What does South Carolina’s prompt payment law require on private construction?

In South Carolina, an owner must pay the undisputed amount of a contractor’s pay request within 21 days of receiving it, a contractor must pay each subcontractor within 7 days of being paid, and a late payment carries interest of 1% a month. Interest runs from the due date on the unpaid balance, but no interest is due unless the person charged was told about the interest provision when the payment request was made. On private projects only, the parties may agree to different interest rates and payment periods if the contract specifically waives Sections 29-6-30 and 29-6-50 by section number in conspicuous bold-faced or underlined type, and the statutory rate applies to a willful breach of the agreed payment terms. The chapter does not apply to residential homebuilders, to improvements intended for residential purposes of sixteen or fewer units, or to private owners whose improvements are not financed by a nonowner. A written contract can set its own payment terms where the statute allows. This is S.C. Code §§ 29-6-30, 29-6-50, 29-6-60.

WhatSouth Carolina
Payment deadlineOwner pays in 21 days; sub in 7 days; 1% a month
Who this coversPrivate construction, not only public works

What the statute says

“… the owner shall pay the contractor by mailing via first class mail or delivering the undisputed amount of any pay request within twenty-one days of receipt by the owner of any pay request based upon work completed …”

Quoted word for word from the section’s text.

Source

S.C. Code §§ 29-6-30, 29-6-50, 29-6-60

Read the statute in the South Carolina Code of Laws (South Carolina Legislature): scstatehouse.gov.

Checked against the statute on November 15, 2026.

This is a summary of a published statute, not legal advice. Rules change, local ordinances can add to them, and the terms of a specific lease may differ. Check the citation and speak to a lawyer before acting.

How Seayora uses this rule

A contractor on Seayora keeps every job’s dates, its estimate, its invoices and its payments in one record, so the date work was last performed, the date each invoice went out and the amount still owed are on file when a lien or payment deadline is counted.

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