Beer Sales in South Carolina: Hours, Licensing, and Penalties

Beer sales in South Carolina are governed by a state framework covering age, hours, licensing, and penalties, with counties and municipalities free to add stricter rules on top. The purchase age is 21, Sunday sales are banned statewide unless local voters have approved them, every seller needs a permit from the Department of Revenue, and open containers in vehicles are illegal outside the trunk.

Who Can Buy and Sell

You must be at least 21 to buy or possess beer. Section 61-4-50 makes selling beer to anyone under 21 a misdemeanor, and failing to check identification is treated as prima facie evidence of a violation.¹ Section 61-4-90 separately makes it illegal to give or transfer beer to a person under 21 for consumption.²

Retailers verify age with government-issued photo identification: a South Carolina driver’s license, state ID, military ID, or passport. Sellers can refuse anything that looks altered. Skipping the ID check is what most often lands a business in trouble, because the statute treats that failure as evidence against the seller on its own.

Law enforcement runs compliance stings using operatives under 21, and Section 61-4-50 specifically authorizes their participation when recruited by a law enforcement agency.¹ A failed check can bring fines, license suspension, and criminal charges against the employee who made the sale.

When Beer Can Be Sold

Statewide, Section 61-4-120 makes it unlawful to sell beer between midnight Saturday night and sunrise Monday morning.³ For Monday through Saturday, the statute does not set specific opening or closing hours for off-premises retailers like grocery and convenience stores. Local ordinances often do.

Bars and restaurants licensed to serve liquor by the drink operate under Section 61-6-1610, which permits alcohol sales between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m. the following morning.⁴ Because Section 61-4-120 allows on-premises beer sales during the same hours liquor-by-the-drink sales are lawful, licensed bars and restaurants can pour beer in that same window.³

Sunday Sales

The default across South Carolina is no beer or wine sales on Sunday. Any beer found in a business violating the prohibition can be seized as contraband under Section 61-4-130.¹

Two things can change that. Counties and municipalities can hold a referendum under Section 61-6-2010, and if voters approve, the local government can authorize Sunday alcohol sales.⁵ In those areas, on-premises establishments can serve on Sundays during permitted hours, and retailers can apply for a special retail permit under Section 61-4-510 to sell beer for off-premises consumption without the Sunday restriction.⁶

The result is a patchwork. One county may allow Sunday purchases at a gas station while the next county does not. Confirm with your specific municipality or county before assuming either way.

What Counts as Beer

South Carolina’s beer and wine permit system covers two tiers of malt beverages. The first includes beer, ale, porter, and similar drinks up to five percent alcohol by weight. The second covers malt beverages above five percent but below fourteen percent alcohol by weight, sold in containers of at least 6.5 ounces.⁷ The fourteen percent by weight ceiling equates to roughly seventeen percent ABV, enough for most craft and specialty products.

Anything stronger falls under the state’s liquor rules, which carry different permits and sale restrictions. If you sell high-gravity imports or barrel-aged specialties, check the label ABV against the threshold before assuming a beer permit covers you.

Retailer Licensing

Every business selling beer in South Carolina needs a permit from the South Carolina Department of Revenue.⁷ The permit type depends on where the beer will be consumed.

Permits and Fees

A standard retail permit under Section 61-4-500 authorizes off-premises sales at grocery and convenience stores. The biennial fee is $400, and each location needs its own permit.¹

Bars and restaurants serving beer for on-premises consumption apply for an on-premises beer and wine permit, which requires a $300 non-refundable filing fee plus a $600 license fee due every two years with renewal.⁸ Brewpub permits carry a $2,000 biennial fee.¹

Where Sunday sales have been approved by referendum, retailers can opt for the special retail permit under Section 61-4-510, which removes the day-and-hour restrictions that apply to the standard permit.⁶

Who Can Apply

Applicants must be at least 21, a legal U.S. resident, and a South Carolina resident for at least 30 days. The applicant and anyone employed on the licensed premises must be of good moral character, and the applicant cannot have had a beer or wine permit revoked within the past two years.¹

The application process includes public notice. The applicant publishes notice once a week for three consecutive weeks in a local newspaper, and a SLED agent posts a sign at the proposed location for 15 days.⁹ Community members can raise objections during that window, and significant opposition may push the matter to a hearing before the South Carolina Administrative Law Court.

