Opening a Convenience Store in South Carolina: Licenses & Permits

South Carolina sets physical requirements for both fuel and alcohol. New tank systems need secondary containment everywhere, beer and wine permits need patron restrooms, and liquor needs a separate store with its own entrances. Two state agencies were renamed in 2024: tanks are now handled by the Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) and retail food by the Department of Agriculture (SCDA). Below is who issues what, and how each rule shapes the store you design.

Licenses and permits at a glance

Fuel tanks: SCDES

The Department of Environmental Services' UST Management Division regulates tanks under Regulation 61-92:

• Permit to Install: required before installation. SCDES says review usually takes under a week. The eight coastal counties also need Bureau of Coastal Management approval.
• Secondary containment: required for all new tanks, piping and dispensers. Ball-float vent valves aren't allowed.
• Inspections: Phase 1 (tanks) and Phase 2 (piping, before backfill) inspections need 48 hours' notice. You must submit an as-built map accurate to one foot. After the Phase 3 inspection, SCDES issues a Permit to Operate, but only once financial responsibility is shown. You can't operate without it.
• Registration: annual registration invoices go out at the end of May, and certificates expire July 31. Display the certificate in the office or kiosk. Unpaid fees bring penalties at 60 and 90 days, and fuel deliveries are prohibited from August 1.
• Operators: Class A/B (combined) and Class C operators are required. Training is a free online course or an SCDES-approved third-party course.
• Cleanup fund: the SUPERB fund pays cleanup and third-party claims up to $2 million after the owner's $25,000 per-occurrence deductible.

Beer and wine: the Department of Revenue

The South Carolina Department of Revenue issues the off-premises beer and wine permit: a $300 filing fee plus $600 for two years, for Monday-to-Saturday sales. A 7-day permit for Sunday sales is issued only where a local referendum allows it. You need a SC retail license first. According to DOR:

• Restrooms: you must have functioning, sanitary restrooms for patrons.
• Licensed area: your lease or deed must mark the licensed area.
• No curbside, drive-through or delivery.
• Public notice: run a legal ad in a newspaper once a week for three weeks, and post a SLED (State Law Enforcement Division) sign for 15 days.
• Location: DOR may consider closeness to homes, schools, playgrounds and churches when deciding whether a location is proper.

Wine over 16.5% alcohol can be sold only in liquor stores or for drinking on the premises.

Spirits: a separate liquor store

Convenience stores can't sell spirits. Under state law, a liquor retailer must be:

• a separate store, with at most two public entrances, on the front or the same side, plus one delivery or emergency door;
• liquor only, with no other merchandise except a few listed items such as lottery tickets;
• 300 feet from a church, school or playground inside a city, or 500 feet outside one, measured along the route of travel.

Liquor stores may sell from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Tobacco and vapor

South Carolina has no separate retail tobacco license if you buy tax-paid products from licensed SC distributors. You do need a retail license, and you disclose tobacco sales on the business tax application.

• Vapor tax: a new nicotine vapor tax of 5 cents per milliliter applies from the October 2026 period, with the first return due November 20, 2026.
• Directory: Act 97 (2026) creates an Attorney General directory of electronic nicotine products, to be operational by February 1, 2027 or later. Unlisted products will then be banned after a 60-day sell-off period.

Food service: the Department of Agriculture

Since July 1, 2024, the SC Department of Agriculture has regulated retail food under Regulation 61-25:

• Exemption: convenience stores that sell only prepackaged food from a processing plant don't need a permit.
• Timing: stores that prepare food apply at least 30 days before opening and request the pre-opening inspection 14 days ahead.
• Fees: $100 initially, plus an annual fee based on food sales, from $100 up to $450.
• Construction: the permit requires proof that construction meets code, so ask SCDA what to submit before you build.

Retail license, fuel pumps and lottery

• Retail license: get it through MyDORWAY for $50 per location. It doesn't expire.
• Fuel pumps: SCDA Consumer Services inspects every pump every year. Registered repairpersons put new devices into service and file a placed-in-service form.
• Lottery: the SC Education Lottery requires a separate bank account for electronic funds transfers. It may act on a license if lottery sales exceed 60% of the store's gross revenue.

What this means for your store design

• Include patron restrooms. They're required for a beer and wine permit, not just for food service.
• Mark the licensed area on the lease and the plan. DOR needs to see it.
• Plan liquor as a separate building or shell. A liquor store needs its own entrances, no other goods and its own distance clearances, so it has to be a separate tenant space. See choosing a location.
• Specify double-walled tanks, piping and dispensers. Secondary containment is required throughout, and inspections happen before backfill, so schedule around them.
• Decide on food prep. Prepackaged-only stores skip the food permit. Adding a kitchen brings in SCDA. See food service build-outs.

Local approvals

Your city or county also controls zoning, building permits, fire inspections, signs and the Sunday sales referendum. Our construction checklist covers the local steps.

For South Carolina store design, see convenience store design in South Carolina and walk-in cooler services in South Carolina.

Sources

• SC Department of Environmental Services, UST permits for new installation, annual registration, operator training and financial responsibility.
• SC Department of Revenue, off-premises beer and wine permit, tobacco retailer information, nicotine vapor products tax and retail license.
• South Carolina Code of Laws, Title 61, Chapters 4 and 6; Act 97 of 2026.
• SC Department of Agriculture, Regulation 61-25 (retail food establishments), retail food FAQs, and gas pumps and scales.
• SC Education Lottery, retailer application and FAQs.

This page summarizes official sources as of October 2026. It is not legal advice. Fees and rules change, so confirm each one with the agency before you apply.