Last updated July 7, 2026

E&S Insurance in South Carolina: Classes, Coverage & Quoting Guide

Pathpoint offers 12 Excess and Surplus (E&S) product lines in South Carolina covering 198+ class codes, including Contractors, Monoline Property, and LRO (Lessor's Risk Only). 71.9% of submissions receive an instant, bindable quote, typically in seconds. The platform partners with 19 carriers and handles South Carolina's surplus lines compliance automatically, including tax calculation at 6.0% and diligent search documentation. South Carolina has no stamping office, so Pathpoint files everything electronically at bind. The average bound premium across all South Carolina product lines is $3,514.

Key Takeaways

12 E&S product lines covering 198+ class codes in South Carolina
71.9% of submissions receive instant, bindable quotes, typically in seconds
19 carrier partners spanning binding-authority, middle-market brokerage, and specialty backstop markets
Surplus lines tax of 6.0%, calculated and filed automatically at bind
Average bound premium of $3,514 across all South Carolina product lines

What E&S product lines can I quote in South Carolina?

Pathpoint currently quotes 12 Excess and Surplus (E&S) product lines in South Carolina, covering 198+ class codes. The lineup includes Contractors (108 class codes), LRO (19, Lessor's Risk Only), Contractors Excess (66), Vacant Building (3), Vacant Land (2), Retail & Services (20), LRO Excess (10), Restaurants (15), Manufacturing (16), and Churches (2). By trailing 12-month bind volume, Contractors, Monoline Property, and LRO lead the state, with Contractors alone producing 240 bound policies, more than four times the next closest line.

Of those 12 lines, 9 (75%) are instant-quotable, meaning most South Carolina submissions in these classes return an automated, bindable quote without underwriter review. The remaining 3, Contractors Excess, Manufacturing, and Churches, are referred to Pathpoint's brokerage team for manual placement, with quotes typically returned within 19.6 hours. Contractors Excess still produced 26 bound policies in the window despite the manual process, while Manufacturing and Churches saw lighter volume at 2 and 0 binds respectively.

Full class list · Ranked by bind volume

#	Product	Class Codes	Top Classes	Quote Type	Appetite
1	Contractors	108	Contractors–Subcontracted Work–In Connection with Building Construction, Reconstruction, Repair or Erection–One- or Two-Family Dwellings, Roofing–Residential–Three Stories and Under, Remodeling Contractor, Carpentry–Construction of Residential Property Not Exceeding Three Stories in Height, Pressure Washing	⚡ Instant	Strong
2	Monoline Property	N/A	Apartment Buildings–Garden, Buildings or Premises–Bank or Office–Mercantile or Mfg. (Lessor's Risk Only)–Other Than Not-For-Profit, Apartment Buildings, Buildings or Premises–Bank or Office–Mercantile or Mfg. (Lessor's Risk Only)–Maintained by the Insured–Other Than Not-For-Profit, Dwellings–Four-Family (Lessor's Risk Only)	⚡ Instant	Active
3	LRO	19	Apartment Buildings–Garden, Buildings or Premises–Bank or Office–Mercantile or Mfg. (Lessor's Risk Only)–Other Than Not-For-Profit, Buildings or Premises–Bank or Office–Mercantile or Mfg. (Lessor's Risk Only)–Maintained by the Insured–Other Than Not-For-Profit, Dwellings–One-Family (Lessor's Risk Only), Dwellings–Two-Family (Lessor's Risk Only)	⚡ Instant	Strong
4	Contractors Excess	66	Contractors–Subcontracted Work–In Connection with Construction, Reconstruction, Repair or Erection of Buildings, Contractors–Subcontracted Work–In Connection with Building Construction, Reconstruction, Repair or Erection–One- or Two-Family Dwellings, Painting–Interior–Buildings or Structures, Contractors–Executive Supervisors or Executive Superintendents, Contractors–Subcontracted Work–In Connection with Construction, Reconstruction, Erection or Repair–Not Buildings	↗ Referred	Active
5	Vacant Building	3	Vacant Buildings–Not Factories–Other Than Not-For-Profit	⚡ Instant	Active
6	Vacant Land	2	Vacant Land–Other Than Not-For-Profit, Vacant Land–Not-For-Profit Only	⚡ Instant	Strong
7	Retail & Services	20	Beverage Stores–Liquor and Wine, Food Trucks and Trailers – Mobile Concessions, Convenience Stores – No Gas Station, Car Wash or Restaurant, Grocery Stores, Nail Salons	⚡ Instant	Active
8	LRO Excess	10	Buildings or Premises–Bank or Office–Mercantile or Mfg. (Lessor's Risk Only)–Other Than Not-For-Profit, Warehouses–Occupied by Multiple Interests (Lessor's Risk Only)	⚡ Instant	Strong
8	Restaurants	15	Restaurants–with Sale of Alcoholic Beverages that are 30% or More of But Less Than 75% of the Total Annual Receipts of the Restaurants–without Dance Floor, Restaurants–with Sale of Alcoholic Beverages that are Less Than 30% of the Annual Receipts of the Restaurants–with Table Service	⚡ Instant	Strong
10	Manufacturing	16	Food Products Mfg.–Dry, Food Products Mfg.–Not Dry–In Other Than Glass Containers, Furniture Mfg. or Assembling–Wood	↗ Referred	Active
11	Cyber	N/A	Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	⚡ Instant	Strong
12	Churches	2	None	↗ Referred	Active

