aggregate limit of at least one 
million dollars during the period of the biennial permit 
or license, unless the person licensed or permitted to 
sell alcoholic beverages qualifies under the terms of a liquor liability risk 
mitigation program pursuant to subsection (E). A 
501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation licensed or permitted to sell alcoholic 
beverages for on-premises consumption, which remains open after five o'clock 
p.m. to sell alcoholic beverages for on-premises consumption, is required to 
maintain a liquor liability insurance policy or a general liability insurance 
policy with a liquor liability endorsement with an annual aggregate limit of at 
least three hundred thousand dollars during the period of the permit or 
license. A licensee or permittee engaging in a single event for which a beer 
and wine special event license or a liquor special event permit is obtained 
must maintain minimum coverage with an aggregate limit of at least one hundred fifty 
thousand dollars during the entire period of the license or permit. Failure 
to maintain this coverage during the entire period of the biennial 
permit or license constitutes grounds for suspension or revocation of 
the permit or license and is sufficient grounds for the department to seek an 
emergency revocation order as provided in Sections 12-60-1340 and 1-23-370(c). 
An insurance policy issued pursuant to this section, 
except for an insurance policy issued to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation or 
to a licensee for a beer and wine special event or a permittee for a liquor 
special event, must provide for minimum coverage of 
five hundred thousand dollars per occurrence giving rise to the claim of at least fifty percent of the total aggregate limit, per occurrence, giving rise to the claim.

 (B) 
The department shall add this requirement to all applications and renewals for 
biennial permits or licenses to sell alcoholic beverages for on-premises 
consumption, in which the permittees and licensees remain open and sell 
alcoholic beverages for on-premises consumption after five o'clock p.m. Each 
applicant or person renewing its license or permit, to whom this requirement 
applies, shall provide the department with documentation of a liquor liability 
insurance policy or a general liability insurance policy with a liquor 
liability endorsement in the required amounts.

 (C) 
Each insurer writing liquor liability insurance policies or general liability 
insurance policies with a liquor liability endorsement to a person licensed or 
permitted to sell alcoholic beverages for on-premises consumption, in which the 
person so licensed or permitted remains open to sell alcoholic beverages for 
on-premises consumption after five o'clock p.m., must notify the department in 
a manner prescribed by department regulation of the lapse or termination of the 
liquor liability insurance policy or the general liability insurance policy 
with a liquor liability endorsement within