Home › States › South Carolina

Checked against official sources · Last reviewed October 13, 2026

What homeowners insurance costs in South Carolina: average premium, 2023 $1,753 a year in South Carolina vs. $1,737 countrywide · 19th highest of 51 · All states (HO-3 policies; NAIC)

The South Carolina market right now

The South Carolina Department of Insurance (SCDOI) reports on the coastal market to the legislature every year. Its 2025 status report, dated Jan. 31, 2026, says the coastal market "faces challenges but, for many risks, is competitive," and that "there has been no mass exodus by insurers from the South Carolina coast."

Figures from that report:

- The wind pool had 15,337 policies on Dec. 31, 2025, down 67.6% from 47,366 at its peak in August 2011. - The pool lost 994 policies during 2025, a 6% drop. - Mapping 2020 Census homes, the pool found it insured about 8% of dwellings in its territory. "In other words, 92% of the dwelling owners found insurance coverage within the admitted market." - Regular (admitted) insurers had 183,684 personal property policies in force in the wind pool territory in September 2025; 151,295 of them included wind coverage. - In 2025 the wind pool filed for a 7.5% rate increase on dwelling policies and 25% on mobile home policies. SCDOI approved it, effective Feb. 1, 2026.

The report also names the trouble spots: condominium associations "with wooden buildings over fifty years old and located close to the ocean," and "some homeowners with larger homes near the coast" who "have experienced difficulties renewing their insurance coverage."

SCDOI gives three main reasons premiums are rising: higher repair costs for materials and labor, higher reinsurance costs, and higher property values, which push people to buy higher coverage limits.

SCDOI says Hurricane Helene (2024) "affected the entire state." As of Dec. 31, 2025, insurers had reported 137,488 residential property claims from Helene in South Carolina and had paid about $1.40 billion in losses on them. [7]

Last-resort coverage: the SC wind pool

Many states have a FAIR plan, a pool that sells basic property insurance to people regular insurers turn down. South Carolina's insurance code (Title 38) has no FAIR plan chapter. The only property residual market it sets up is the South Carolina Wind and Hail Underwriting Association (SCWHUA, or "SC Wind"). The law says it serves "applicants who are unable to procure this insurance in the coastal area." Details are on our SC Wind and Hail Underwriting Association page.

How it works:

- It covers wind and hail only, and only in the coastal area defined by law and by SCDOI order (parts of Beaufort, Charleston, Colleton, Georgetown and Horry counties). - Inside that area, an insurer may leave wind out of your homeowners policy. State law lets insurers exclude wind and hail only "in the area served by" the wind pool, unless the director approves an exclusion. - If your insurer excludes wind, you end up with two policies: a wind policy from SC Wind and a regular policy for all other perils (fire, theft, liability and so on). - You apply through a licensed insurance agent or broker. - The law says the pool "is not intended to offer rates competitive with the admitted market."

Outside the wind pool area, the state code sets up no last-resort plan. SCDOI's advice if you're turned down: "reach out to licensed agents in your area who represent other companies," or use its free Insurance Locator service (below). [1][2][3][5][7][8]

Free help finding a policy: Insurance Locator

SCDOI's Insurance Locator is free. You send a request, and "a SCDOI representative will provide the consumer with a list of participating agents and companies in their area." You then contact those agents or companies yourself.

• Online: the request form on the Insurance Locator page
• Phone: 803-737-6180
• Email: InsuranceLocator@doi.sc.gov

SCDOI says the service had helped 2,818 consumers since 2013, and took 323 requests in 2025, 54% of them from coastal areas. [3][7]

If your insurer cancels or drops you

South Carolina law sets these rules for homeowners and other property policies (S.C. Code Title 38, Chapter 75). The basic notice rules (Sections 38-75-710 to 38-75-790) also apply to policies from eligible surplus lines insurers.

Nonrenewal (your policy ends at its expiration date):

- The insurer must mail or deliver written notice to you and your agent at least 60 days before the expiration date. - The notice "shall state the precise reason for nonrenewal." - A nonrenewal that doesn't follow these rules "is ineffective." - The 60 days apply all year. Before 2021 the law required 90 days for nonrenewals taking effect June 1 through Oct. 31; Act No. 13 of 2021 removed that longer hurricane-season notice.

Cancellation (your policy ends before its expiration date):

- After a policy has been in force 120 days, or if it is a renewal, the insurer may cancel only for: nonpayment; a material misrepresentation; a substantial change in the risk; a substantial breach of the policy's duties or conditions; or loss of reinsurance or a threat to the insurer's solvency (this last reason needs the director's approval). - Notice: at least 10 days for nonpayment, and at least 30 days for the other reasons. The notice must "state the precise reason for cancellation." - In the first 120 days of a new policy, the insurer may cancel for any reason with at least 30 days' notice (10 days for nonpayment).

Reasons an insurer can't use alone. An insurer may not nonrenew a homeowners policy "because the insured has filed a claim with that insurer for damages resulting from an act of God." It also may not refuse to renew only because of claims that happened more than 36 months before the renewal date, or only because you asked a coverage question without filing a claim. But the law does allow an insurer to refuse to renew "due to the catastrophe exposure of wind."

Asking the director to review it. The two sections of the law give different deadlines. The notice wording the law requires insurers to print (Section 38-75-1160) says that "within thirty days of receiving this notice," you or your attorney may ask the director in writing to review whether the insurer followed the law. Section 38-75-1220 says the request is due "within fifteen days" of receiving the notice. A written request within 15 days meets both. If the insurer broke the cancellation or nonrenewal laws, the director may require that your policy be reinstated, but the director "is prohibited from making underwriting judgments."

