South Carolina

Under 63-9-60(A), any South Carolina resident may petition the court to adopt a child (the statute imposes no minimum duration of South Carolina residency). Under 63-9-60(B), a nonresident of South Carolina may petition a South Carolina family court to adopt a child only if one or more of the following apply: (1) the child is a special needs child (63-9-30(10)); (2) there has been public notoriety concerning the child or child's family and best interests would be served by out-of-state placement; (3) the child is to be placed for adoption with a relative related biologically or by marriage; (4) at least one of the adoptive parents is in the military service stationed in South Carolina; (5) there are unusual or exceptional circumstances such that the best interests of the child would be served by placement with or adoption by nonresidents (with specific findings of fact in the court order); or (6) the child has been in foster care under the responsibility of the State for at least six months after being legally freed for adoption and no South Carolina resident has been identified as an adoptive resource. Before a child born in South Carolina is placed with out-of-state prospective adoptive parents under 63-9-60(B), both the South Carolina family court and ICPC (Article 11) requirements must be satisfied.

S.C. Code Ann. 63-9-60 · as of 2026-10-22

Under 63-9-360, 63-9-520(B), and S.C. Code Regs. 114-4370, preplacement and postplacement adoption investigations, background medical and social histories, and consents or relinquishments must be completed by an Adoption Investigator certified by the South Carolina Department of Social Services (or by DSS or a licensed child-placing agency employing certified adoption investigators). DSS publishes a directory of certified adoption investigators on its website.

S.C. Code Ann. 63-9-360; 63-9-520(B); S.C. Code Regs. 114-4370 · as of 2026-10-22

The South Carolina Department of Social Services maintains the confidential Responsible Father Registry (63-9-820(A)). An unmarried biological father or putative father must file a written claim of paternity with the registry to preserve the right to receive notice of an adoption or termination-of-parental-rights proceeding (63-9-820(C)-(D)). There is no fee to file a claim (63-9-820(I)). Every adoption petition or termination-of-parental-rights petition must include a certificate from DSS stating that a diligent search of the Responsible Father Registry has been made and reporting the result (63-9-820(F)).

S.C. Code Ann. 63-9-820(A)-(B),(F),(I) · as of 2026-10-22

The Family Court has exclusive jurisdiction over all adoption proceedings (63-3-530(A)(5)). Under 63-9-40(A)-(B), venue for an adoption proceeding is in the family court of the judicial circuit in which: (1) the petitioner resides; (2) the adoptee resides or was born; or (3) the office of the child-placing agency having custody or control of the adoptee is located. If the petitioner is a nonresident filing under 63-9-60(B), venue is in the county where the biological parent resides, where the child was born, or where the placing agency is located (63-9-40(B)).

S.C. Code Ann. 63-9-40; 63-3-530(A)(5) · as of 2026-10-22