South Carolina Home Insurance Quotes

A South Carolina homeowners quote turns on the ZIP code, the construction, the roof, and whether the address sits inside the coastal area defined for wind and hail coverage. Match the dwelling limit, the deductibles, and the wind treatment on every quote before you treat two premiums as the same policy.

How to Compare South Carolina Home Insurance

Use the same dwelling limit, personal-property basis, liability limit, deductibles, and wind treatment on every quote. A lower premium can come from a separate hurricane, named-storm, or wind and hail deductible, from a wind exclusion, or from actual cash value instead of replacement cost. Section 38-75-755 says the insured may have the option to increase the deductible and thus lower the potential premium. Read the deductible that goes with that premium before you rank the quotes.

A home insurance comparison by ZIP code is where those matching quotes are lined up for the same South Carolina property.

Section 38-75-1210 allows an insurer to refuse to issue a policy because of the catastrophe exposure of wind, and it still allows a territorial plan the director has approved. A missing quote is not, by itself, the end of the search.

The insurance company guide lists companies on this site so a declined quote can be checked against that list.

Wind and Hail in the Coastal Area

Section 38-75-320 states the purpose of the wind and hail article: to assure an adequate market for wind and hail insurance in the coastal areas of South Carolina. Section 38-75-330 creates the South Carolina Wind and Hail Underwriting Association as a residual market. It provides wind and hail insurance for residential and commercial property to applicants who are unable to procure that insurance in the coastal area. Admitted property insurers that write property insurance in the state on a direct, statewide basis are members for as long as the association exists.

The coastal area in Section 38-75-310(5) is a mapped set of places, not a whole county and not the separate seacoast-area definition. In Beaufort County and Colleton County it is the area east of the west bank of the intracoastal waterway. In Georgetown County it is the area between the Harrell Siau Bridge and the Georgetown-Horry County border that lies east of a line paralleling U.S. Highway 17, plus Cedar Island, North Island, and South Island. In Horry County it is the area east of U.S. Highway 17 or Bypass 17, whichever is farther to the west. In Charleston County it includes Edisto Island, Edingsville Beach, Kiawah Island, Botany Bay Island, Folly Island, Seabrook Island, and Morris Island; areas north of the City of Charleston that are east of the west bank of the intracoastal waterway; and the portions of James Island, John's Island, and Wadmalaw Island that the statute describes by creeks and roads.

Section 38-75-310(7) uses a different term. Seacoast area means all areas within Horry, Georgetown, Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester, Colleton, Beaufort, and Jasper Counties. Berkeley, Dorchester, and Jasper are in that seacoast definition. They are not in the coastal-area list in Section 38-75-310(5). The association's residual market in Section 38-75-330 is for the coastal area.

Section 38-75-1230 says an insurer may not exclude wind and hail on a fire, allied lines, or homeowner's policy unless the property is in the area served by the association or the director, or the director's designee, has approved the exclusion. Outside that area, a wind exclusion needs that approval. Inside it, a quote can leave wind and hail off the homeowners policy and place that coverage with the association.

A person with an insurable interest applies through a licensed broker or agent the applicant authorizes. Section 38-75-350 requires the association's form, approved by the director or the director's designee, and a statement about any unpaid premium due for fire insurance on the property. If the association finds the property insurable and finds no unpaid premium due for prior insurance on it, the association issues essential property insurance for a term of at least one year after it receives the premium, or the portion the plan of operation allows. If the association denies the application or does not act within the time in the plan of operation, the applicant may appeal to the director. After reviewing the facts, the director or a designated staff member may direct the association to issue a policy.

Insurable property under Section 38-75-310(4) is immovable property at a fixed location in the coastal area, or tangible personal property located there, that the association finds insurable under reasonable underwriting standards. Farm property, manufacturing property, and motor vehicles eligible to be licensed for highway use are not included. A structure commenced on or after September 15, 1971, that was not built in substantial compliance with the building code the statute names, or with the standards under the National Manufactured Housing Construction Standards and Safety Act, is not an insurable risk under that article. A structure commenced on or after that date must also comply with construction and zoning requirements adopted for the Federal Flood Insurance Program.

