South Carolina Personal Care Home Licensing Guide

Updated September 11, 2026

South Carolina licenses many settings commonly called assisted living as Community Residential Care Facilities (CRCFs). The South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH), through its Bureau of Healthcare Quality, licenses these facilities, conducts inspections, and investigates complaints and serious incidents.

DPH defines a CRCF as a residence that provides room and board and provides or coordinates personal care for more than 24 consecutive hours for two or more adults who are not related to the licensee within the third degree. A facility may use the term “assisted living” when it meets the state’s CRCF definition. Always verify the exact location, current license, licensed capacity, and services through official state records.

How to verify a South Carolina home

1. Search the official DPH Find a Facility map

Start with the South Carolina DPH Find a Facility tool. Search by the facility name or location and filter for Community Residential Care Facilities. The state describes this map as its most up-to-date facility and service listing.

Open the facility record and compare its complete name and physical address with the home you are considering. The record may show the facility phone number, administrator, license number and expiration date, licensed beds, and applicable DPH regulation. Similar business names can represent different locations, so match the address carefully.

2. Review the license and inspection information

Confirm that the license information and licensed bed count match what the home tells you. South Carolina DPH says licensing inspections and investigations are unannounced. After an inspection or investigation, DPH leaves a Report of Visit describing any observed violations. When a requirement is not met, the facility must submit a plan of correction, and DPH may conduct a follow-up inspection.

Ask the facility to show you its recent Report of Visit and any plan of correction. Review the dates, what was cited, how the facility responded, and whether follow-up occurred. An inspection documents conditions observed at a particular time; it is not a guarantee of present quality or suitability.

3. Contact DPH when the public record does not answer your question

Use the DPH Community Residential Care Facility page for the current regulation, resident-rights information, licensing materials, facility map, and complaint route. Ask DPH about current license information or a regulatory concern that cannot be resolved through the public record.

Community residential care, assisted living, and nursing homes

Community Residential Care Facility: provides room, board, and a degree of personal care for two or more unrelated adults for more than 24 consecutive hours. South Carolina facilities meeting this definition may call themselves assisted living.
Nursing home: operates under a different South Carolina licensing category and provides nursing or medical care beyond the CRCF category.
Boarding house: room and board alone is not the same as a licensed CRCF that provides or coordinates personal care.

These labels are not quality ratings. Confirm that the facility’s license, staffing, services, admission criteria, and physical setting fit the resident’s needs.

Questions to ask before choosing a home

Is this exact location licensed as a Community Residential Care Facility?
What is the current license number, expiration date, and licensed bed capacity?
Does the official facility name and address match this location?
May we review the most recent Report of Visit and any plan of correction?
Were violations identified, and how and when were they corrected?
What staff are present during the day, overnight, and on weekends?
What assistance is available with bathing, dressing, toileting, mobility, meals, and medications?
Can the facility meet the resident’s current needs, and what happens if those needs increase?
Does the facility provide or market an Alzheimer’s special care program, and what services and safeguards does it include?
Which services are included in the stated price, and which cost extra?
How are emergencies, evacuations, severe weather, and power failures handled?
Can you review the complete resident agreement, discharge policy, and expected charges before committing?

Use our questions to ask when touring a personal care home for a longer visit checklist.

Complaints, abuse concerns, and resident support

For a concern involving a DPH-regulated facility, use the South Carolina DPH Healthcare Quality complaint service. The state provides an online complaint form for regulated healthcare facilities and service providers.

The South Carolina Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program assists residents of nursing homes, assisted living settings, and Community Residential Care Facilities with concerns about quality of care, quality of life, resident rights, transfer or discharge, dignity, abuse, neglect, or exploitation. Call 1-800-868-9095 for assistance.

Call 911 when someone faces an immediate life-threatening emergency. Do not include medical, Social Security, or other confidential personal information in an unsecured email or general web message.

What PersonalCareHomes.net does—and does not—verify

PersonalCareHomes.net is an advertising directory, not a government agency, placement service, inspection organization, or licensing authority. A directory page may contain public-record information or details supplied by a provider. A listing’s presence does not mean that we inspected, licensed, approved, or endorsed the home.

Before choosing care, confirm licensing through South Carolina DPH, review available records, tour the facility, examine written terms, and decide whether the setting fits the individual’s needs.

Continue your search

Official sources

This guide is general educational information, not medical or legal advice. Regulations, records, contact details, and facility status can change. Verify current information with South Carolina DPH.

View all state licensing and verification guides