The Department also evaluates the proposed location, weighing proximity to residences, schools, playgrounds, and churches.¹

Open Containers in Vehicles

South Carolina prohibits open containers of beer or wine inside a motor vehicle on public roads. Under Section 61-4-110, the only exception is beer or wine kept in the trunk or luggage compartment.¹ A violation is a misdemeanor carrying a fine of up to $100 or up to 30 days in jail. Sealed, unopened containers can be transported anywhere in the vehicle. The statute treats “beer or wine” as anything with at least half a percent alcohol by volume.

Delivery and Shipping

South Carolina does not currently have a statute authorizing direct-to-consumer beer delivery. A 2025-2026 bill (H. 3857) would create a framework for retail dealers and licensed delivery services to deliver sealed beer and wine, but it has not been enacted.¹⁰

Shipping beer through the U.S. Postal Service is prohibited under federal law regardless of state rules. Title 18 U.S.C. Section 1716 classifies all alcoholic beverages as nonmailable.¹¹ Private carriers set their own policies and generally require the shipper to hold appropriate licenses.

Local Ordinances Change the Answer

State law is the floor. Counties and municipalities can restrict sale hours beyond what the state requires, limit alcohol retailer density through zoning, and impose their own licensing on top of the state permit.

Zoning is where local control matters most. Section 61-6-120 sets statewide proximity restrictions against alcohol sales near churches, schools, and playgrounds, and individual municipalities go further.¹² Some cap the number of alcohol-selling establishments in specific districts; others impose minimum distances between retailers.

Violating a local ordinance can bring fines or loss of local authorization even if your state permit stays intact. Before signing a lease or picking a location, check with both city and county.

Penalties

Selling to Someone Under 21

An employee who sells to a minor faces a first-offense fine of $200 to $300, up to 30 days in jail, or both. A second or subsequent offense raises the fine to $400 to $500 with the same jail exposure.¹ The employee must also complete a state-approved merchant alcohol education program lasting at least two hours. A first-time offender with no prior conviction under Section 61-4-50 may, with the court’s consent, enter deferred adjudication and have the charge dismissed after probation and the education program. This is available only once.

License Violations

Businesses holding a retail beer and wine permit can be assessed monetary penalties of $25 to $1,000 by the Department of Revenue in lieu of suspension or revocation. Wholesale licensees face a range of $100 to $1,500. If the penalty is not paid and no hearing is requested within 30 days, the department can suspend or revoke the license outright.¹³

Sunday Sale Violations

Selling beer during prohibited Sunday hours is a misdemeanor carrying a fine of up to $100 or up to 30 days in jail. More seriously, a conviction means automatic forfeiture and revocation of the seller’s beer and wine permit, and any beer found on the premises can be seized as contraband.³ Of the violations in this chapter, this is the one most likely to cost you your license outright.

No Dram Shop Liability

South Carolina does not currently have a dram shop statute holding bars or restaurants civilly liable for injuries caused by intoxicated patrons they served. A bill proposing such liability was introduced in the 2023-2024 legislative session but was not enacted. Unlike many other states, a bar in South Carolina generally cannot be sued by a third party injured by someone the bar over-served. That could change if future legislation passes.

1
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code of Laws Title 61 Chapter 4
2
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Section 61-4-90 – Transfer of Beer or Wine for Underage Persons Consumption
3
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Section 61-4-120 – Sunday Sales Exception
4
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code of Laws Title 61 Chapter 6
5
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Section 61-6-2010 – Temporary Permits Upon Referendum Vote
6
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Section 61-4-510 – Special Retail Beer and Wine Permits
7
South Carolina Department of Revenue. Beer and Wine Licensing
8
South Carolina Department of Revenue. On-Premises Beer and Wine Permit (PBW)
9
South Carolina Department of Revenue. Beer and Wine Permit Application Guide (ABL902)
10
South Carolina Legislature. 2025-2026 Bill 3857 Alcohol Delivery and Curbside Pickup
11
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 1716 – Injurious Articles as Nonmailable
12
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Section 61-6-120 – Proximity to Church School or Playground Exception
13
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Section 61-4-250 – Penalties