When a quote will not include wind and hail, the high-risk homeowners insurance guide is the next page on this site.

Hurricane, Named-Storm, and Wind and Hail Deductibles

South Carolina Code of Regulations 69-56 tells insurers, including surplus lines insurers, how to inform buyers of a personal or commercial property policy that a hurricane, named-storm, or wind and hail deductible is in the policy. An insurer may use a separate endorsement for each of those deductibles or combine them.

The regulation defines a named-storm deductible as a separate deductible triggered by a weather-related event that the U.S. National Weather Service or the National Hurricane Center has named, designated, or identified. It includes only a hurricane, a tropical storm, or a tropical depression. A storm or weather event named by any other person or entity is not a named storm for this deductible. A winter storm or other weather event named or identified by the news media cannot be used to trigger it.

A wind and hail deductible, under the same regulation, is a separate deductible on a personal or commercial property policy for losses from wind or hail. That is true however the deductible is named, and whether it is calculated as a percentage of policy limits or as a specified dollar amount. The regulation does not set one percentage for every policy. Read the percentage or dollar amount on the declarations page of the quote in front of you.

An insurer may not offer a new property policy, or renew one, that includes a hurricane, named-storm, or wind and hail deductible unless two things are present. First, an example that shows how the deductible works for a policy valued at $100,000, with a clear explanation of the event that triggers it. The $100,000 figure is the illustration the regulation requires. It is not a deductible, and it is not a dwelling limit the statute sets for every house. Second, the face of the policy must state: THIS POLICY CONTAINS A SEPARATE DEDUCTIBLE FOR HURRICANE, NAMED STORM OR WIND/HAIL LOSSES, WHICH MAY RESULT IN HIGH OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSES TO YOU. THE ENCLOSED EXAMPLE ILLUSTRATES HOW THE DEDUCTIBLE MIGHT AFFECT YOU. The same statement must appear on the declarations page. The language may be added by an amendatory endorsement.

At renewal, the insurer may not add one of these deductibles, or increase its size, unless the $100,000 example and the trigger explanation are included and the named insured signs or initials a disclosure acknowledging that the named insured has read the example. Section 38-75-755(B)(1)(e) requires the same kind of notice on a personal lines residential property policy: whether a separate deductible applies to hurricane, wind, or named-storm damage, as opposed to some other loss, and if so an example for a policy valued at one hundred thousand dollars and a clear explanation of the triggering event, consistent with Regulation 69-56.

Flood, Mold, and Settlement Disclosures

At issuance and at each renewal of a personal lines residential property policy, Section 38-75-755(B) requires a notice of whether the insured has coverage for flood or mold. The disclosure must also state that insurance is available through the National Flood Insurance Program and that excess flood insurance may be available through an additional policy. The notice is for information. Section 38-75-755(B)(3) says it does not amend, extend, or alter the coverage in the policy.

The same notice must distinguish replacement cost for losses from actual cash value, explain the use of depreciation in determining payment for losses, and state that the policy may contain time limitations for repairs to be completed in order to receive full replacement cost. It must also point to the policy's process for notifying the insurer of a loss. Ask for that distinction on each quote so a replacement-cost premium is not compared with an actual-cash-value premium.

Section 38-75-40 restricts coinsurance language. A clause that requires the insured to carry more insurance than the policy states, or that makes the insured a coinsurer for part of the loss, is void unless the words "coinsurance clause" are stamped on the filing face of the policy or printed in bold type at the top of the clause. If the rate with the clause differs from the rate without it, the insurer must furnish both rates to the insured on request. The statute does not set one percentage that every policy uses. Read the clause in the form you are asked to buy.

