The South Carolina concealed weapons permit after constitutional carry

South Carolina no longer requires a permit to carry a handgun. The Constitutional Carry Act took effect on March 7, 2024, and SLED's own guidance says the law allows individuals 18 years old and older to carry firearms openly or concealed without a permit, provided they are not otherwise prohibited from possessing a firearm. So why do tens of thousands of people in this state still hold a concealed weapons permit, and why are new applications still coming in.

What the CWP still buys you

SLED lists two plain reasons on its constitutional carry page. First, the permit gives you reciprocity with other states that recognise it, which matters the moment you drive to North Carolina, Georgia or Florida. Permitless carry only works inside South Carolina. Second, a CWP makes buying a firearm from a dealer easier, because many dealers accept a current permit in place of the federal NICS check at the counter.

There is a third reason worth knowing. South Carolina law attaches heavier penalties to some firearm offences when the person does not hold a permit, so the permit still carries legal weight even where carry itself is now unlicensed. If you carry regularly, the permit is cheap insurance.

Who issues it

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, SLED, issues every concealed weapons permit in the state. County sheriffs do not, and neither do municipal police departments, though local agencies often host the training. Applications go to SLED Regulatory in Columbia, and the SLED Services Portal handles online applications and renewals.

Who can get one

Under Title 23 Chapter 31 an applicant must be at least 18, which the 2024 act lowered from 21. You must be a South Carolina resident or a qualified non-resident who owns real property in the state. You need proof of residence or property ownership, a vision check, a complete set of fingerprints and proof of training.

The training requirement

The statute describes a course covering statutory and case law on firearms and self-defence, handgun safety in the home, vehicle and on the person, proper storage where children may be present, holster techniques, deescalation, and live fire of at least 25 rounds. Retired and active law enforcement, military service members and certified instructors can qualify through their background instead of sitting the course.

The 2024 act also told SLED to run a statewide training course that satisfies the proof-of-training requirement, and SLED is required to teach two free courses in every county each month. Each course gives at least four hours of instruction on safety, fundamentals, nomenclature, the law of self-defence and the law of carrying in South Carolina, and SLED may not charge a fee for it. Check the SLED CWP class calendar for dates near you, because seats fill quickly.

Fees and how long it lasts

The fee for a new application was removed by the legislature, so a first CWP costs nothing beyond fingerprinting and whatever a private instructor charges if you use one. The statute sets a renewal fee of fifty dollars, waived for disabled veterans and retired law enforcement, and SLED has waived that renewal fee at times since constitutional carry passed. Address changes and replacement cards are five dollars. A permit runs five years. Confirm the current fee on the SLED site before you send anything, because these numbers move.

Renewing

Renewal is online through the SLED portal, and you can renew for up to eighteen months past the expiration date. After that the paper application process starts again. Renewal requires a fresh background check but no repeat of the training course.

Where you still cannot carry

A permit does not open every door. Section 16-23-20 lists the places off-limits with or without a CWP: law enforcement and detention facilities, courthouses and courtrooms in session, polling places on election day, offices and meetings of county, municipal and school district governing bodies, school and college athletic events, daycare and preschool facilities, hospitals, medical clinics and doctors' offices, places of worship without permission, private homes without the owner's permission, federal facilities, and any property posted with a compliant no-carry sign. School and college campuses are governed by separate law. A business that posts a proper sign can keep firearms out; walk away rather than argue.

Reciprocity, carefully

SLED maintains the list of states that recognise the South Carolina permit and the states whose permits South Carolina recognises. That list changes when other legislatures move, so read the current SLED reciprocity page before a trip rather than trusting a printed map or an app. Carrying on a South Carolina permit in a state that has quietly dropped recognition is a serious problem, not a technicality.

Recognition also runs the other way. A visitor carrying on an out-of-state permit that South Carolina recognises may carry here, and since 2024 an adult visitor 18 or older who may lawfully possess a firearm can carry without any permit at all. The prohibited places in Section 16-23-20 apply to residents and visitors alike, and a posted sign carries the same weight either way.

Choosing a carry handgun

For daily carry in the Midlands heat, most people end up with a compact or micro-compact 9mm: a Glock 43X or 19, a Smith and Wesson Shield Plus, a Sig P365 or a Springfield Hellcat. Add a holster that covers the trigger guard completely and a real belt; the belt matters more than the gun. Revolvers in .38 Special still make sense for pocket carry and for shooters who want the simplest possible manual of arms. Browse the catalog, then read the state gun law guide for the purchase rules and the Columbia buying guide for local pickup and range options.

General information, not legal advice. Current as of September 2026. Laws change; check the official source before you act.