How fast can I get an E&S quote in South Carolina?

71.9% of South Carolina account submissions return an instant, bindable quote, typically in seconds, with no underwriter involved. Once a risk auto-quotes, the agent reviews pricing, binds, and receives policy documents in the same session. Pathpoint doesn't publish one clean average turnaround for this step in South Carolina, because raw lifecycle timestamps mix in reopened and resubmitted accounts that stretch the calendar-time average out to several days. The instant-quote experience itself, submission to bindable price, still happens in a single sitting.

The remaining 28.1% of South Carolina submissions are referred to Pathpoint's brokerage team, which returns a quote in a median of 19.6 hours rather than the same session. Referred and instant submissions move through the identical Pathpoint account and workflow, agents don't fill out a separate form or use a separate portal. They enter risk information once, and the quote appears in the dashboard whether it resolves in seconds on an instant-eligible class or after a brokerage team review on a referred one like Contractors Excess, Manufacturing, or Churches.

Which carriers are available in South Carolina?

19 carriers quoted at least one South Carolina submission in the trailing 12 months, including Kinsale, Markel, The Hartford, Crum & Forster, and Nautilus. The warehouse doesn't classify these carriers by domicile type, so the mix of domestic surplus lines insurers versus Lloyd's of London syndicates isn't broken out, but the panel spans binding-authority markets, middle-market brokerage markets, and specialty backstops. Pathpoint evaluates appetite for each submission by class, location, risk size, and loss history, then routes it to the carriers most likely to quote.

Coverage spans all 12 South Carolina product lines, from Contractors (108 class codes) down to smaller specialty lines like Churches (2). Multi-carrier quoting means a single submission can be evaluated across several markets at once instead of being shopped one carrier at a time. Pathpoint continues to add carrier relationships in South Carolina as appetite and volume grow across the state's product lines, and agents see the resulting options side by side rather than gathering separate quotes on their own.

Where is Pathpoint's appetite strongest in South Carolina?

Pathpoint groups South Carolina product lines into three appetite tiers based on account quote rate: high (80% or above), mid (50 to 80%), and emerging (below 50%). 6 of the 12 lines carry high appetite: Contractors (89.7% quote rate), LRO (90.6%), Restaurants (86.9%), Vacant Land (88.2%), LRO Excess (81.3%), and Cyber (100%). These lines see the strongest bind rates and the most competitive pricing in the state. Contractors combines that high quote rate with 240 trailing 12-month binds, the largest volume of any South Carolina product line.

The remaining 6 lines sit in the mid tier, with quote rates between 50% and 80%: Monoline Property (59.7%), Contractors Excess (67.6%), Vacant Building (67.2%), Retail & Services (74.6%), Manufacturing (69.2%), and Churches (64.7%). No South Carolina product line currently falls into the emerging tier. Mid-tier lines still bind regularly. They see more risks declined or referred out before quote than high-tier lines, and Pathpoint is expanding carrier partnerships to push them toward the high tier.

What are the surplus lines requirements in South Carolina?

South Carolina's surplus lines premium tax rate is 6.0%, and Pathpoint calculates it automatically at checkout on every bound account. South Carolina does not operate a surplus lines stamping office, so there is no separate office filing step for agents to track. Pathpoint still files all required surplus lines documentation electronically as part of binding, covering tax calculation and diligent search paperwork so the compliance workload stays off the agent's desk. This works the same way whether the underlying submission was instant-quoted or handled by the brokerage team.

South Carolina requires a diligent search of the admitted market before a risk moves to the surplus lines market, though the state's rule doesn't specify a fixed declination count the way some states do. Pathpoint documents this diligent effort automatically as part of every submission, so agents aren't tracking down and attaching declination letters themselves. Filings follow the home state method under the Nonadmitted and Reinsurance Reform Act (NRRA), meaning South Carolina is treated as the filing state whenever it's the insured's home state.

Surplus Lines Tax: 6.0%
Stamping Office: None
Diligent Search: Diligent effort required (no fixed declination count)
Filing Method: Home state

How does quoting E&S on Pathpoint work in South Carolina?