Section 38-75-20 is a fire-insurance rule, not a rule for every peril. No insurer may issue a fire policy for more than the value stated in the policy or the value of the property. On a total loss by fire, the insured is entitled to recover the full amount of the insurance. On a partial loss by fire, the insured is entitled to recover the actual amount of the loss, and not more than the amount stated in the contract. The section does not apply to insurance on chattels or personal property. Do not read it as a wind or hail total-loss promise.

Hurricane Damage Mitigation Grants

Section 38-75-485 establishes the South Carolina Hurricane Damage Mitigation Program inside the Department of Insurance. The section does not create an entitlement for property owners, and it does not obligate the state to fund an inspection or a retrofit. Carrying out the program depends on annual legislative appropriations.

The statute describes matching and nonmatching grants for an owner-occupied, single-family, site-built, manufactured, or modular primary legal residence. To be eligible for a matching grant, the property must be the applicant's primary legal residence, actually owned and occupied by the applicant, covered by a current homeowners or dwelling policy issued by an insurer licensed in this state or by a surplus lines insurer when a broker authorized in this state lawfully placed the policy, and insured for an amount equal to or greater than the fair market value defined in Section 12-37-3135(a)(2) and reflected in the county records. It must also have an acceptable wind certification and hurricane mitigation inspection under the program's requirements.

Matching grants are matched dollar for dollar up to the maximum the statute allows for that retrofit. A Resilient Mitigation Award, for a roof retrofit that meets SC Safe Homes Retrofit Guidelines and Institute for Business and Home Safety Fortified Roof Retrofit Guidelines, may not exceed $7,500 for a nonmatching grant or $6,000 for a matching grant. A Sustainable Mitigation Award, for a roof retrofit that meets SC Safe Home Retrofit Guidelines only, or for window replacement and opening protection that meets SC Safe Home Opening Protection Guidelines, may not exceed $5,000 for a nonmatching grant or $4,000 for a matching grant. For hurricane shuttering and protective barrier systems that meet only the SC Safe Home Opening Protection Guidelines, grants may not exceed $3,000 for both matching and nonmatching grants. Those figures are statutory ceilings. They are not a quote, and they are not an amount the program must pay in a given year.

For a nonmatching award, an applicant whose total annual adjusted gross household income does not exceed 80 percent of the median annual adjusted gross income for households in the county may be eligible for the maximum award. An applicant with a higher income may be awarded a lower amount. The director or the director's designee issues a bulletin each year that sets the maximum award amounts. If the project costs more than the award, the rest is the applicant's responsibility. Grants may be used for the retrofit items the statute lists, including roof-deck attachment, a secondary water barrier, roof covering, opening protection, and tie-downs.

Cancellation, Nonrenewal, and an Act of God Claim

Section 38-75-730 limits mid-term cancellation. After the policy has been in effect for 120 days, and the policy is not in its first 120 days as a new policy, the insurer may cancel before expiration only for nonpayment of premium, a material misrepresentation that would have kept the company from issuing the policy, a substantial change in the risk, a substantial breach of a contractual duty, condition, or warranty, or loss of reinsurance or a solvency problem that follows the statute's extra notice to the director. Nonpayment requires written notice at least 10 days before the cancellation date. The other permitted reasons require at least 30 days. The notice must state the precise reason. During the first 120 days of a policy that is not a renewal, the insurer may cancel for any reason with at least 30 days' written notice, or at least 10 days for nonpayment. The insurer may not cancel outside that 120-day period for a change in risk it already had notice of before the period ended. A substantial change in risk that is based on climatic conditions must rest on South Carolina statistical data the director or the director's designee has approved.

