South Carolina Inland Marine Insurance and Carrier Transit Liability

South Carolina defines marine insurance to include the risks of navigation, transit, or transportation of all forms of property, including the liability of a carrier for hire for the loss of or damage to property in its custody. The inland marine rate article applies only to fire and allied lines and inland marine on risks located in this state, and it says inland marine includes insurance defined by statute or by general custom. A bailee's customers' goods and the bailee's own trucks are not the same exposure.

What Is Inland Marine Insurance?

If your business moves equipment between sites or ships goods, inland marine can cover those property exposures; installation and other forms address different property categories. Match the quote to what you own, rent or hold for others. Read the national Tools, equipment and inland marine guide.

What to Watch for With Inland Marine in South Carolina

For-Hire Custody Is Inside the Marine Definition
Section 38-1-20(40) includes the liability of a carrier for hire for loss of or damage to property in its custody among marine risks of navigation, transit, or transportation. If you haul someone else's goods, ask whether the quote covers that legal liability, your own equipment, or both. The definition is not the policy. ¹
The Rate Article Stops at the State Line
Section 38-73-310 says the fire and allied lines and inland marine rate article applies only to those lines on risks located in this state. A shipment that starts in South Carolina and ends elsewhere may be a different filing question at the destination. Inland marine for that article includes insurance defined by statute, by interpretation, or by general custom. ²
Schedule the Cargo Interest and the Equipment Interest Apart
A carrier-liability class does not schedule your tools, and an equipment floater does not pay a shipper for cargo you were holding. Ask for the form that matches each interest, and ask when custody begins and ends. ¹

Which Inland Marine Providers Have South Carolina License Records?

These providers publish a national listing for Tools, equipment and inland marine; the license records below name the licensed entities and roles. Some records rely on company-reported information rather than independent regulator verification. A national listing does not confirm the product is available in South Carolina. Check the regulator’s license lookup and confirm state availability for your business when requesting a quote.

TechInsurance
Insurance producer · checked 2026-09-28
Specialty Program Group LLC
TechInsurance’s current licensing page names Specialty Program Group LLC / SPG Insurance Solutions and lists state license numbers, but labels Rhode Island “Individual licenses” rather than identifying a license for the named agency. RI is omitted because this disclosure does not establish agency authority there; this is a search limitation, not an assertion that the company is unlicensed. The remaining state entries are company-reported and are not an insurance product availability map. ¹³
TechInsurance arranges inland marine coverage for contractors’ tools and equipment.

Who Regulates Insurance in South Carolina?

South Carolina Department of Insurance

The South Carolina Department of Insurance licenses and regulates insurance companies and producers and accepts complaints involving entities it licenses and policies incepted in South Carolina. Its consumer page links to the online complaint form and explains limits on the Department’s authority. ^3,^4,⁵

Website: Regulator website
License lookup: Search licensed producers
Complaints: File a complaint

Surplus-Lines Tax and Stamping Office in South Carolina

Reported tax rate. 6% blended broker premium tax: 4% state plus 2% municipal ^6,⁷

SCDOI’s January 2026 instructions set a 6% blended surplus-lines broker premium tax: 4% state and 2% municipal; the Department collects both and the Municipal Association of South Carolina allocates the municipal share. The filing system also asks brokers to identify one to three insurers that declined the indicated coverage; check the policy notice for any guaranty-association disclosure.

Questions to Ask Before You Buy Inland Marine in South Carolina

Are you covering your liability for a shipper's goods, your own equipment, or both?
Is the risk located in South Carolina for the rate article, or does the shipment leave the state?
When does custody of the goods begin and end?

Inland Marine Insurance in South Carolina: Frequently Asked Questions

Does South Carolina’s marine definition include a for-hire carrier’s liability for cargo?

Yes. Section 38-1-20(40) includes the liability of a carrier for hire for the loss of or damage to property in its custody, as part of marine insurance on risks of navigation, transit, or transportation. ¹

Does the South Carolina inland marine rate article apply to risks outside the state?