Ask for the reasons in writing. If the notice doesn't spell out the reasons, you can ask in writing within 90 business days. The insurer or agent must answer within 21 business days.

Renewal offers. If your insurer plans to renew, it must send the renewal terms and premium at least 30 days before the policy expires.

Our nonrenewal guide explains the next steps. To complain, see "Where to get help" below. [2]

Discounts for protecting your home

In the coastal area and the eight-county seacoast area (Horry, Georgetown, Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester, Colleton, Beaufort and Jasper), state law says insurers' rating plans for wind coverage "shall include discounts and credits or surcharges and debits" based on:

• storm shutters
• roof tie-downs
• construction standards and building codes
• distance from water and elevation
• flood insurance
• policy deductibles

The law doesn't set the size of these discounts. In SCDOI's words, "the amount and range of premium savings from mitigation credits can vary significantly from one insurer to another."

Every insurer must tell you, at each new policy and each renewal, about "the availability and the range of each premium discount, credit, other rate differential, or reduction in deductibles" for features that reduce windstorm losses. Look for that notice in your renewal packet, and confirm with your insurer or agent what proof it needs.

A FORTIFIED Roof can count toward the top SC Safe Home grant (next section). SCDOI says both SC Safe Home and FORTIFIED Roof certifications "can allow the homeowner to be eligible for discounts on their home insurance, though discounts vary by carrier." [2][4][9][10]

SC Safe Home grants

SC Safe Home is SCDOI's grant program for strengthening coastal homes against hurricanes and high winds.

Status (checked Oct. 13, 2026): SCDOI's page says "The SC Safe Home Grant Program is not currently accepting applications." It also says "applications open twice a year." You can sign up on that page to be told when the portal reopens.

Grant amounts:

Which column you fall in depends on your household income. Households under 80% of the county area median income (or the state median family income, if higher) can get a non-matching grant. Households at or above it get a matching grant and pay part of the cost. If the project costs more than the grant, you pay the rest. SCDOI has an award estimator.

Who qualifies:

- You live in an eligible county: Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Florence, Georgetown, Horry, Jasper, Marion or Williamsburg. - The home is your primary residence, you own it and live in it, and it is a single-family home (site-built, manufactured or modular). No duplexes, townhomes or apartments. - You have a current homeowners insurance policy. - The home has no existing or previous damage. - You haven't already received and used an SC Safe Home grant.

Before you start: don't do the work first. "The program cannot reimburse you for retrofits you have already done." Don't book a wind inspection before applying, either. Once you're approved, you choose an inspector from the program's list and pay a fee of up to $250, depending on the size of the home. Approved work must be finished within three months of the grant award letter. You'll need your latest tax return, your insurance declarations page and your county property tax assessment. Apply on the SC Safe Home portal when it's open.

Funding: In a June 2026 report to the legislature, SCDOI said the program's funding pool had grown to $8.9 million, and that 899 grants were issued in fiscal year 2025-26. It also said "High public demand often exhausts available funding within days of the application portal opening." A bill to change the program, H. 4817, "did not pass during the 2025–2026 legislative session."

Questions: SC Safe Home staff, 803-737-6087, or scsafehome@doi.sc.gov. [4][11][12]

State tax breaks for storm costs

South Carolina gives three state income tax credits and a tax-free savings account for storm costs. These are state income tax rules only. Ask the SC Department of Revenue or a tax professional how they apply to you.

- Excess insurance premium credit. If the premium for insuring your legal residence is more than 5% of your adjusted gross income, you can claim the excess as a credit, up to $1,250 a year. Unused credit carries forward for five years. SCDOI says homeowners, flood, and wind and hail premiums all count. - Retrofit credit. You can claim 25% of the cost of qualifying fortification work on your legal residence, up to $1,000 a year. Ordinary repairs don't count. - Sales tax credit on retrofit supplies. Up to $1,500 for state sales or use tax paid on materials for that work. - Items paid for with state mitigation grant money (such as SC Safe Home) don't qualify for either retrofit credit if the grant isn't counted in your income. - Catastrophe savings account. Money you put in a catastrophe savings account at a bank, and the interest on it, is free of state income tax if it stays in the account or pays qualified catastrophe expenses. Other withdrawals are taxed as income plus a 2.5% additional tax, with some exceptions. See SCDOI's catastrophe savings account page.

SCDOI explains the retrofit credits on its fortification tax credit page. [13][14][15][16]

Surplus lines policies

If regular insurers won't cover your home, an agent may offer a surplus lines policy from a company that isn't licensed in South Carolina but is allowed to sell here. SCDOI credits "growth in the Excess and Surplus Lines market," along with new insurers, for making coastal coverage easier to find.

South Carolina's cancellation and nonrenewal rules (above) also apply to "policies issued by eligible surplus lines insurers." For these insurers, a notice given on time to the licensed broker who placed your policy "is considered notice to the insured," so stay in touch with your broker. Our surplus lines guide explains the trade-offs. [2][7]

Flood is separate

SCDOI warns that "flood coverage is not included in standard homeowners policies." South Carolina had 193,541 National Flood Insurance Program policies as of Nov. 30, 2025, according to FEMA figures in SCDOI's report. For flood zones and flood insurance, see our sister site FloodHawk. [7]

Where to get help

SCDOI Office of Consumer Services helps with "policy cancellations or non-renewals," claim disputes and premium questions.

- Phone: 803-737-6180, toll-free 1-800-768-3467, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday - Email: consumers@doi.sc.gov - Complaint: doi.sc.gov File a Complaint (online form or PDF)

SCDOI asks you to try to fix the problem with your insurance company first, and to send the company's exact name, your policy number, a description of the problem and copies of your documents. SCDOI says that "by statute, insurance entities have 7 days to respond to the SC DOI." [5][6]

Questions people ask