The Official Web Site of the State of South Carolina

You can file a complaint and submit applications for licensing online. Filings you do not wish to make, or that are not available, online can be submitted via mail for processing.

Department staff is available to assist with any questions at (800) 922-1594 (toll free in SC) or 803-734-4200 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding State holidays. You can also email general questions to scdca@scconsumer.gov. 

 

Homeowners Association (HOA) Information

Below you will find an array of information on homeowners associations (HOA), including frequently asked questions, overviews of applicable laws, resources and more. While the SCDCA does not oversee HOAs, education is a core component of our mission. If you would like to learn more about filing a complaint against an HOA, head over to our complaints page. We hope you find this page helpful. 

Education

Please note, this material is for informational purposes only, is general in nature, and is not intended to and should not be relied upon or construed as a legal opinion or legal advice regarding any specific issue or factual circumstance.

General - A compilation of information to answer frequently asked questions DCA receives.  

Webinars - A collection of videos about homeowners associations are available on SCDCA's YouTube Channel. 

Law Outlines - While South Carolina does not have a comprehensive law detailing how a homeowners association must operate, associations must follow the South Carolina Homeowners Association Act.  Certain other laws may apply as well.  The outlines provided are mere summaries.  The full statutes can be found under the "Laws" section below.

Laws

Click on the name of a statute below to view the law in its entirety:

Click here to view of listing of SC laws referencing homeowners associations.

Homeowners Association Report 

A compilation of certain data from complaints received by DCA involving HOAs presented in a categorized, filterable and searchable format. The report is published annually beginning January 31, 2019. All of the reports are available on our HOA report page.

Contacts

  • SC Secretary of State- To find out if an HOA is registered as a non-profit, visit the SC Secretary of State's website.
     
  • County Clerks of Court - Click here for a full listing.
     
  • County Register of Deeds - Click here for a full listing.
     
  • Magistrate's Court - The Magistrate's Court may hear monetary disputes involving a homeowners association if the amount in issue does not exceed $7,500.
     
  • SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR)-  LLR creates the form, known as the South Carolina Residential Property Disclosure Statement, a seller of real property must use to disclose if a home is governed by an HOA. 
     
  • South Carolina Bar - The SC Bar has a referral service if you need help contacting an attorney. They can be reached at 800-868-2284 or by visiting https://lrs.scbar.org/.