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South Carolina

Telecom Compliance Reference — Updated January 2023

Mini-TCPA State — High Risk

Calling Hours

8:00 AM–9:00 PM

Min Penalty

$1,000

Registration

Not Required

Overview Calling Hours Consent Registration DNC Enforcement Case Law Legislation

Insurance Telemarketing Compliance in South Carolina

Insurance agency telemarketing and lead generation compliance in South Carolina

Guide last reviewed: January 2025

⚠

Mini-TCPA State — S.C. Code § 16-17-446

South Carolina imposes stricter consent and calling requirements than federal TCPA.Insurance companies operating here face $1,000 per-violation penalties.

South Carolina Insurance Overview

Insurance telemarketing in South Carolina requires compliance with both telemarketing laws and SC Department of Insurance regulations. Licensed agents calling existing policyholders benefit from the EBR exemption for state-level automated call restrictions. Cold calling requires DNC scrubbing and manual dialing is recommended. The federal TCPA is the primary litigation risk — SC does not have a state-level private right of action for telemarketing violations.

Penalty/Violation

$1,000

Willful

$5,000

Calling Hours

8:00 AM–9:00 PM

Private Suit

Allowed

Compliance Checklist

✓Register with the SC Department of Insurance as required for all insurance solicitation,Scrub against federal National DNC Registry,Manual dialing for cold outreach — comply with federal TCPA for any automated systems,Identify yourself, your company, and your insurance license number on calls,Call only between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM local time,Prior express written consent required before automated or prerecorded calls to cell phones,Comply with SC insurance solicitation regulations (SC Code § 38-1-10 et seq.),Maintain records of consent and DNC compliance for at least 5 years,If using prerecorded calls, live operator must introduce within 2 seconds per SC § 16-17-446

What Gets Companies Sued

✗Common violations for insurance telemarketers in SC: (1) Unlicensed agents making solicitation calls; (2) Autodial campaigns without prior express written consent; (3) Failing to identify insurance license credentials; (4) Calling DNC-listed numbers; (5) Not providing required cancellation disclosures.

Special Exemptions

Licensed insurance agents calling existing policyholders have an existing business relationship exemption under SC state law. Does not exempt from federal TCPA ATDS/prerecorded call requirements.

Key State Rules

Mini-TCPAYes

RegistrationNot Required

Class ActionsNot specified

Consent Requirements→Registration Details→DNC List→

Insurance Enforcement in South Carolina

Rising Eagle (SC portion)

$225,000,000

Jun 2023

robocallsspoofing

Part of multistate $225M judgment against massive health insurance robocall operation.

All enforcement actions in South Carolina →

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This is a compliance reference tool, not legal advice. Data compiled from public statutes, LegiScan, CourtListener, state AG offices, and AI-assisted analysis. Verify all information with qualified counsel before relying on it. Full terms & data sources →