South Carolina home insurance

Every figure below is sourced and dated. Estimates only — not quotes, and not offers of coverage.

South Carolina at a glance

Average premium
$2,833/ yr
At $300,000 of dwelling coverage.
Standard deductible
$1,000
Applies to everyday claims.
Storm deductible — separate, and much larger
$6,000(2% of coverage)
What you would pay out of pocket on $300,000 of coverage before a storm claim pays anything — not the $1,000 above.
Insurer of last resort
South Carolina Wind and Hail Underwriting Association (the Wind Pool)
South Carolina has NO general FAIR Plan. Its only residual-market mechanism is the SC Wind and Hail Underwriting Association, created by the Legislature in 1971 under S.C. Code 38-75-310 et seq., and it is wind-and-hail-only - it does not cover fire, theft, liability, water damage, or flood, so it is bought alongside a stripped-down homeowners or dwelling policy, never instead of one. Eligibility is not county-wide: S.C. Code 38-75-310 defines a narrow coastal area inside Beaufort, Charleston, Colleton, Georgetown, and Horry counties, drawn by landmarks such as the Intracoastal Waterway, U.S. Highway 17, and named islands and creeks, and split into Zone 1 (nearest the coast) and Zone 2. Applicants must be unable to obtain wind and hail coverage from an admitted carrier and must meet roof-condition and building-code standards; investor-owned and rental property qualifies. Residential limits cap at about $1.3 million combined for structure, contents, loss of use, and increased cost of construction. Policy count was 16,402 in force as of January 31, 2025, up slightly from 16,047 in April 2024 - a small pool that has not ballooned the way Gulf-state residual markets have. The real gap this leaves: an INLAND South Carolina homeowner declined by admitted carriers has no last-resort option at all and must go to the excess and surplus lines market.

Last updated 2026-08-28. How we source every figure