No. Section 38-73-310 says that article applies only to fire and allied lines and inland marine on risks located in this state. ²

Sources for Inland Marine Insurance in South Carolina

1
S.C. Code Title 38, Chapter 1. South Carolina Legislature; § 38-1-20(40) marine insurance, including for-hire carrier liability. Accessed 2026-09-29.
2
S.C. Code Title 38, Chapter 73. South Carolina Legislature; § 38-73-310 inland marine rate article limited to risks located in this state. Accessed 2026-09-29.
3
south-carolina insurance regulator. State insurance regulator; Official home and consumer services pages describe regulator scope. Accessed 2026-09-28.
4
SCDOI Online Services. State insurance regulator; General Public offers Licensee Lookup for licensed individuals and insurers. Accessed 2026-09-28.
5
SCDOI Consumer Services. State insurance regulator; Complaint process and stated authority covers licensed entities and policies incepted in SC; online complaint form is linked. Accessed 2026-09-28.
6
2026 Surplus Lines Filing Instructions. South Carolina Department of Insurance; Pages 1–2, January 26 2026 memo: 6% blended rate, 4% state plus 2% municipal; DOI collects both and MASC allocates municipal portion. Accessed 2026-09-28.
7
2026 Surplus Lines Filing Instructions. South Carolina Department of Insurance; Pages 1–2, Jan. 26, 2026 instructions: broker filing due-diligence field requires one to three named insurers declining the indicated coverage. Accessed 2026-09-28.
8
Licenses. At-Bay; Current producer introduction and state table; At-Bay Insurance Services LLC; P&C and surplus-lines identifiers. Accessed 2026-09-21.
9
Licenses and Carriers. Coalition; Licenses and Carriers, re-read 22 September 2026: Insurance Licenses table for Coalition Insurance Solutions, Inc., national producer number 18419475, with producer and surplus-lines numbers for all 50 states and DC including California 0L76155, Georgia 196479, Texas 2199630 and 2205589, Pennsylvania 815731 and 817452, Colorado 539028 and Wisconsin 3000108852. Insurance Carriers table naming, with NAIC numbers, Allianz Underwriters Insurance Company 36420, Arch Specialty Insurance Company 21199, Ascot Specialty Insurance Company 45055, Ascot Insurance Company 23752, Aspen Specialty Insurance Company 10717, Chaucer Insurance Company DAC, Coalition Insurance Company 29530, Fireman's Fund Indemnity Corporation 11380, Fortegra Specialty Insurance Company 16823, Lloyd's of London, MSIG Specialty Insurance USA Inc. 34886, MS Transverse Specialty Insurance Company 41807, Steadfast Insurance Company 26387, Vantage Risk Specialty Insurance Company 16275 and Zurich American Insurance Company 16535. Accessed 2026-09-22.
10
Insurance Producer Licenses. Corgi Insurance; Current complete Insurance Producer Licenses table for Corgi Insurance Services, Inc.; 50 rows covering 49 states and DC (DC 3003091619); no New Mexico row; no NPN or as-of date shown. Accessed 2026-09-28.
11
About Hiscox US Insurance. Hiscox; Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. NAIC 10200 as Chicago, IL domiciled insurer admitted or licensed in all 50 states and D.C.; Hiscox Inc. as general agent and Lloyd’s coverholder for Syndicates 33 and 3624; surplus-lines placements through licensed surplus-lines brokers; A.M. Best rating statement. Accessed 2026-09-16.
12
Licenses. ERGO NEXT Insurance; Current entity-by-state license table reopened 28 September 2026: 50 rows under Next First Insurance Agency, Inc., including Washington, DC; New York rows instead list Next Insurance Services PC-1423070 and AP Intego BR-1198885. Accessed 2026-09-28.
13
Insurance Licenses by State. TechInsurance; Current state table; identifies TechInsurance as a division of Specialty Program Group LLC d/b/a SPG Insurance Solutions; lists DC 3000041536 and labels Rhode Island “Individual licenses,” without an agency license number. Accessed 2026-09-28.
14
Licenses. Vouch; Effective 16 January 2025: Vouch Specialty Insurance Services, LLC, NPN 19926463; P&C table (50 states and DC); surplus-lines table includes Idaho 870820; footnote says Georgia and Idaho do not issue agency-level surplus-lines licenses; Idaho retained as producer-only due to conflict. Accessed 2026-09-15.

South Carolina Inland Marine Insurance and Carrier Transit Liability

What Is Inland Marine Insurance?

What to Watch for With Inland Marine in South Carolina

For-Hire Custody Is Inside the Marine Definition

The Rate Article Stops at the State Line

Schedule the Cargo Interest and the Equipment Interest Apart