How to Get a Temporary Alcohol License in South Carolina

A temporary alcohol license in South Carolina is issued by the South Carolina Department of Revenue (SCDOR), and it comes in two forms: a beer and wine special event permit at ten dollars per day for up to fifteen consecutive days, or a temporary liquor permit for nonprofits at thirty-five dollars for a single occasion of up to twenty-four hours. You apply on form ABL-900, online through MyDORWAY or by mail, at least seventy-two hours before the event. Serving alcohol without the right permit is a misdemeanor.¹

Which Permit You Need

There is no single permit that covers everything you might pour at an event. Beer and wine are one track; liquor is another. A festival serving cocktails alongside beer will need both.

Beer and Wine Special Event Permit

Under South Carolina Code 61-4-550, the SCDOR issues a special permit for selling beer and wine at fairs and special functions for up to fifteen consecutive days, at ten dollars per day.² It fits festivals, fundraisers, and community gatherings, and it does not authorize liquor sales. All beer and wine sold under this permit must be purchased from licensed South Carolina wholesalers.¹

An organization that runs frequent events can put up to twenty-five beer and wine permits on a single ABL-900 within a twelve-month period, as long as it is also applying for up to twenty-five liquor permits at the same time. Additional permits beyond that can still be filed separately.²

Temporary Liquor Permit for Nonprofits

Only nonprofit organizations can sell liquor at special events. Under South Carolina Code 61-6-2000, the SCDOR issues a temporary license letting a qualifying nonprofit buy and sell liquor by the drink for a single social occasion of no more than twenty-four hours. The filing fee is thirty-five dollars per event and is nonrefundable.³

A “nonprofit organization” here means one with limited membership, not open to the general public, established for social, charitable, patriotic, recreational, or fraternal purposes.⁴ For-profit businesses and individuals cannot get a temporary liquor permit. If your event is a for-profit venture, you are limited to beer and wine.

Watch the mismatch in duration. Beer and wine can run fifteen consecutive days on one permit; liquor caps at twenty-four hours per occasion. A three-day festival with cocktails needs a separate liquor application for each day.

Referendum Counties

Some counties have approved temporary alcohol sales by local referendum. In those counties, the SCDOR may issue temporary permits under South Carolina Code 61-6-2010 to both nonprofits and licensed business establishments. The fees are higher: a nonrefundable one-hundred-dollar filing fee plus fifty dollars per day the permit is active, still capped at twenty-four hours per occasion. If you are unsure whether your county has passed the referendum, check with the SCDOR before you begin a liquor application.

Who Qualifies

Every applicant and every principal of the applying organization must be at least twenty-one. The SCDOR will not issue a permit to anyone under that age, and it will revoke a permit found to have been issued in violation of the rule.⁵

Applicants must also be of “good moral character,” a standard the SCDOR evaluates during review. False or concealed information on the application is independent grounds for denial and revocation.⁵ License holders must be a resident of, or registered in, South Carolina for at least thirty days before applying. The person or entity receiving the event’s profits or proceeds is the one who should apply, even if those proceeds are only donations or entry fees.¹

What to Submit With the Application

The application runs on form ABL-900, “Application for Special Event Beer, Wine, and/or Liquor.” Online filing through MyDORWAY is faster; paper submissions go by mail. Online applications must reach the SCDOR at least seventy-two hours before the event, and paper applications at least three days out.⁶

Along with the ABL-900, you need:

ABL-946 for each principal of the applying organization.
A SLED criminal record check (CRC) for every principal, dated within ninety days of the application. Principals who have lived in South Carolina less than two years also need a statewide CRC from their previous state. Non-residents need a CRC from their current state plus a SLED check.
ABL-100, the law enforcement notification form, signed by the local chief of police for events inside city limits or by the county sheriff for events outside city limits. Without it, the application is not processed.
A liquor liability insurance certificate (ACORD 25) showing at least $500,000 in total coverage, with per-occurrence coverage at least fifty percent of the aggregate, if alcohol will be sold after 5 p.m.
Retail license and admissions tax license numbers, if you are charging entry, selling tickets, selling food or beverages, or providing entertainment.
ABL-977 or a copy of the lease, if the location is already licensed to sell alcohol.
A contract with the venue or proof of ownership.
A copy of the notification email you sent to SLED at ABLSpecialEventPermits@sled.sc.gov at least twenty-four hours before the event, copied to ABLCompliance@dor.sc.gov.⁶

The SLED email should list your name, your organization’s name, and the type, location, date, and time of the event.

