How to Complete South Carolina DHEC Forms: Vital Records, SCDES, and DPH

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control was dissolved on July 1, 2024, so the South Carolina DHEC forms you may remember are now handled by two successor agencies. Vital records, healthcare facility licensing, and controlled substance registration moved to the Department of Public Health (DPH). Environmental permits — air, water, waste, and coastal — moved to the Department of Environmental Services (SCDES). A small slice, the retail food program and the milk and dairy lab, went to the Department of Agriculture. Permits and licenses issued under DHEC before the split remain valid; the successor agency updates them at renewal or modification.¹

Which Agency Now Handles Your Form

Before pulling a form, confirm which agency owns the program. A form still carrying the DHEC header is likely out of date; look for the DPH or SCDES version.

DPH: birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates; hospital and healthcare facility licensing; the Bureau of Drug Control.
SCDES: air quality, coastal management, land and waste, water programs, and regional laboratory services. SCDES also picked up hydrology and aquatic nuisance species programs from the Department of Natural Resources.
SCDA: retail food program and the milk and dairy lab.

Vital Records: Birth, Death, Marriage, and Divorce

Certified copies of South Carolina vital records come from the DPH Vital Records Section. The search fee is $12 per record, and each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time is $3.²

Who Can Request a Certificate

South Carolina law limits who can obtain a birth certificate. Eligible requesters are the person named on the record (if at least 18), a parent listed on the certificate, a legal guardian, or a legal representative of one of those parties. The statute also allows access for the Department of Social Services in paternity and child support matters, McKinney-Vento school liaisons for homeless youth, and directors of qualifying nonprofits serving homeless children.³

Death certificates go to family members of the deceased, their legal representatives, or others who can demonstrate a direct and tangible interest, such as a property or insurance claim.⁴

If you are an immediate family member requesting the birth certificate of someone who has died, you must include an original certified copy of the death record. Photocopies are not accepted.⁵

Acceptable Photo ID

Every request requires a valid, unexpired photo ID. DPH accepts:

A driver’s license, state ID, or learner’s permit from any U.S. DMV
An unexpired U.S. or foreign passport
An unexpired active-duty or retired military ID
A current school or employer photo ID
Immigration documents: I-551, I-688, I-327, I-571, or I-197
Any unexpired weapons permit issued by a federal, state, or municipal government

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Five Ways to Order

Mail is the cheapest route and takes the longest, roughly four weeks on average.⁵ The $12 and $17 fees apply the same way for birth, death, marriage, and divorce records. The fee is a search fee: if the record cannot be located, you do not get a refund, but you also are not charged the $3 copy fee.

By mail: $12 search plus $3 per additional copy. Send the application, a photocopy of your ID, and a money order or cashier’s check to SC Department of Public Health, Vital Records Section, P.O. Box 2046, West Columbia, SC 29171.
In person: $17 expedited search plus $3 per additional copy, at the State Vital Records Office (2600 Bull Street, Columbia, SC 29201) or a regional office.
Drop-off: $12 standard or $17 expedited, plus $3 per additional copy.
Online: Only through Go Certificates or VitalChek. $17 search plus a processing fee of roughly $8.70 to $8.75. Only the person named on the birth certificate can order online, and a credit or debit card is required.
By phone: VitalChek at $17 plus a $12.85 service charge, plus $3 per additional copy.

Use only the two approved online vendors. DPH warns that orders placed through unauthorized websites may never be processed.⁵

Correcting a Record

The amendment fee for a birth certificate is $15. Records issued within the past year can be replaced at $3 per copy after the amendment is applied.⁵

Environmental Permits Through SCDES

All environmental permitting runs through SCDES. The ePermitting platform at ePermitting.des.sc.gov is where you set up an account, submit applications, track status, file compliance reports, and respond to enforcement actions. The system covers the full lifecycle from application through inspections and renewals.⁷

Fees depend on the permit type and project scale. Wastewater construction shows the spread: a delegated review for a domestic collection system is $75, while a new treatment facility over 1.0 million gallons per day is $1,050. Expansions and modifications fall in between. Complex pretreatment systems are $600; single-component systems like oil-water separators are $200.⁸

Environmental applications need technical documentation: site maps, engineering specifications describing the physical footprint, ownership deeds, and tax identification numbers for the responsible party. Discharge amounts and facility capacity figures have to align with the submitted engineering reports. Permits that require a public comment period can take several months.

