South Carolina Real Estate Commission: Licensing, Renewal, and Rules

The South Carolina Real Estate Commission is the state agency that licenses and regulates real estate brokers, associates, and property managers in South Carolina. It sits inside the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) and draws its authority from Title 40, Chapter 57 of the South Carolina Code.¹ It writes the rules on qualifications, education, trust accounts, advertising, and agency disclosure, and it investigates and disciplines licensees who violate them.

What the Commission Does

The commission’s core work is consumer protection through licensing. It sets the qualifying standards for each license type, approves the pre-licensing and continuing education courses, and administers the licensing exam through PSI. It also processes complaints, holds disciplinary hearings, and imposes sanctions that range from remedial education up to permanent revocation.

Ten commissioners run the agency. Seven are working real estate practitioners elected from each of the state’s congressional districts, two are public members appointed by the Governor with Senate consent, and those nine choose an at-large practitioner to fill the tenth seat. Terms run four years.²

Practicing without an active license is a misdemeanor. It carries a fine of up to $500, up to six months in jail, or both, and the commission works with the Attorney General’s Office and law enforcement on fraud and unlicensed activity cases.³

Getting Licensed in South Carolina

Associate License

South Carolina calls its entry-level license an associate license; other states call the same thing a salesperson license. You have to be at least 18 and either a legal resident of the United States or lawfully present. The education requirement is a 60-hour pre-licensing course in real estate principles followed by a 30-hour advanced course, both from a commission-approved provider.

Once your education is complete and the commission approves your application, you schedule the licensing exam through PSI. It has a national portion and a South Carolina-specific portion, and PSI allows unlimited retakes within a one-year eligibility window. You also submit to a criminal background check through SLED and the FBI, and past convictions can affect eligibility.⁴

An associate cannot operate independently or hold client funds. Every new associate works under a broker-in-charge who supervises transactions and is responsible for compliance.

Broker and Broker-in-Charge

A broker license requires at least five years of active associate experience during the previous seven years, plus 60 more hours of approved coursework in brokerage principles and management, plus a passing score on the broker exam. Applicants with a law degree or a bachelor’s in real estate may qualify for an education exemption from part of the requirement.

The broker-in-charge (BIC) is the licensee who runs a brokerage office. To register as a BIC you must already hold an active broker license, complete additional BIC-specific management training, and register the designation with the commission. The BIC is directly responsible for the office’s associates, its trust accounts, and its advertising and disclosure compliance.

Property Manager and PMIC

Property managers are licensed separately. The path is a 30-hour approved course in property management fundamentals and principles, then the property management exam.⁵ To upgrade to property manager-in-charge (PMIC), you must be at least 21, hold a high school diploma or equivalent, hold an active property manager license, complete seven additional approved hours in property management accounting and recordkeeping, pass a background check, and pass the PMIC exam.⁶

Bringing a License In From Another State

South Carolina has full reciprocal licensing agreements with only two states: Georgia and North Carolina. The North Carolina agreement took effect January 26, 2024.⁷ If you’re licensed in one of those two, you apply through the reciprocal process, which may waive some education, experience, or exam requirements depending on the agreement. Georgia licensees also get continuing education reciprocity: CE hours completed in Georgia count toward South Carolina’s renewal requirement.⁸

Licensees from every other state must apply for a South Carolina license directly. The one break: nonresident applicants who hold an active license elsewhere, or whose license has not been expired for more than six months, are exempt from the national portion of the exam and only sit for the state-specific section.⁷

Renewal, Inactive Status, and Lapsed Licenses

Every South Carolina real estate license runs on a two-year cycle with a June 30 expiration. Renewals open April 1 through LLR’s online portal. Fees are $45 for an associate, $55 for a broker or property manager, and $75 per office for a BIC or PMIC. You must certify completion of any required CE at renewal, and the commission doesn’t track your coursework for you, so keep records in case of an audit.⁹

Miss the deadline and your license lapses. You cannot perform any real estate activity while lapsed. You have 24 months from expiration to reinstate, which means completing any outstanding CE, filing a reinstatement application, and paying the base renewal fee plus a $15 penalty for every month the license has been lapsed.⁹ After 24 months the license is gone, and reactivating means applying from scratch, potentially including retaking exam portions.

If you’re stepping away from practice temporarily, inactive status is the safer route. You notify the commission in writing, keep paying renewal fees on the normal schedule, and the license stays inactive indefinitely. You cannot do any brokerage activity while inactive. To come back, you apply for the same classification, pay the fee, and meet the CE requirements in effect at that time.¹⁰

Continuing Education

Active associates and brokers complete 10 hours of CE every two years. Four hours must be the mandatory core course covering legislative updates and regulatory changes; the other six are electives. BICs take a different mix that adds up to the same 10 hours: a four-hour BIC-specific course, the four-hour core, and two hours of electives. Property managers, PMICs, and timeshare salespersons are not required to complete CE for renewal.⁸

Two experience-based waivers are available and often missed. A licensee who has held a South Carolina license for at least 25 years and is 65 or older can apply for a full CE waiver. A licensee with 25 years of licensure who is under 65 can apply for a partial waiver requiring only the four-hour core course each cycle.¹¹ Nonresident licensees who have satisfied CE in their home state may also apply for a South Carolina exemption, subject to commission approval.

