The Insurance Suspension
S.C. Code 56-10-240 and S.C. Code 56-10-520 — insure or surrender the plate, a $5 a day fine, and the uninsured fee
Insure it or surrender the plate. If a licensed vehicle becomes uninsured, the owner immediately insures it or surrenders the license plate and registration certificate. When the security lapses, the registration and the owner's driving privileges are automatically suspended as of that date until it is replaced.
On learning that a policy has ended, the Department of Motor Vehicles suspends the owner's driving privileges, plate and registration and acts within fifteen days to pick up the plate and certificate, giving notice by first class mail. An owner who was in fact insured during the suspension may show the department, and the suspension is voided immediately if the coverage was sufficient.
- A reinstatement fee of $200 where the owner unlawfully refuses to surrender the suspended items; none for one who surrenders them voluntarily before the suspension.
- A per diem fine of $5 for each day of lapse, up to $200 per vehicle for a first offense.
- Neither, where the owner swears the vehicle was not driven during the lapse and the lapse was due to military service or a documented illness.
Driving or allowing the driving of an uninsured vehicle is a misdemeanor carrying a fine of $100 to $200 or thirty days for a first offense. The department suspends the owner's license, registrations and plates until a reinstatement fee is paid, set at $600 and adjusted yearly.
A driver who is not the owner and knows the vehicle is uninsured commits the same offense, and that driver's license is suspended for thirty days. Only convictions within five years count as prior ones. Questions about a particular suspension are for a licensed South Carolina attorney.
Sources for this section (4)
- S.C. Code 56-10-240 — Upon loss of insurance, obtain new insurance or surrender registration and plates
- S.C. Code 56-10-245 — Per diem fine for lapse in required coverage
- S.C. Code 56-10-520 — Operating or allowing operation of uninsured motor vehicle
- S.C. Code 56-10-30 — Automatic suspension of registration upon lapse or termination of security
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed South Carolina attorney.