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 law with conditional coverage requirements, the state Senate is trying again.
Senators voted last week to amend a state appropriations bill and suspend the million-dollar coverage requirement until June 30, 2027, according to news reports and legislative tracking services. The South Carolina House of Representatives, where the budget bill originated, must ratify 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 margin. 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 coverage limits if bars took certain safety, training or early closure steps.
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 continued to rise since the 2025 law took effect in January of this year, Massey said. Sen. Brian Adams, 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.
Photo: Some bars and restaurants at Myrtle Beach’s famous boardwalk. (AdobeStock)
Related: The 2025 Statutory Revisions
Bars, Eateries Closing Down for Lack of Affordable Liquor Liability Coverage
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Topics
Liability
Politics
South Carolina
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