Section 38-75-740 requires written notice of nonrenewal at least 60 days before the expiration date of a policy written for one year or less, or at least 60 days before the anniversary date of a policy written for more than one year or for an indefinite term. The notice must state the precise reason. Section 38-75-1160, which does not apply to a cancellation made under Section 38-75-730, says a cancellation or refusal to renew is not effective without written notice at least 60 days before the effective date. That notice must state the specific reason and must include the statute's statement that, within 30 days of receiving the notice, the insured or the insured's attorney may ask the director in writing to review whether the insurer complied with South Carolina cancellation or nonrenewal law. Section 38-75-1220(C) separately says that within 15 days of receipt of a notice of cancellation or refusal to renew, the insured or the insured's attorney may request that review in writing. The two sections state those two request periods. The director's review checks compliance with the cancellation and nonrenewal laws. The statute says the director does not substitute the director's underwriting judgment for the insurer's.

Section 38-75-790 says no insurer may nonrenew a homeowners policy because the insured has filed a claim with that insurer for damages resulting from an act of God. Section 38-75-1220 also says an insurer may not refuse to renew only because of one or more claims that occurred more than 36 months before the upcoming anniversary date. The same section, and Section 38-75-1210, still allow an insurer to refuse to renew or to issue a policy because of the catastrophe exposure of wind.

The South Carolina Department of Insurance is the agency these property-insurance statutes assign to notices, the wind and hail association, and the mitigation program. South Carolina Department of Insurance

Questions to Ask Before Buying

• Is this address inside the coastal area in Section 38-75-310(5), or only inside the broader seacoast-area counties?
• Does this homeowners policy include wind and hail, or is wind and hail excluded under Section 38-75-1230?
• If wind and hail are excluded, has a licensed broker or agent applied to the South Carolina Wind and Hail Underwriting Association?
• Is there a separate hurricane, named-storm, or wind and hail deductible, and which National Weather Service or National Hurricane Center event triggers it?
• Does the quote include the Regulation 69-56 example for a policy valued at $100,000, and is that figure being treated as the deductible?
• Does the Section 38-75-755 notice say whether flood and mold are covered?
• Does the policy pay replacement cost or actual cash value, and is any coinsurance clause labeled as Section 38-75-40 requires?
• If the insurer nonrenews, is the reason an act of God claim that Section 38-75-790 bars, or the catastrophe exposure of wind that Section 38-75-1220 still allows?

FAQ About South Carolina Home Insurance

Q: Can an insurer exclude wind and hail from a South Carolina homeowners policy?
A: Section 38-75-1230 says an insurer may not exclude wind and hail on a fire, allied lines, or homeowner's policy unless the property is in the area served by the South Carolina Wind and Hail Underwriting Association or the director, or the director's designee, has approved the exclusion.

Q: What triggers a named-storm deductible in South Carolina?
A: Regulation 69-56 defines a named storm, for a separate deductible, as a hurricane, tropical storm, or tropical depression that the U.S. National Weather Service or the National Hurricane Center has named, designated, or identified. A storm named by someone else, including a winter storm named by the news media, does not qualify. The regulation requires an example for a policy valued at $100,000. That amount is the illustration, not the deductible.

Q: Does a South Carolina homeowners policy have to say whether flood is covered?
A: Section 38-75-755 requires a notice, at issuance and at each renewal of a personal lines residential property policy, of whether the insured has coverage for flood or mold. The notice must state that insurance is available through the National Flood Insurance Program and that excess flood insurance may be available through an additional policy. The notice does not change the policy.

Q: What is the South Carolina Wind and Hail Underwriting Association?
A: Section 38-75-330 creates the association as a residual market for wind and hail insurance in the coastal area, for residential and commercial applicants who cannot procure that insurance there. The coastal area is the mapped definition in Section 38-75-310(5). It is not the same as the seacoast area in Section 38-75-310(7). A licensed broker or agent submits the application. A denial can be appealed to the director.

Q: Can the company nonrenew a homeowners policy because of an act of God claim?
A: Section 38-75-790 says no insurer may nonrenew a homeowners policy because the insured filed a claim with that insurer for damages resulting from an act of God. Section 38-75-1220 still allows a refusal to renew because of the catastrophe exposure of wind, and it bars a refusal to renew that is based only on claims more than 36 months before the anniversary.