South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control

We promote and protect the health of the public and the environment.

• Healthcare vs. Other Industries
• Benefits of CON Process
• How CON Works
• S.C. Health Plan
• List of CON Applicants
• State Register Submission Deadline (pdf)

For CON Applicants

• Draft SC CON Application Checklist (pdf)
• CON Application Form (doc)
• Instructions, Fees
• Who Must Apply; Exemptions
• Non-Applicability Request
• Prohibited Contact
• Progress Reports (Quarterly)
• Certificate of Public Advantage
• Appeals
• S.C. CON Laws, Revisions
• Contact Us

Related Topics

• S.C. Healthcare Licensing
• S.C. Healthcare Certification

Apply for S.C. Certificate of Need (CON)

Instructions, Fees

Step 1— Notify the Public

No more than 20 days before submitting your CON application, you must notify the public in the geographic area where the project is to be located. To do this, you are required to publish a notification in the legal section of a daily newspaper serving the area. This notification must be published for three straight (consecutive) days within the 20-day period prior to submission of your application to DHEC. At the very least, the notification must:

• Announce intent to apply for a Certificate of Need
• Describe the scope and nature of the project
• Provide the estimated total project cost. (For a definition of ‘total project cost’, see Regulation 61-15, Section 103.25 (pdf).)

Obtain documentation from the newspaper to verify publication of the notice. You will need to submit this documentation to DHEC with your CON application packet. Without it, we cannot process your application.

Step 2 — Complete the online (partially fillable) CON Application form (doc).

• Save it to your computer.

Step 3 — Print out 2 copies of the completed CON Application form.

• Print it on one side only of 8 ½ x 11-inch paper with a 3-hole punch on the left side.
• If possible, please also copy the application onto a CD or another secure media form and submit that to DHEC along with your required 2 paper copies. (Note: We request, but do not require, an electronic version, and it does not count as or replace the required official paper copies of your application.)

Step 4 — Calculate Your Fees

There are three fees associated with the Certificate of Need review process. (However, the third fee applies only to approved projects with a total project cost of at least $1.4 million.)

• Initial filing fee — $500. All applicants must submit this non-refundable fee with their CON application.
• Application fee — Once your application is deemed complete (as explained in Regulation 61-15, Section 303 (pdf)), DHEC will send you an invoice for this non-refundable fee. The amount will equal ½ of 1 percent of the total project cost (as defined in Regulation 61-15, Section 103.2 (pdf)) but will not exceed $7,000.
• Issuance fee — This $7,500 non-refundable fee applies only to projects with a total project cost of at least $1.4 million. (For a definition of ‘total project cost’, see Regulation 61-15, Section 103.25 (pdf).) The fee is payable upon issuance of a Certificate of Need. If your application is not approved, you will not be charged an issuance fee.

Step 5 — Mail Your Application Packet

Your packet must include:

• 2 paper copies of your CON application, along with an electronic copy, if possible
• Documentation from the newspaper verifying that you notified the public according to the rules and within the allowable time period
• A copy of your published newspaper ad/notification
• The $500 initial filing fee (non-refundable).

Without all these items, we cannot process your application.

Mail your packet to:
Bureau of Health Facilities and Services Development
S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control
2600 Bull Street
Columbia, S.C. 29201

Get tips on submitting progress reports.

View prohibited contact rules for CON process.

S.C. Certificate of Need Application form (doc)

For questions regarding the Certificate of Need process and program, please contact us at (803) 545-4200.