Trust Account Rules

Trust account violations produce a disproportionate share of disciplinary cases, so the rules here matter. Every BIC or PMIC who handles client money must maintain a demand deposit account at an insured South Carolina financial institution with the word “trust” or “escrow” in the account title.¹²

Commingling personal funds with client money is prohibited, though a BIC may keep a small, clearly identified amount in the account to cover bank service charges. Trust funds a licensee receives in a transaction must be turned over to the BIC or PMIC no later than the next business day. Disbursing trust funds contrary to the contract or failing to release undisputed funds is treated as evidence of incompetence.¹³

All trust account records must be kept at least five years and produced on request when the commission inspects. Computerized records require backup copies stored at a separate off-site location.¹²

Advertising and Team Names

Every ad for real estate services, or for property owned by someone else, must clearly identify the full name of the brokerage firm the licensee works under. That applies across every medium, including social media, yard signs, and print. For online ads, a link to the brokerage’s homepage satisfies the requirement. If the firm operates under a franchise or trade name, the ad has to reveal the identity of the franchisee or trade name holder.¹⁴

Advertising a personal transaction (buying, selling, renting, or auctioning your own property) requires disclosure of your license status. Advertising another firm’s listing requires written authorization from that listing brokerage, and the listing firm must be credited in the ad.

Team names carry extra rules. Every team ad has to conspicuously include both the team name and the full brokerage firm name, and the team name cannot be more than twice the size, prominence, or frequency of the brokerage name. Team names cannot use “realty,” “real estate,” “realtors,” or any similar term that would suggest the team is a separate brokerage.¹⁵

Agency Disclosure at Substantive Contact

Every licensee has to provide a written agency disclosure form at the first substantive contact with a consumer. The statute defines substantive contact as the point where conversation moves past casual introductory talk into meaningful discussion of a buyer’s or seller’s motives, financial qualifications, or other confidential information that could affect bargaining position.¹⁶ Skipping or delaying it is a frequent complaint trigger and a direct path to discipline.

Complaints, Investigations, and Penalties

Anyone can file a written complaint against a licensee: consumers, clients, or other licensees. Common grounds are misrepresentation, failure to disclose material facts, mishandling trust funds, and unlicensed activity. If the matter is within the commission’s jurisdiction, LLR assigns an investigator who can gather evidence, interview witnesses, and subpoena records. Investigations are confidential, and the licensee is notified and given a chance to respond.¹⁷

If a violation is confirmed, the commission opens formal proceedings. The licensee gets written notice of the allegations, the regulation at issue, and a hearing date, and hearings follow the South Carolina Administrative Procedures Act. Some cases resolve through a consent agreement without a full hearing.¹⁸

Available sanctions range widely: remedial education, probation, suspension, or permanent revocation. Fines can reach $10,000 per violation.¹⁹ LLR can also issue administrative citations on a tiered schedule without a full hearing:

First violation: up to $500
Second violation of the same provision within five years: up to $1,000
Third or subsequent violation of the same provision within five years: up to $10,000

Those administrative penalties also apply to unlicensed individuals who violate the chapter, and serious cases involving fraud or escrow mishandling may be referred for criminal prosecution.²⁰ A licensee who disagrees with the commission’s final decision can appeal to the South Carolina Administrative Law Court.¹⁸

1
Justia. South Carolina Code Title 40, Chapter 57 – Real Estate Brokers, Salesmen, And Property Managers
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South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code of Laws – Title 40, Chapter 57 – Section 40-57-40
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South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code of Laws – Title 40, Chapter 57 – Section 40-57-780
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South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code of Laws – Title 40, Chapter 57
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SCLLR. Property Management License Requirements
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South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Section 40-57-510 – Manager or Property Manager-in-Charge License
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South Carolina Real Estate Commission. Reciprocity
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SCLLR. Continuing Education
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South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. License Renewal FAQs
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South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Section 40-57-110 – Issuance and Classification of License, Inactive Status, Renewal, Lapse
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South Carolina Legislature. 2025-2026 Bill 3947 – Continuing Education Requirements for Nonresident Real Estate Brokers and Associates
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South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Section 40-57-136 – Trust Accounts, Disputes, Records
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South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code of Laws – Title 40, Chapter 57 – Section 40-57-136
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South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code of Laws – Title 40, Chapter 57 – Section 40-57-360
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South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Section 40-57-360 – Broker-in-Charge Responsible for Team Supervision
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South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Section 40-57-30 – Definitions
17
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Section 40-57-710 – Grounds for Denial of Issuance of License or for Disciplinary Action Against Licensee
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South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Section 1-23-600 – Hearings and Proceedings
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South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code of Laws – Title 40, Chapter 57 – Section 40-57-720
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South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code of Laws – Title 40, Chapter 57 – Section 40-57-725