Eight years after South Carolina lawmakers forced a $1 million liquor liability insurance requirement on bars and restaurants, and one year after they tweaked the l
w with conditional coverage requirements, the state Senate is trying again.
Senators voted last week to amend a state appropriations bill and suspend the million-d
ollar coverage requirement until June 30, 2027, according to news reports and legislative track
ing services. The South Carolina House of Representatives, where the budget bill originated, must rat
ify the change before it can become law, a vote that is far from certain.
The 2018 liquor liability requirement is one of the steepest in the country, by a wide ma
rgin. Enacted after some high-profile drunk-driving deaths and lawsuit verdicts in the state, the
law has led to the closures of multiple establishments, including some well-known concert venues
, as insurance premiums spiked in recent years. Lawmakers in 2025
approved House Bill 3430, which would have allowed lower covera
ge limits if bars took certain safety, training or early closure steps.
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But insurance carriers didn’t seem to buy into the plan, Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey told The State newspaper. Premiums for many establishments have con
tinued to rise since the 2025 law took effect in January of this year, Massey said. Sen. Brian Adam
s, who plans to open his own bourbon bar, said he could not find a carrier willing to write for less
than a $1 million policy limit, even though his place planned to meet the 2025 requirements, the Daily Gazette reported.
Massey is hoping the one-year suspension will give eateries and bistros some breathing
room, while lawmakers prepare a comprehensive revamp of the law for the 2027 legislative session, news sites reported.
