South Carolina Articles of Incorporation

Order your South Carolina incorporation online. It's easy, inexpensive, and guides you through the decisions to set up your corporation the way you want.

  • Trusted formation services. We serve the compliance needs of 40,000 companies (and counting).
  • Immediate online access to your incorporation wizard, project status, and powerful integration with the secretary of state database to detect when your corporation has been approved.
  • Affordable investment starting at $99 to set up your limited liability protection.
- Rated 4.4/5 by 104 clients on Google
Order Now
An abstract background of blue waves

What Are South Carolina Articles of Incorporation?

Preparing and filing your articles of incorporation is the first step in starting your business corporation. Approval of this document secures your corporate name and creates the legal entity of the corporation. Only after this approval can the corporation apply for tax IDs, obtain business licenses, sign contracts, and otherwise conduct business.

Incorporating provides many important benefits:

  • Limits the liability of directors, officers, and shareholders
  • Fulfills statutory requirements to register your business name
  • Provides governance and adds credibility

Fast Facts

For Domestic Corporations:

Agency:South Carolina Secretary of State - Division of Business Filings
Form:

Articles of Incorporation (§33-2-102)

Filing Method:

Mail or online.

Agency Fee:

$135

Turnaround:

~7-10 business days by mail. ~1-2 business days online.

Law:

S.C. Code Ann. §33

Notes:
  • If filing by mail, submit the original, one copy, filing fee, and a self-addressed stamped envelope.
  • The articles must contain a certificate, signed by an attorney licensed to practice in South Carolina, that all of the requirements of Chapter 2, Title 33 of the 1976 South Carolina Code of Laws have been complied with. (S.C. Code Ann. §33-2-102(a)(6))
  • Consider optional provisions.

For Domestic Professional Corporations:

Agency:South Carolina Secretary of State - Division of Business Filings
Form:

Articles of Incorporation

Filing Method:

Mail or online.

Agency Fee:

$110

For Domestic Close Corporations:

Agency:South Carolina Secretary of State - Division of Business Filings
Form:

Articles of Incorporation for a Statutory Close Corporation

Filing Method:

Mail or online.

Agency Fee:

$135

For Domestic Close Professional Corporations:

Agency:South Carolina Secretary of State - Division of Business Filings
Form:

Articles of Incorporation Professional - Statutory Close Corporation

Filing Method:

Mail or online.

Agency Fee:

$135


Other Helpful South Carolina Facts

As you are preparing to incorporate, keep in mind the following requirements specific to South Carolina.


South Carolina Directors

  • Number: One or more required.
  • Qualifications: None.
  • Quorum: Majority of directors, unless bylaws or articles of incorporations fix a different number. No less than one third.

South Carolina Officers

  • As stated in the bylaws, but a minimum of one. One person may hold multiple offices. One officer is required to be responsible for maintaining corporate records.

South Carolina Bylaws

  • Required: Yes.

South Carolina Annual Shareholder Meeting

  • Required: Yes, unless all action taken by unanimous consent.
  • Action by written consent: Allowed if by all shareholders entitled to vote on the action.

South Carolina Shareholders

  • Qualifications: N/A
  • Stock Certificate: Not required.
  • Voting Trusts Allowed: Yes.

Helpful Tools

We use Harbor Compliance fairly regularly for new business formation and as registered agents. They have consistently provided great service very quickly. They have also been extremely responsive to both emails and phone calls.
TimRoute Consultant, Inc.
Harbor Compliance provided excellent customer support and handle everything in establishing my corporation in Texas. They set up my new corporation, obtained a Federal EIN# and provided By-Laws for my corporation quickly and efficiently. John and Cliff both were responsive and provided answers right away to my questions. I am very happy to have relied on Harbor Compliance and will use them again for any future needs.
HarrySidere Technology, Inc.
Thank you Harbor Compliance. We are a small contractor business out here in NYC. We came across Harbor Compliance searching online, gave them a call on Tuesday noon, told them our situation, what we needed over the phone, all papers filed and sent back to me Friday morning. Thank you so much for your prompt service Harbor Compliance!
MichaelMHLin and Partners Inc.