Asbestos by State

State rules

South Carolina

South Carolina’s asbestos program is the Department of Environmental Services Asbestos Section, inside the air program. The section issues permits for regulated renovation and demolition and licenses individuals who inspect, design, monitor air, manage asbestos in place, remove it, or otherwise handle regulated material. The Columbia office is at 2600 Bull Street, and the general inquiries number on the page is 803-898-4289. Personnel and contractor licenses, facility licenses, training courses, and abatement or demolition permits are assigned to named staff with their own extensions. The rules cited are Regulation 61-86.1, the OSHA construction standard, and the asbestos NESHAP. South Carolina is not an AHERA waiver state.

Checked against official sources on October 11, 2026. Rules and links change; confirm with the office listed before you act.

Try a ZIP like 30303, “Travis County” or “Columbus, OH”
Who runs the asbestos program
South Carolina Department of Environmental Services, Asbestos Section
Who must be licensed or accredited
The Asbestos Section licenses people who inspect, design, monitor air, manage in place, remove, or otherwise handle regulated asbestos-containing material, and it issues permits for regulated renovation and demolition.
Official program page
Official page →

The contact list is organized by task and by region. General inquiries are 803-898-4289. Personnel and contractor licenses are a different extension from facility licenses, which include temporary storage licenses and quarterly reports. Training-course roster reporting is another assignment. Abatement and demolition permits are sorted by county groups, with inspectors named for the Lowcountry, the Upstate, and other regions on the page. A project in Charleston is not inspected by the Upstate inspector. Matching the county to the permit contact is part of filing correctly.

Regulation 61-86.1 is the state performance standard for asbestos projects. The page also points to OSHA 1926.1101 and to the federal NESHAP, so the section expects applicants to meet the state permit rule and the federal emission rule together. ePermitting is listed. Roofing and siding damaged by severe weather have their own guidance, separate from an ordinary renovation permit. That weather page is not a waiver of the license.

Because South Carolina is not on EPA’s waiver list, schools follow AHERA in addition to any DES permit if the work is a regulated project. Before you hire, ask for the individual’s license and the project permit, and call 803-898-4289 if you cannot tell which regional inspector covers the county. Do not send the permit application to the training-course clerk. Regulation 61-86.1 is the state performance standard cited beside the federal NESHAP.

Official resources in South Carolina

South Carolina DES asbestos section

Permits, individual licenses, and regional inspector contacts.

EPA state asbestos contacts

South Carolina asbestos section phone listed by EPA.

EPA asbestos NESHAP overview

Federal standard cited by the state section.

OSHA construction asbestos standard

Worker-protection standard the section also cites.

Key facts for South Carolina

What to do next

  1. Match the county to the regional permit inspector before you file.
  2. Ask for the individual license and the project permit.
  3. Use the weather-damage guidance only for the roofing or siding case it describes.
  4. Call 803-898-4289 if the staff list does not make the right desk obvious.

Looking for your city or county in South Carolina?

We haven't found official program-level pages for South Carolina we can verify yet, so we don't show local numbers here rather than guess. Here's what to use instead, in order:

  1. General Start with the statewide information above. It applies across South Carolina, but cities and counties can add their own steps, fees or deadlines.
  2. Call to confirm Ask the official office. They have the current local rule, fee and form.
    South Carolina Department of Environmental Services
    Website →
    Phone: (803) 898-4289 (as listed on that page, checked Oct 4, 2026)
    Your city or county office: Local governments →
    Not sure who handles it locally? USAGov's free help line, 1-844-872-4681, or the South Carolina page on USA.gov can point you to the right office.
  3. Know the current info? Tell us and include a link to the official page. We check every tip before it goes up.

Helpful guides

Asbestos rules planner →

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