Healthcare Facility Licensing Through DPH

Hospitals and institutional general infirmaries apply through the DPH Bureau of Health Facilities Licensing using Form 3292. The application asks for facility information (bed counts by type, food service areas, CEO details), ownership disclosure, and any licensure changes such as location moves or bed count adjustments. Corporations must list all officers, LLCs must list all members, and partnerships must identify each partner.⁹

Submit the completed application by email to HTL@dph.sc.gov (preferred) or by mail to Bureau of Health Facilities Licensing, P.O. Box 2046, West Columbia, SC 29171. Applications missing information or payment will not be processed. The current licensee is responsible for renewing before the expiration date regardless of any pending ownership change or capacity adjustment; the license does not get an automatic extension while those are being sorted out.⁹

Controlled Substance Registration

Anyone handling controlled substances in South Carolina must register with the DPH Bureau of Drug Control. There is no grace period. The form depends on what you do:

Form 1174A: pharmacies (in-state, non-resident, and mail order), practitioners including APRNs and physician assistants, health clinics, EMS and rescue squads, animal control shelters, and humane societies. Attach a copy of your South Carolina professional license.
Form 1026: non-practitioners such as manufacturers, distributors, researchers, hospitals, and health clinics.
Form 1198: narcotic treatment programs.

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New applications go by regular U.S. mail. Processing takes about 12 to 15 business days. APRNs and physician assistants who want to prescribe Schedule II through V substances submit Form 1174A with proof that their professional license reflects prescriptive authority. Researchers must include a research protocol, and a DPH inspector conducts a pre-inspection before the registration is issued.

MD and DO registrations, along with EMS registrations, expire annually on October 1. All other registrations expire on April 1. Missing the renewal deadline cancels the registration rather than suspending it, and reinstatement requires a new application, the standard registration fee, and a $100 penalty fee.¹⁰

Freedom of Information Requests

Both agencies accept FOIA requests, and neither requires a specific form. Any written request works, though each agency offers an optional form. Both must respond in writing within 15 working days.

For DPH records, mail the request to the FOI Center at P.O. Box 2046, West Columbia, SC 29171, or use the online form on the DPH site. Phone inquiries go to (803) 898-7503.¹¹

For environmental records, write to SCDES at 2600 Bull Street, Columbia, SC 29201, or call (803) 898-3882. In-person review requires an appointment; walk-in reviews are not allowed. Requests tied to ongoing litigation, enforcement actions, or potential trade secrets may be referred to the Office of General Counsel, which can extend the response timeline.¹²

Common Reasons a Form Gets Rejected

The same problems trip people up across every former DHEC program. Fill out every field. Blank sections routinely trigger a denial or a clarification request rather than a pass. Confirm you are using the current version by checking the form number and revision date printed on the document.

For vital records, the frequent stumble is submitting a photocopy of a death certificate when requesting a birth record for a deceased person; only an original certified copy is accepted. For environmental permits, discharge figures and facility capacity numbers have to match the engineering reports exactly. Mismatches turn a review of weeks into months. For healthcare licensing, file the renewal before the expiration date even if an ownership change or capacity adjustment is still pending with the department.

1
South Carolina Department of Public Health. DHEC Restructuring
2
South Carolina Department of Public Health. Fees – Vital Records (Birth, Death, etc)
3
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code of Laws Title 44 Chapter 63 – Section 44-63-80
4
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code of Laws Title 44 Chapter 63 – Section 44-63-84
5
South Carolina Department of Public Health. Birth Certificates
6
South Carolina Department of Public Health. ID Requirements for Vital Records
7
South Carolina Department of Environmental Services. ePermitting
8
South Carolina Department of Environmental Services. Application Fee Schedule – Wastewater Construction Permits
9
South Carolina Department of Public Health. Licensure Application for Hospitals and Institutional General Infirmaries
10
South Carolina Department of Public Health. New Registrations
11
South Carolina Department of Public Health. FOIA Policies and Procedures
12
South Carolina Department of Environmental Services. FOIA Policies and Procedures