The short answer South Carolina licenses non-medical In-Home Care Providers (Reg. 61-122) and home health agencies (Reg. 61-77, with CON) — oversight moved to the new Department of Public Health in July 2024, with updated in-home care standards proposed in 2025.
What South Carolina requires
South Carolina
Licensing agency. The South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) — successor to DHEC's Healthcare Quality function after the July 1, 2024 agency split — licenses In-Home Care Providers and home health agencies.
Source ↗
In-Home Care Provider license. Non-medical agencies license under Regulation 61-122 (Standards for Licensing In-Home Care Providers), implementing the In-Home Care Providers Act, S.C. Code § 44-70-10 et seq.
Source ↗
2025 rule update. DPH published a notice of proposed regulation (renumbered R. 60-122) for in-home care provider standards in the September 26, 2025 State Register — expect refreshed standards under the new department; verify which version is current.
Source ↗
Home health + CON. Home health agencies are licensed under Regulation 61-77 and remain subject to South Carolina's Certificate of Need program, which limits new skilled agencies by county.
Source ↗
Surveys. DPH conducts initial and routine licensure inspections and complaint investigations for both license types, with plan-of-correction requirements; it is also the CMS survey agency for Medicare-certified agencies.
Source ↗
☆ Rules change. We watch them for you.
Get one short email when South Carolina's home care requirements change. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Reviewed quarterly by Vitable Health.
The federal baseline (applies in every state)
Federal
No federal home care license. There is no federal license for home care or home health agencies. Licensure is a state function: each state (and DC) decides whether and how to license home health agencies and non-medical personal care/companion agencies, so requirements vary dramatically by jurisdiction.
Source ↗
Medicare certification (42 CFR Part 484). Agencies that bill Medicare for skilled home health must be certified as meeting the Medicare Conditions of Participation at 42 CFR Part 484 (patient rights, comprehensive assessment, QAPI, skilled professional services, home health aide standards, and more), on top of any state license.
Source ↗
Accreditation with deemed status. Most new Medicare home health agencies obtain certification through a CMS-approved accrediting organization with deeming authority — ACHC, CHAP, or The Joint Commission — whose surveys substitute for the state agency's Medicare certification survey.
Source ↗
State survey agencies enforce both. State survey agencies (usually the state health department) operate under agreements with CMS to survey Medicare-certified agencies, and most also run the state licensure survey program — initial surveys, renewal/recertification surveys, complaint investigations, and plan-of-correction enforcement per the CMS State Operations Manual.
Source ↗
Primary sources for this page
- https://dph.sc.gov/professionals/healthcare-quality/licensed-facilities-professionals/home-care-providers
- https://dph.sc.gov/professionals/healthcare-quality/licensed-facilities-professionals/home-care-providers
- https://dph.sc.gov/professionals/permits-regulations/regulations-table
- https://dph.sc.gov/professionals/healthcare-quality/licensed-facilities-professionals/home-health-agencies
- https://dph.sc.gov/professionals/healthcare-quality/licensed-facilities-professionals/home-care-providers
More South Carolina guides