How South Carolina ADSAP Works: Enrollment, Costs, Reinstatement

South Carolina’s Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program, known as ADSAP, is a mandatory program for anyone convicted of DUI in the state, and you have 30 days from your conviction or the start of your suspension to enroll with a certified county provider.¹ The program starts with a clinical assessment and moves you into either an education track or a longer treatment track, with total fees capped at $2,500. The South Carolina DMV will not reinstate your license until ADSAP notifies it that you have enrolled or finished.

When You Have to Enroll

A DUI conviction is the most common trigger. Under South Carolina Code 56-5-2990, anyone whose license is suspended after a DUI conviction must enroll in and complete ADSAP before the DMV will restore driving privileges.² The same requirement applies to several related situations:

Implied consent suspensions, meaning you refused a breath, blood, or urine test after a DUI arrest, or your test result exceeded the legal limit.²
Drivers under 21 who registered a blood alcohol concentration of 0.02 percent or higher, or refused the test, under the state’s zero tolerance law.³
Felony DUI convictions involving great bodily injury or death.²
Boating under the influence convictions, which suspend your privilege to operate watercraft until you complete ADSAP.⁴

For an under-21 zero tolerance suspension, the 30-day enrollment clock starts from the date of the notice of suspension rather than a court date.³ Missing the 30-day window keeps your suspension in effect and blocks you from getting a temporary alcohol license.

How to Enroll and What to Bring

ADSAP is delivered exclusively through county behavioral health authorities certified by the state, and providers operate in all 46 counties. You cannot substitute an online course, a private therapist, or an out-of-state program picked on your own.⁵ Contact your county provider directly to schedule an intake appointment.

Bring the following to intake:

Your driver’s license number and the date of the violation
Court documents, such as your sentencing order or a copy of the citation
Proof of insurance and any incident reports from the arresting agency
Payment for the $500 education fee, or documentation to support an indigency claim

Your provider opens a case file at intake and reports your enrollment to the DMV electronically. That report is what stops the enrollment deadline from working against you.

The Assessment, Education, and Treatment

ADSAP begins with a clinical assessment. A counselor evaluates your substance use history and risk factors using standardized diagnostic tools, and the results decide which track you follow.

Education Track

Lower-risk participants complete a 16-hour educational program covering impaired driving risks, the effects of alcohol and drugs, and behavioral change strategies. This is the baseline for most enrollees and corresponds to the $500 education fee.

Treatment Track

If the assessment finds a higher risk profile or signs of substance dependency, you receive treatment services on top of the education component. Treatment can include individual counseling and group therapy. Your counselor sets specific clinical goals at the initial evaluation, and you advance by meeting them. Duration varies. Most participants finish inside their suspension period, but the program can run up to 12 months.¹

Drug and Alcohol Testing

You are required to show up to every session substance-free, and your counselor can order a urine, blood, breath, or saliva test at any appointment. Refusing a test counts as a positive result.⁶ Repeated positive screens can push you into a higher and more expensive level of care, or lead to an unsuccessful discharge. A positive test can also cost you any provisional license you hold.

What It Costs

Fees have two parts. The education portion is $500, and if the assessment places you in a treatment track, additional services can cost up to $2,000. The combined total cannot exceed $2,500.¹ BUI cases follow the same cap under Section 56-5-2990(C).⁴

If you cannot afford the fees, you will not be denied services. Participants declared indigent instead perform 50 hours of community service in place of payment.⁷ Ask about that option at intake rather than skipping enrollment.

Driving While Enrolled

South Carolina offers a provisional license for first-time DUI offenders who are actively in ADSAP. You must meet all of the following conditions:¹

You are enrolled in ADSAP.
You had a valid South Carolina license at the time of the violation.
This is your first DUI conviction in 10 years.
Your license is not suspended for any other reason.
You have filed proof of financial responsibility with the DMV, typically an SR-22 insurance certificate.
You have paid the license fee to the DMV.

The provisional license lasts six months from the date of issue and stays valid only as long as you make satisfactory progress in ADSAP. If the provider terminates you, the DMV revokes the provisional license.⁸ Drivers who do not qualify for a provisional license may still be eligible for other restricted licenses through the DMV. Many DUI offenders also have to install an ignition interlock device, and ADSAP enrollment is a prerequisite to installation.⁹

What Gets You Terminated

An unsuccessful discharge creates cascading problems. The program notifies the DMV and the court within seven days.⁶ Any provisional license is revoked, the program will not recommend you for relicensing, and you can face an additional six-month suspension on top of the time you already owe.

Grounds for termination include:

Failing to attend scheduled sessions or comply with your treatment plan
Refusing to pay fees without an approved indigency determination
Using alcohol or drugs on the provider’s premises
Verbal or physical threats toward staff or other participants
Repeated positive drug or alcohol tests

If you have not completed the program within one year of enrollment, state law entitles you to a hearing through ADSAP and, if necessary, through the Office of Substance Use Services.⁴ Getting terminated is not always the end, but re-enrollment is at the provider’s and the state’s discretion, and the suspension clock keeps running while you wait.

If You Were Arrested in South Carolina but Live Elsewhere

If your DUI happened in South Carolina but you live in another state, you still have to satisfy ADSAP to clear your South Carolina driving record. The South Carolina Interstate Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program (SCIADSAP) handles these cases. The steps:¹⁰

Submit an MV-70 form to the SCDMV with a $6 fee to obtain your official driving record. Internet printouts are not accepted.
Provide proof of permanent residency in your home state.
Pay a $150 administrative processing fee, valid for two years.
Complete a clinical assessment and a minimum 16-hour program with a certified or licensed drug and alcohol counselor in your home state.
Have your counselor submit a “Recommendation for Relicensing” form to the SCIADSAP office.

Several restrictions catch people out. Online classes are not accepted. AA meetings and DUI driving improvement schools do not count. Courses completed while incarcerated are excluded. Your clinical assessment must have occurred within 12 months of the relicensing recommendation, and the form must be completed by a certified addictions counselor, licensed professional, or state-approved DUI evaluator. South Carolina residents cannot use this interstate process and must go through their county provider.

Getting Your License Back

Once you meet all clinical and financial obligations, your ADSAP provider issues a certificate of completion and electronically notifies the DMV.¹ Keep the original certificate. You will need it at a DMV field office.

Completion alone does not automatically restore your license. You also need an SR-22 certificate of financial responsibility on file with the DMV, which typically must stay active for three years after a DUI conviction, plus payment of the DMV reinstatement fee. If your offense requires an ignition interlock device, you have to present the installation certificate before receiving a restricted license.⁹

Under-21 zero tolerance cases work a little differently. Your driving privilege comes back once your suspension period and any interlock requirement conclude, even if ADSAP is not finished, but you must keep attending. Stop making progress and the DMV will suspend your license again until you complete the program.³

1
South Carolina Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. South Carolina Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program (ADSAP) Brochure
2
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 56-5-2990 – Suspension of Convicted Persons Driver’s License; Period of Suspension
3
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 56-1-286 – Suspension of License for Person Under Age Twenty-One
4
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code of Laws Title 50, Chapter 21
5
Dorchester Alcohol and Drug Commission. Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program
6
The Forrester Center for Behavioral Health. ADSAP Handbook 2025
7
South Carolina Legislature. Overview of Treatment and Recovery Services Division
8
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 56-1-1330 – Applicant Required to Enroll in Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program
9
South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services. Ignition Interlock Device (IID) Brochure
10
Dorchester Alcohol and Drug Commission. Interstate Packet