How to start a behavioral health clinic in South Carolina

South Carolina requires a License for an Outpatient Facility for Chemically Dependent or Addicted Persons (Regulation 60-93; formerly R.61-93 under DHEC) from South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) — Healthcare facility licensing to operate a behavioral health clinic. Fee: $75.

License required

Yes

License

License for an Outpatient Facility for Chemically Dependent or Addicted Persons (Regulation 60-93; formerly R.61-93 under DHEC)

Issuing agency

South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) — Healthcare facility licensing

Fee

$75

Fee details

Initial and annual license fee $75 per outpatient facility, plus $50 per satellite location. Inspection fees: $450 for initial, relocation and routine outpatient inspections; $250 for service modifications (including adding a satellite) and follow-up inspections. Construction plan inspection fees apply to building projects.

Renewal

Every year · Annual license fee $75 (plus $50 per satellite) and any outstanding inspection fees; late renewal fee of $75 or 25% of the license fee, whichever applies under the rule.

Survey and inspection

Inspection before initial licensing; facilities may be inspected or investigated at any time without notice.

Regulation

S.C. Code Regs. 60-93 (Standards for Licensing Facilities for Chemically Dependent or Addicted Persons)

1. Submit the DPH license application (with sworn oath) before opening; no patients may be admitted before the license takes effect
2. Include proof of ownership or lease of the property, verification of the emergency evacuation plan and the administrator's qualifications
3. Pay the license fee and the initial inspection fee
4. Pass the DPH pre-licensing inspection
5. License outpatient and residential services separately even if on the same premises; renew annually

Program

Healthy Connections Medicaid (South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, SCDHHS)

Enrollment portal

SCDHHS online Provider Enrollment web application

Application fee

Under the federal rule (42 CFR 455.460), institutional providers pay the CMS application fee when they first enroll, re-enroll or revalidate. The fee is $750 for calendar year 2026. Individual physicians and non-physician practitioners do not pay it. A fee already paid to Medicare or to another state's Medicaid program counts. SCDHHS's enrollment page does not list a separate state fee.

Fingerprinting

High-risk providers must submit fingerprints and/or have a physical site visit. If fingerprinting runs past the 30-day revalidation deadline, sending a copy of the fingerprint appointment confirmation with the other documents prevents termination. Under federal rules (42 CFR 455.434 and 455.450), the state places provider types in 'limited', 'moderate' or 'high' risk levels. High-risk providers, and anyone who owns 5% or more of one, must submit fingerprints for a criminal background check.

Site visit

SCDHHS screening includes site visits where applicable, and high-risk providers may get a physical site visit at revalidation. Under federal rule (42 CFR 455.432), the state must visit moderate- and high-risk providers before and after enrollment. Every enrolled provider must allow unannounced on-site inspections.

Revalidation

Since June 1, 2026, high-risk providers (federal or state-designated) revalidate every year and all others every three years, more often than the federal minimum. Under a CMS-approved two-year strategy, everyone first enrolled before June 1, 2025 will be revalidated. A rapid cohort covers opioid treatment programs, DME, home health, hospice, nursing facilities, private RBHS, independent licensed behavioral health practitioners, BCBAs/BCaBAs and HCBS providers. Wait for a notification letter with a revalidation number, then submit online within 30 days. Missing the deadline counts as voluntary termination.

Full South Carolina Medicaid enrollment guide →

CON program

Yes

Program

Certificate of Need (State Certification of Need and Health Facility Licensure Act)

Agency

South Carolina Department of Public Health, Certificate of Need Program

Services covered

• nursing homes: new facilities, bed additions or licensure reclassification, and capital expenditures above the regulatory threshold
• hospitals: construction or establishment of a new hospital, and bed additions or reclassification (only until January 1, 2027)

South Carolina certificate of need details →

State minimum wage

$7.25 an hour

Effective

2009-07-24

Scheduled increases

No scheduled change found in the official sources reviewed.

HCBS 80/20 rule

Federal baseline: 42 CFR 441.302(k) requires the state to show that each provider spends at least 80% of Medicaid payments for homemaker, home health aide and personal care services under 1915(c) waivers on direct care worker pay and benefits. Compliance starts 2030-07-09 (for managed care, the first rating period starting on or after that date); annual payment-adequacy reporting under 441.311(e) starts 2028-07-09. A state may set a lower share for state-defined small providers and exempt providers facing hardship, each only through a public notice-and-comment process. The eCFR text has not changed since 2024-07-09. No state-published 80/20 implementation step (small-provider criteria, hardship exemption or reporting guidance) was found for this state in the official sources reviewed.

Community/behavioral health agencies and mental health clinics — active organization NPIs (NPPES)

1,256 (as of Sep 13, 2026)

Total Medicaid and CHIP enrollment (latest reported month)

958,052 (as of Jun 1, 2026)

All South Carolina Behavioral health Medicaid rates, ranked →

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