South Carolina health club bonds.
$250 flat.
A health club or fitness franchise location, including an Anytime Fitness franchise, that sells prepaid or credit membership contracts running longer than three months or over $200 must carry a surety bond under S.C. Code Ann. § 44-79-80, filed with the Department of Consumer Affairs. This filing is a $25,000 bond, and ours is $250 flat.
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How much does a South Carolina health club bond cost?
$250 at the $25,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps. One sitting.
Health club registration bonds are about the simplest thing in surety. Here's the entire process:
Apply online
Business details and an effective date. That's the application — a short credit consent, no financial statements.
Pay & e-sign
Registration bonds like this are among the thousands of bond types that issue right after purchase. Issued when you pay. One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score.
File with the Department of Consumer Affairs
Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to file with your certificate of authority application. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
South Carolina's Physical Fitness Services Act, Title 44, Chapter 79 of the Code of Laws, regulates health clubs and fitness centers that take prepaid or credit membership money. Under § 44-79-80(1), a center that enters into a contract for services running longer than three months, or valued over $200, must maintain a surety bond in a sum set by the administrator of the Department of Consumer Affairs based on the club's estimated future service costs, capped at $50,000. This filing is set at $25,000.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the Department of Consumer Affairs (the obligee), with prepaying members as the protected parties. If a club closes or its operator fails to deliver the services already paid for, a harmed member can recover against the bond.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. The Act also lets a club submit financial-responsibility documentation to the administrator instead of a bond, and requires notice of any substantial change in financial status plus an annual report. Keep the filing continuous — we track your term and send renewal notices 60 and 30 days out.
You need this bond if you're
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the $25,000 bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The premium covers a one-year term from the effective date you choose; a longer term is the same price per year, chosen at checkout.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
File with the Department of Consumer Affairs. Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to file with your certificate of authority application. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $250 at the $25,000 amount for every applicant: the carrier’s rate book prices this bond by the form, not by your credit or your business profile.
One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual issuing fields — a short credit consent, no financial statements.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other South Carolina bonds.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Finish your health club certificate of authority today.
$250 flat, soft pull only, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.