Fees

Beer and wine special event permit: ten dollars per calendar day.²
Temporary liquor permit (standard nonprofit): thirty-five dollars per event, nonrefundable.³
Temporary liquor permit in referendum counties: one hundred dollars filing fee plus fifty dollars per day.

Fees must accompany the application. MyDORWAY accepts card payments online; paper filings pay by check or money order. All filing fees are nonrefundable, so a cancellation after approval does not return the money. Budget separately for the SLED background check, liquor liability insurance, and any retail or admissions tax license fees your event triggers.

Insurance

Any special event selling beer, wine, or liquor after 5 p.m. must carry liquor liability insurance, or a general liability policy with a liquor liability endorsement, with total coverage of at least $500,000. The per-occurrence limit must be at least half the aggregate, and proof of coverage goes in with the application on an ACORD 25 certificate.¹

Standard general liability policies typically exclude alcohol-related claims, so most organizers end up buying a separate liquor liability policy or adding a specific endorsement. Some carriers take a week or more to issue that endorsement, and a missing certificate stalls the entire application.

Deadlines and Law Enforcement Notification

Two law enforcement steps sit at different points in the process, and both are required.

Before you file, the local chief of police (or the county sheriff, for events outside city limits) has to sign your ABL-100. Local law enforcement uses that form to review and, if warranted, object to the permit, and the approved hours of sale on your permit are only the hours they specifically sign off on.²

Then, at least twenty-four hours before the event itself, you must email SLED and every local law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over the site. This is separate from the ABL-100 signature and applies whether the event is in a city or in an unincorporated area.⁶

Liquor sales at any event may take place only between 10 a.m. and 2 a.m., and only during the hours approved on the ABL-100. Permits cannot be extended; a longer or repeat event needs a new application.

Location Rules

The SCDOR will not issue a permit if the venue sits within three hundred feet of a church, school, or playground inside a municipality, or within five hundred feet outside a municipality. There is an exception: the permit can still be issued if the nearby institution provides a written statement of non-objection, from the local church’s decision-making body, the school district board of trustees or equivalent governing board, or the playground owner’s decision-making body.⁷

Common Reasons Applications Get Denied

Missing or stale SLED background check. The SCDOR must deny the application if a CRC is not included or is more than ninety days old.³
An applicant or principal under twenty-one.⁵
Good moral character concerns, including prior alcohol-related violations.
Delinquent state taxes, penalties, or interest. The SCDOR will not issue an alcohol permit to any applicant with a state tax delinquency.⁸
A venue inside the church, school, or playground buffer without a written non-objection statement.⁷
A missing or unsigned ABL-100.
False or misleading information anywhere on the application.⁵

If a prior license or permit for the same premises was suspended or revoked, no partner or financially interested person from that business can receive a new permit for those premises.

Serving Without a Permit

Operating a retail alcohol business without the proper permit is a misdemeanor in South Carolina, punishable by a fine of ten to one hundred dollars or imprisonment of ten to thirty days. The dollar penalty is small, but the conviction produces a criminal record that can defeat future permit applications under the good moral character standard, and an unlicensed event has no liquor liability policy standing behind it if something goes wrong.

1
South Carolina Department of Revenue. Special Event Permits
2
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 61-4-550 – Special Permits for Use at Fairs and Special Functions
3
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 61-6-2000 – Temporary Permits for Nonprofit Organizations; Criminal Background Checks
4
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 61-6-20 – Definitions
5
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 61-2-100 – Persons Entitled to Be Licensees or Permittees
6
South Carolina Department of Revenue. ABL-900 – Application for Special Event Beer, Wine, and/or Liquor
7
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 61-6-120 – Proximity to Church, School, or Playground; Exception
8
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 61-2-160 – Issuance, Renewal, or Transfer of License; Delinquent Taxes