South Carolina licenses independent clinical counselors as the LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor), through the Board of Examiners for the Licensure of Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, Addiction Counselors, and Psycho-Educational Specialists (SC LLR). South Carolina has enacted the Counseling Compact but is not issuing privileges yet. Below: what South Carolina asks of a counselor already licensed in another state, and where those applications slow down.
South Carolina LPC License Requirements
The independent clinical license in South Carolina is the LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor).
South Carolina also issues the LPC/S (supervisor license; requires 5 years of practice), so confirm which tier your work and your payers require.
Exams named for licensure: NCE and NCMHCE. The regulations say "examinations approved by the Board"; the NBCC South Carolina registration form lists the NCE and NCMHCE. The exam is passed at the associate stage.
1,500 hours of post-degree supervised experience for the independent license.
Those hours are completed under the associate credential, the LPCA (Licensed Professional Counselor Associate).
Licensed elsewhere: Under Reg. 36-14 a counselor with a current, active, unrestricted license in another state and no pending investigation is licensed by endorsement after attesting to having read the SC law, regulations and code of ethics. There is no minimum years in practice and no re-exam, but the license is issued only at an equivalent credential level.
How Much Does a South Carolina LPC License Cost?
We have not published a South Carolina figure yet
We have not verified Board of Examiners for the Licensure of Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, Addiction Counselors, and Psycho-Educational Specialists (SC LLR)'s current schedule, and board fees change between legislative sessions
We handle the South Carolina application end-to-end.
Eligibility screening, document prep, board follow-ups, and tracking — so you don't lose a board meeting cycle to a missing form.
View full pricingWhere South Carolina Applications Get Delayed
The 1,500 post-master's hours must span at least two years and include 1,380 hours of direct client contact and 120 hours of supervision (at least 60 individual or triadic).
An LPCA who has not finished within two years must apply to the board for an extension.
South Carolina enacted the Counseling Compact by 2024 Act No. 189 (S.610) but is not issuing privileges yet. Compact applicants will need state and FBI fingerprint checks.
Supervisor attestations and verifications from other boards take the longest. Request them the week you decide to apply, not the week you file.
Renewing Your South Carolina LPC License
Renewal Cycle
Every 2 years
CE Requirement
40 CE hours per renewal cycle
The Counseling Compact and South Carolina
South Carolina has enacted the Counseling Compact (May 21, 2024), but it is not issuing or accepting privileges yet. Each member state has to finish its own setup, including FBI fingerprint authority, before it goes live. Until it does, practicing in South Carolina takes a full South Carolina license, and holding a South Carolina license does not yet give you a privilege anywhere else.
Addiction counselors in South Carolina
South Carolina credentials addiction counselors as LAC and LACS. That credential is separate from the LPC, and the Counseling Compact does not cover it. Addiction counselors hold an addiction counselor associate license first, then 1,120 post-master's hours (1,000 direct) for full licensure.
Keeping it current
South Carolina renews the LPC every 2 years, with 40 hours of continuing education per cycle. 33 hours in the discipline, 6 in ethics and 1 in suicide assessment and treatment. Holders of more than one license need 50 hours. If you hold licenses in several states, each runs its own calendar and its own CE rules, which is most of what our annual compliance service tracks.
South Carolina LPC License FAQ
What is the counselor license called in South Carolina?
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Can I use the Counseling Compact for South Carolina?
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I'm licensed in another state. How do I get licensed in South Carolina?
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Which exam does South Carolina accept?
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Where these facts come from
Checked against primary sources. Boards change rules between sessions, so we confirm the current process again before anything is filed.
- LPCA/LPC requirements (36-04, 36-05), hours, endorsement (36-14), CE (36-16), LAC (36-11) — checked 2026-10-08
- board name, associate licenses, exam requirement, supervisor 5 years, compact article and fingerprint rule — checked 2026-10-08
- S.610 signed by governor 2024-05-21, Act No. 189 — checked 2026-10-08
- NCE and NCMHCE accepted — checked 2026-10-08
- not live; no jurisprudence exam for privileges — checked 2026-10-08
- board site listed by the Compact as https://llr.sc.gov/cou/; it refused or blocked automated access from this server, so the URL is not recorded as verified — checked 2026-10-08
What Working with Us Costs
Transparent, a la carte service fees. Board, exam and fingerprinting fees are paid directly to those organizations. Our concierge fee is separate and is the only thing you pay us.
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