Quoting E&S in South Carolina follows four steps. First, the agent submits risk details through Pathpoint. Second, the platform routes the account to carriers and returns a quote, instantly for 71.9% of submissions and typically in seconds, or through the brokerage team within a median of 19.6 hours for referred accounts. Third, the agent binds the policy, with South Carolina's 6.0% surplus lines tax and diligent search documentation handled automatically since the state has no stamping office to file through. Fourth, policy documents are issued and the premium is invoiced.

Agents don't need a surplus lines license to quote E&S in South Carolina through Pathpoint. Pathpoint acts as the broker of record on every account, handling carrier relationships, filings, and compliance while the retail agent earns a standard retail commission. There's no cost to create a Pathpoint account or submit a risk in South Carolina, whether the submission ends up instant-quoted or referred. Agents only see cost enter the picture once a policy actually binds.

What does E&S insurance cost in South Carolina?

The average bound premium across all South Carolina product lines is $3,514 over the trailing 12 months. By top product line: Contractors averages $3,230 with a typical range of $1,106 to $4,349, Monoline Property averages $4,699 with a typical range of $1,690 to $6,013, and LRO averages $3,722 with a typical range of $815 to $5,122. Pricing on any individual account still depends on class, limits, location, and loss history. These three lines account for most of South Carolina's trailing 12-month bind volume, so their ranges are the most representative benchmark for a typical account.

E&S premiums generally run higher than admitted market rates because surplus lines carriers take on harder-to-place risks, like the residential Contractors and multi-family property classes that dominate South Carolina's bind volume. Pathpoint's multi-carrier platform keeps pricing competitive by evaluating a submission across several markets at once instead of shopping it to a single carrier. Exact pricing is only confirmed at the quote stage, and there's no obligation to bind once a quote comes back, even after comparing several carrier options.

There's no fee to create a Pathpoint account or submit risks in South Carolina. Agents can quote and compare before committing to anything. They earn a standard retail commission on every bound policy, the same as in any other market. South Carolina's 6.0% surplus lines tax is calculated and applied automatically at checkout, then passed through to the insured on the final invoice alongside the bound premium. There's no separate charge for using the brokerage team on referred submissions either.

Frequently Asked Questions: E&S Insurance in South Carolina

Pathpoint currently quotes 12 Excess and Surplus (E&S) product lines in South Carolina, covering 198+ class codes. Nine of the 12, 75%, are instant-quotable, meaning most submissions in those classes return an automated, bindable quote. The remaining three, Contractors Excess, Manufacturing, and Churches, go to Pathpoint's brokerage team for manual placement. Contractors is the largest single line by class code count (108) and by trailing 12-month bind volume (240 policies), followed by Monoline Property and LRO (Lessor's Risk Only).

South Carolina's surplus lines premium tax rate is 6.0%. Pathpoint calculates the tax automatically at checkout and files all required documentation electronically as part of binding. South Carolina doesn't operate a surplus lines stamping office, so there's no separate stamping fee or manual office filing for agents to handle. Filings follow the home state method under the NRRA (Nonadmitted and Reinsurance Reform Act).

71.9% of South Carolina submissions receive an instant, bindable quote, typically in seconds, with no underwriter review required. The remaining 28.1% are referred to Pathpoint's brokerage team, which returns a quote in a median of 19.6 hours. Both paths run through the same Pathpoint account. The only difference is how quickly the quote appears in the dashboard.

No. Pathpoint acts as the broker of record on every South Carolina account, so the retail agent doesn't need a surplus lines license to place E&S business through the platform. The agent earns a standard retail commission, and there's no cost to create a Pathpoint account or submit a risk.

19 carriers quoted at least one South Carolina submission in the trailing 12 months, including Kinsale, Markel, The Hartford, Crum & Forster, and Nautilus. The warehouse doesn't classify carriers by domicile type, so the split between domestic surplus lines insurers and Lloyd's of London syndicates isn't broken out, but the panel spans binding-authority, middle-market brokerage, and specialty backstop markets. Pathpoint routes each submission to the carriers most likely to quote based on class, location, risk size, and loss history.

A referred submission goes to Pathpoint's brokerage team instead of returning an automatic quote. In South Carolina, that applies to Contractors Excess, Manufacturing, and Churches, the three lines that aren't instant-quotable. The team shops the risk across Pathpoint's carrier panel and typically returns a quote in a median of 19.6 hours, the same panel and process used for instant-eligible classes.

The average bound premium across all South Carolina product lines is $3,514. By product line, Contractors averages $3,230 (typical range $1,106 to $4,349), Monoline Property averages $4,699 ($1,690 to $6,013), and LRO averages $3,722 ($815 to $5,122). Actual pricing depends on class, limits, location, and loss history, and is confirmed at the quote stage with no obligation to bind.