South Carolina Business Insurance
Commercial coverage for South Carolina contractors, restaurants, property owners, truckers and professional firms. One licensed agency comparing many insurance companies.
Commercial coverage for South Carolina contractors, restaurants, property owners, truckers and professional firms. One licensed agency comparing many insurance companies.
Workers compensation is the main policy state law requires. Businesses that regularly employ four or more people in South Carolina need it, and part-time workers and family members count toward the four. A business with an annual payroll under $3,000 is exempt.
An employer that must carry workers comp and doesn't can be fined up to $100 a day, can be sued directly by an injured employee without the usual defenses, and, if the refusal is willful, can be charged with a misdemeanor carrying up to $1,000 and up to six months in jail. If the state's Uninsured Employers' Fund pays an injured worker's claim, it can place a lien on the employer's assets for what it pays.
Business vehicles need at least the state auto minimums of 25/50/25 plus uninsured motorist coverage. Trucks hauling for hire across state lines also need federal filings and higher federal limits.
Liquor liability is required for bars, restaurants and other licensees that stay open after 5 p.m. to sell alcohol for on-premises consumption. The standard requirement is $1 million in total coverage. Starting January 1, 2026, licensees that qualify for certain mitigation factors can carry less, but not below $300,000 for a permanent license or $150,000 for a special event license.
Everything else (general liability, property, professional liability, cyber and umbrella) is required by the people you do business with rather than by the state.
Coastal wind. On the coast, commercial property policies often exclude wind and hail. The building then needs a separate wind policy. State law set up the South Carolina Wind and Hail Underwriting Association to write wind and hail for residential and commercial property in the coastal area when the regular market won't, including Horry County east of U.S. 17 and defined parts of Georgetown, Charleston, Colleton and Beaufort counties. Named storm deductibles are usually a percentage of the building's value. On a $2 million building, a 5% deductible is $100,000.
Flood, coastal and inland. Federal flood insurance stops at $500,000 for a commercial building and $500,000 for contents, so larger properties need excess flood above it. Helene in 2024 showed that storm damage reaches well inland: the Department of Insurance held claims villages in Greenville, Aiken and Spartanburg County afterward.
Contracts that move risk to you. General contractors, landlords and shippers write insurance requirements into their contracts: additional insured status, waivers of subrogation, specific limits. A policy that doesn't match the contract can cost you the job.
Injury and property damage claims from customers and the public. A BOP packages liability with property for small businesses.
Your building, equipment and inventory, including wind, named storm and ordinance-or-law coverage.
Required at 4 or more employees. We also handle the year-end audit questions.
For restaurants, bars, breweries and event licensees, written to the limit your license requires.
Business vehicles, fleets, motor carriers, cargo and federal filings.
For accountants, consultants, real estate and other professional firms.
Higher limits above general liability, auto and employer's liability.
Sizemore Insurance is licensed in South Carolina. We don't have an office in the state. We serve South Carolina businesses by phone and online from our North Carolina offices.
Main number: (910) 791-1011
For geography: our Shallotte, North Carolina office sits a short drive from the north end of the Grand Strand, and our Charlotte office is near the York and Lancaster county line.
Workers compensation is required once you regularly employ four or more people, business vehicles need at least the state auto minimums, and businesses serving alcohol on premises after 5 p.m. need liquor liability. Other coverage isn't required by state law, but landlords, lenders and clients usually require it in their contracts.
Four. Part-time workers and family members count. Businesses with an annual payroll under $3,000 are exempt.
$1 million in total coverage if you're open after 5 p.m. selling alcohol for on-premises consumption. Since January 1, 2026, qualifying mitigation factors can lower that, to no less than $300,000 for a permanent license.
Often not for wind. Many coastal commercial policies exclude wind and hail, and the building needs a separate wind policy. Flood is never included and needs its own policy.
No. We're licensed in South Carolina and handle quotes, certificates, audits and claims help by phone and online.
Every client works with a licensed Sizemore advisor. We compare more than 100 insurance companies and recommend the one that fits. Request a quote online in about two minutes, or call us at (910) 791-1011, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.