South Carolina tanning laws for salon owners

What South Carolina requires at the front desk

South Carolina regulates tanning beds as a source of ultraviolet radiation. The rules are Regulation 61-106, Tanning Facilities, adopted under the Atomic Energy and Radiation Control Act (S.C. Code 13-7-10 and following). The South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) runs the program through its Radiation Protection Program.

1. Register every tanning bed and booth with SCDES before a client uses it, and report any change of status in writing within 30 days (61-106, 2.2, 2.3 and 2.5).
2. Pay the yearly equipment fee of $50 per unit when SCDES bills it. A bill unpaid 60 days adds a $50 penalty, and at 90 days the registration is revoked (61-106, 1.9.2).
3. For any client under 18, get a consent form signed by a parent or legal guardian in front of an operator or the owner, and have the witness add their name, signature, title and date.
4. Offer compliant eyewear, show first-time clients how to wear it, and do not start a session for anyone who will not.
5. Have staff sanitize beds and eyewear before each use with a sanitizer meant for them, mixed to the label. Do not ask clients to do it or post signs asking them to (61-106, 3.3).
6. Post the injury-reporting warning sign next to each unit, where the client sees it before switching the unit on.
7. Train every operator in the subjects in 61-106, 4.2.1, and keep the training records.

First-offense SCDES fines run from $500 (failing to register or pay a fee, or equipment or eyewear that does not meet FDA rules) to $1,000 (a UV burn needing medical attention, unsanitary equipment, or medical or non-compliant lamps), and rise for repeat offenses (61-106, 1.12.1). Breaking a rule made under the radiation act is also a misdemeanor, with a fine of $100 to $500 for each violation and each day counted separately (S.C. Code 13-7-80).

Clients under 18

South Carolina has no minimum age for UV tanning. Anyone under 18 needs written permission from a parent or legal guardian instead. SCDES tells salons that the parent must come in on the child's first visit and sign in front of an operator, and that the form must not be sent home to be signed. If you are unsure of a client's age, SCDES says you may ask for a photo ID or driver's license.

Bills to ban tanning under 18 were filed in the 2013-2014, 2019-2020 and 2021-2022 sessions (S. 879, S. 432, H. 3807 and S. 26). None became law. S. 26 went to the Senate Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee in January 2021 and moved no further. On September 29, 2026, a search of the Legislature's bill database for "tanning" across all sessions from 1975 to 2026 found no later tanning bill.

What the DHEC split changed

Act 60 of 2023 abolished the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) on July 1, 2024 and split its work between a new Department of Public Health and SCDES. Tanning went with the radiation programs to SCDES, not to Public Health. SCDES then amended Regulation 61-106, effective May 23, 2025 (State Register Vol. 49, Issue 5, Document No. 5328). It said the changes reflect the restructuring, revise related references and are otherwise non-substantive; the agency name, form number and mailing address changed. Act 146 of 2026 (H. 4189), signed May 15, 2026, then wrote SCDES's name into the radiation act itself (S.C. Code 13-7-40(A) and 13-7-45(A)(1)) and left the tanning fee, inspection and penalty sections as they were. The State Register issues through September 2026 show no later tanning rule.

Some SCDES pages still say DHEC, including the instruction to make the $50 application check payable to S.C. DHEC. SCDES also offers tanning registration through its ePermitting system. Before you mail a check, ask the program at Tanning@des.sc.gov or (803) 545-4400 which route it wants.

Membership contracts

South Carolina's Physical Fitness Services Act names tanning centers among the businesses it covers (S.C. Code 44-79-20). A prepaid or credit contract longer than three months or over $200 must be in writing, with a copy for the customer and a right to cancel before midnight of the third business day (44-79-30). A contract may not run longer than 24 months; a center in business in South Carolina for five or more years that shows financial responsibility may offer up to 36 months with the Department of Consumer Affairs' written approval (44-79-40). An automatic renewal may last no more than one month at a time and must be disclosed in bold 14-point type on the front page and initialed by the customer (44-79-60). See membership auto-renewal laws.

How TanVision helps with South Carolina's rules

TanVision's consent forms let a client sign on a counter tablet, and for a client under 18 the form collects the parent's or guardian's name and signature. Have the parent sign on the tablet at the desk rather than sending the link home, since SCDES wants the form signed in front of an operator. The form has no witness section, so keep the operator's name, signature, title and date on a paper witness record.

The minimum age is 18 by default, which matches South Carolina's definition of a minor. A client under that age cannot start a session until guardian consent is on file. TanVision does not check who signed, so the desk confirms the parent was there. If you are unsure of a client's age, Scan ID reads the date of birth from the barcode on a driver's license or ID card with a USB 2D scanner and records the day the ID was checked.

Exposure safety refuses a typed time above a room's maximum and applies your own gap between UV sessions, and the client record shows each client's consent status and recent visits, newest first. Compare other states on the tanning laws page, including neighboring Georgia.